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Letters to the editor prompt reform

I love being hated.

That is, I love being hated when it means The Voice receives letters to the editor about my columns. At least when we get letters to the editor, I know that I have done something right--or according to some people--everything wrong.

After my first column on my hope for a smoke-free university, I got an e-mail that began “Dear Moron.” Most people would have been a bit offended and wouldn’t have read any more. But, to tell you the truth, I rather enjoyed the negative feedback.

There are two reasons I wasn’t offended. First, since I know that I’m always right, there’s no way that this negative letter could have had any merit. Second, the writer of this e-mail took the time to sit down and type out their objections to my column, rather than just complain about it to their friends.

So far this semester, including this issue, The Voice has published eight letters to the editor. In four weeks, The Voice has published more letters to the editor than they received in any other entire semester in recent memory. While this may be a testament to good columnists--as I believe it is--I would not count this meager number as an accomplishment, but rather, a sad testament to a lack of activism on campus.

With a circulation of 5,000 newspapers, The Voice reaches nearly everyone on campus at one time or another. With an additional number of alumni and parents flocking to The Voice Online every week, The Voice gets in the hands of everyone who wants it. Sadly though, we rarely see more than one letter to the editor each week, very rarely two or three.

Less than one out of every 1,000 readers bothers to write a letter to the editor. One would think that in an academic arena like college, students would be filled with ideas and excited to tell others how they feel. Evidently though, students are either taking our word for gold or they are complaining to their friends that what a columnist said was dumb or something that the administration did just doesn’t make sense.

As the cliche goes, the worst thing that you could ever do to rectify a situation is nothing. Or, worse yet, complain to your friends.

Unless you are friends with University President Dr. Kozloff, one of the deans, or some other high-ranking member of administration, you are going to have a hard time getting any sort of action taken on your complaints. So, instead of just telling people around you that something is wrong, tell 5,000 people: tell The Voice. The editorial policy is very clear: if you send it in, The Voice will print it. [Ed. Note: see editorial policy, page 7]

Letters to the editor do more than just fill space on a page. Letters foster dialog with others and often with the decision-makers. When you write, you begin to think about all the reasons why your thoughts are correct and why others are wrong. You begin to think on your own and begin to use the education that you are paying so much for.

Because, when you’ve graduated, employers and graduate schools aren’t going to worry about how well you did on your chemistry final. They will look more closely at how you’ve bettered yourself while in college. They will look to see that you can think independently of others. They will want to see how you’ve grown.

Very rarely do I hear classroom discussion about current campus issues. Too often classes are taught too much by the books and don’t foster any good discussions on issues facing the campus. As a professor, strive to create a constructive conflict and discussion in the classroom. As students, question professors and your fellow classmates. Question yourself. Ask “why?” and ”why not?” Test out those independent-thinking skills that college is supposed to have instilled in you.

When you write a letter to the editor, have confidence in your opinion. If you feel strongly enough to write the letter, then feel strongly enough to attach your name to the letter. If you know that you’re right, then you should want everyone to recognize you and pat you on the back for your opinion. Sure, The Voice can withhold your name, but then why write in at all?

Think about it. Every week for the entire semester, I put my name and reputation on the line. I have both my name and picture in a prominent place in the paper for 5,000 plus readers to see. When I offend people or if they disagree with me, they will know who I am. But if you write a letter to the editor and it offends someone, you won’t have your picture displayed for the world to see. I’ve created a dialog for the readers, and you should as well. So, take a risk. Sure, someone might disagree with you, but isn’t that the whole point behind voicing your opinion?

In the past week, The Voice received a number of negative letters to the editor about my column. One challenged my beliefs, while another outright challenged me to a bet.

This is precisely the type of letters that The Voice should be receiving, except in a higher volume. I know for a fact that many people either agreed or disagreed with me, but I have only heard three people’s opinions.

When you disagree with something, either something a columnist said or something that’s being done on campus, stop complaining and start doing something about it. Be proactive. Work to better your situation. Use The Voice to your advantage. Decide what it is you believe. Research your opinion. Write a letter. Talk about it later.

And even if you want to start your letters with “Dear Moron,” we’re still listening.