Response to Jordan Miles in the Rotunda

Please note that this is a response to the “Letter to the Editor” in the Rotunda on 11/5/2008. The Rotunda is Longwood University’s student-run newspaper. It is available at www.therotundaonline.com. The letter I am responding to is a “Letter to the Editor” from the week before (10/29/2008), also available at the Rotunda’s website (here is a link to the letter).

Dear Editor,

First let me start off by saying that I am an avid reader of the Rotunda. I have collected nearly every issue in my tenure here as a student of Longwood and I have amassed quite a collection. Second let me say that I have also had the pleasure of going through the Rotunda’s archives so I have seen how the paper has morphed and grown over the years that it has been in existence. Thirdly let me say that considering both of those above statements I find Mr. Miles’ comments to be quite insulting to the paper and to myself as a reader.

Media is supposed to serve as the conscience of the people. This means that there are going to be good things and bad things that are reported and that it is not going to be popular to a lot of people. Media is not supposed to serve as a sycophant of the people in charge, it is supposed to highlight mistakes and what is being done to correct them. Now a good media outlet does not just report on the bad things, it reports on the good as well. I have yet to see a Rotunda issue that does not praise someone in some way be it the sports teams, and organization, or just someone in general. That is one reason why you all have the Props and Drops as well!

Oh sure, you could never highlight the bad things and be just a propaganda outlet for the University but what good will that do the campus? Will anyone seek to change anything if they do not realize something is wrong? Would we have gone green if people had not reported on how much we were negatively affecting the environment? Would Madeline’s House have been saved by the students of Longwood if someone had not said how bad that was and not just let it take its course? We are taught to be citizen leaders here at Longwood and part of being a good citizen leader is not just blindly saying “Yes, yes, everything is ok!” It is saying “no, we have a problem here and it needs to be fixed!”

Secondly tradition is only tradition because no one has bothered to change it. I love the traditions here at Longwood, they are part of why I came. Longwood is an old campus and there are some things that should not be forgotten. But if you look over the years the traditions have changed! Did you know that Oktoberfest used to be a MUCH bigger deal than it is now? It was something that the WHOLE campus got involved in! But over time nothing changed and now the participation is nothing like it used to be. Maybe its time for new traditions? That is what I believe Mr. Holmes was going for. Now I will grant that Mr. Holmes comments about spending on a “kegger” could have been worded differently but if he had said “a huge cake” it would not have changed the tone of the article either. Would you deny him the opportunity for the free speech that is the right of everyone on campus simply because you disagree with his wording? Also the veiled threat Mr. Miles gave over continued reporting of criticisms seems a bit extreme, “Please do not let this article and continued scrutiny and criticism over traditions and spirit bring the paper down.”

Remember, this country was founded on criticism about the rule of another country. New traditions were founded and have been reexamined over time and in some cases replaced. It was traditional that women did not vote and that African Americans were second class. The ONLY reason it changed is because someone criticized it and caused the change to happen. If everyone had just gone with the propaganda of the time, where would we be?

Please, be an active citizen leader and criticize your leaders. Do not just be a “yes”-person, be an active citizen leader and enact the change around you. Do not trust someone who says that “everything is fine just trust me” all the time. Be a true student of Longwood!

On a final note I will leave you with this:

“Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances.”

Live it, learn it, love it, PRACTICE IT OR LOSE IT!

Sincerely,

Gerald B. Martin