Letter to the Editor
Issue date: 11/4/09 Section: Opinion
Dear Rotunda Editorial Staff,
As an active reader of The Rotunda, I have noticed a lot of articles sparking debate across campus. I believe this is generally a good thing for a student newspaper, especially The Rotunda which has in the last two years made significant headway in terms of credibility from my freshman year in 2005.
However, many of these articles printed, and in my opinion some issues that have gone uncovered, are receiving feedback for the wrong reasons.
To begin with, every week when I open a new issue I have noticed grammatical errors all across the board. This is understandable, as the students who work for the newspaper are budding writers and editors and do their jobs knowing they are not paid for their work. In this area, I believe the editorial staff is overall doing a good job, although personally and through interactions with other students we would like to see a little more attention to detail.
Furthermore, I have noticed a lack of coverage on a couple campus events, while at the same time there has been a sort of 'overkill' on other issues. This last weekend (October 16-18) there were two major events held in the heart of the Longwood campus that were seemingly ignored by The Rotunda staff. On Friday, there was a cornhole tournament, held by Sigma Sigma Sigma and Sigma Phi Epsilon. This event was held as a fundraiser where all proceeds were donated to the organizations' respective philanthropies. There were over 60 students who participated in the event. On Sunday, there was a walk hosted by Phi Kappa Tau that was held to commemorate one of their brothers, Captain Shane Adcock, who died in combat overseas. Over 100 students participated in the walk and donations were accepted and given towards a scholarship in Adcock's name. In my interactions with students and faculty members this was a widely successful event.
On the other hand, an issue that came to light at the end of last semester has continually garnered coverage by The Rotunda staff. It seems apparent to me that at this juncture, the Longwood community is fully aware of the fact that Zeta Tau Alpha sorority is no longer a recognized organization on campus.
In this area, I ask why The Rotunda staff, who I have learned was fully aware of at least one of these uncovered stories, did not publish a single sentence regarding either event. While at the same time, your staff has remained vigilant in reporting on a seemingly 'dead' issue?
It appears to me that the editorial staff is severely misusing their efforts and resources. To voice the concerns of the student body, I would suggest that the Rotunda editorial staff seriously consider re-organizing managerial structure in an effort to properly cover the events happening on campus every day. On a personal level, I would like to see the student newspaper be a voice of the students as opposed to simply being what the staff printing whatever they think is important.
Sincerely,
Neal Stava
As an active reader of The Rotunda, I have noticed a lot of articles sparking debate across campus. I believe this is generally a good thing for a student newspaper, especially The Rotunda which has in the last two years made significant headway in terms of credibility from my freshman year in 2005.
However, many of these articles printed, and in my opinion some issues that have gone uncovered, are receiving feedback for the wrong reasons.
To begin with, every week when I open a new issue I have noticed grammatical errors all across the board. This is understandable, as the students who work for the newspaper are budding writers and editors and do their jobs knowing they are not paid for their work. In this area, I believe the editorial staff is overall doing a good job, although personally and through interactions with other students we would like to see a little more attention to detail.
Furthermore, I have noticed a lack of coverage on a couple campus events, while at the same time there has been a sort of 'overkill' on other issues. This last weekend (October 16-18) there were two major events held in the heart of the Longwood campus that were seemingly ignored by The Rotunda staff. On Friday, there was a cornhole tournament, held by Sigma Sigma Sigma and Sigma Phi Epsilon. This event was held as a fundraiser where all proceeds were donated to the organizations' respective philanthropies. There were over 60 students who participated in the event. On Sunday, there was a walk hosted by Phi Kappa Tau that was held to commemorate one of their brothers, Captain Shane Adcock, who died in combat overseas. Over 100 students participated in the walk and donations were accepted and given towards a scholarship in Adcock's name. In my interactions with students and faculty members this was a widely successful event.
On the other hand, an issue that came to light at the end of last semester has continually garnered coverage by The Rotunda staff. It seems apparent to me that at this juncture, the Longwood community is fully aware of the fact that Zeta Tau Alpha sorority is no longer a recognized organization on campus.
In this area, I ask why The Rotunda staff, who I have learned was fully aware of at least one of these uncovered stories, did not publish a single sentence regarding either event. While at the same time, your staff has remained vigilant in reporting on a seemingly 'dead' issue?
It appears to me that the editorial staff is severely misusing their efforts and resources. To voice the concerns of the student body, I would suggest that the Rotunda editorial staff seriously consider re-organizing managerial structure in an effort to properly cover the events happening on campus every day. On a personal level, I would like to see the student newspaper be a voice of the students as opposed to simply being what the staff printing whatever they think is important.
Sincerely,
Neal Stava
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