Inaccurate portrayal of student values

Dear Editor,

As a proud SSU student and a weekly reader of the STAR I was incredibly disappointed to open the March 24 issue and read the opinion article "No I Don't Want to F@#% You."

I found this article to be outright demeaning and rude and was very confused as to why this article was published in our school's newspaper. It had no journalistic value and seemed to only rip apart SSU student values at the seams.

I work in the Student Union and this time of year I see prospective student tours come through by the dozens. I also watch parent after parent on these tours pick up copies of the STAR to read and get a sense of the student life here at Sonoma. I can only imagine their reactions if they read this opinion article.

Is that really the message we want to be sending our prospective students and their families when they visit our campus? I know my family would be deeply offended and disheartened in our institution if they read that article.

I think it's important that our school paper accurately report news and events that are occurring on campus and I believe that "No I Don't Want to F@#% You" has no place in college journalism.

Sonoma State is in a critical place right now of trying to attract diversity in our prospective students and the message we should be trying to send across should have nothing to do with crude stereotypes.

I believe that there was a lack of editorial responsibility in publishing this article. The campus newspaper should represent the student body at large and not the disparaging remarks of one individual.

The STAR is a direct reflection of us as a campus and the things that are published in it should be treated as such. There needs to be a strong and stable sense of integrity within our value system and it should be reflected in all aspects of Sonoma State, including our campus newspaper.

~Breea Laugalis, Art History