Last week, The Mirror ran a letter from Dean of Students Mark Reed in which portions of the paper were blasted for being “silly” and “juvenile” and an obstruction to university officials and faculty attempting to “raise the bar” at Fairfield University. He wrote that he felt the content should be a reflection of what the student body as a whole sees as “important” or “relevant.” Unfortunately, I think he not only misunderstands the responsibilities of the newspaper, but also the student body he was once a part of.
Reed asks the newspaper how much value we place on articles such as the one he took exception to in the Campus Life article as “bonafide [sic] news.” The short answer to the dean is none. Here at The Mirror we make a clear distinction in the paper between news content and opinion pieces. The intent of the News section compared to Campus Life is very different. Neither the article he cites nor the “He Said” column should be taken as pieces of serious reporting that we consider, in his words, to be newsworthy, but instead as humor pieces.
We view our role to provide different stories each week that inform students of what is happening on their campus while also entertaining them.
While Dean Reed may find humor about excessive drinking “cheap,” the fact remains that across Fairfield’s campus, students are doing it. It’s obvious with the more than 650 alcohol violations last year that students are drinking, and The Mirror is not going to shy away from letting students write about it merely to placate the university and offer a sanitized version of student life.
If students are interested merely in reading about Dean Reed’s “real Fairfield story,” they are welcome to forego this newspaper and stick with the monthly Campus Currents or any other official university public relations releases.
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