LETTERS TO THE EDITOR: Conscious Effort to Libel

To the Editor: Although there are an amazing number of distortions and unsubstantiated innuendos for such a short article, one fact stands out: the writers deliberately and egregiously misquoted Dr. McCoullum's note that is appended to a letter from a student in order to distort the intent of her actions. The letter that the student wrote indicates that he feels that he was treated unfairly by the student judicial process. In the third paragraph, he wrote "?I am now requested to participate in the Care Program (even though I don't drink alcohol) and to do community service for the Director of Fire and Safety (even though that was not part of the settlement)" Dr. McCoullum bracketed those words, and wrote next to it them the words "Is this just? Why now" (or possibly, "Is this justified? Why now?") An arrow was drawn to those to questions from the initial sentence of the VPUL's comments ("Please check into this and respond ASAP (cc: to me)" ). None of this extremely pertinent information is noted in the article, and because Dr. McCoullum's handwriting is somewhat illegible, the casual reader would not notice the "Is this just? Why now?" comments. In order to make its case, it was necessary for The Red and Blue to leave those comments out of their transcription of what the VPUL wrote. The Red and Blue printed the text of the note as "?.what (if anything) can we do. Thanks, Val?" while the text of the letter actually is "?.what (if anything) can we do. Is this just? Why now? Thanks, Val?" [ellipses are mine in both quotes]. It is inconceivable that a misquotation of this nature is anything but deliberate, especially when considered within the context of the rest of the article. Valarie McCoullum is one of the finest officials that this University has. Her concern for the students and the University community as a whole is legendary, and the admiration and respect given to her because of her efforts is all but universal. At that time the Judicial Inquiry Officer was appointed by and served "at the pleasure of the VPUL, according to the Student Judicial System Charter." Thus it was entirely appropriate for her to make an inquiry when a student charged that he was being treated unfairly by the system. It is also in keeping with Dr. McCoullum's reputation for integrity and her concern for the welfare of students that she would do so REGARDLESS of the influence or lack thereof of a student's parents. For the writers and editor of The Red and Blue to have made the scurrilous accusation that Valarie McCoullum "intervened on behalf of a student" in such a way as to "suggest special treatment and tampering with the 'judicial system'" is reprehensible, and it is especially inappropriate given that these unfounded accusations will contribute to the first impression that the class of 1999 will have of her. Editor Thor Halvorssen, and writers Marc Teillon and Marc Leader, not only owe Dr. McCoullum an immediate apology and retraction, they also owe an apology to the entire University community. PAUL LUKASIAK Administrative Assistant School of Social Work Taken Out of Context To the Editor: I am writing in regard to the article, "Freshmen get inside look at student government at U." In this article, a statement that I made at an information session pertaining to student government is quoted and highlighted. I am disturbed by the printing of this statement out of the context in which it was initially presented. I made this statement to make light of the application process to an organization which takes its role at the University very seriously. SCUE has worked with the faculty and administration for the past thirty years to improve the undergraduate academic experience. SCUE members devote their time and energy because we value the superb education which students at Penn receive and because we believe, as do many at the University, that there are always opportunities to make a wonderful institution even better. If The Daily Pennsylvanian wishes to engage in honest, unbiased reporting, it should consider the very real impact, on both its readers and its own reputation, of practicing sensationalist journalism. This is not the first time, and certainly not the last time, that the DP has been accused of "creating" news and printing quotations out of context. I hope that the editors use better judgement in the future and refrain from printing articles which fail to accurately represent University events, especially those pertaining to student government and undergraduate education. SATYA PATEL SCUE Chair Wharton/College '96