Don’t generalize alumni

I attended Quinnipiac for two years as a journalism major. I wrote for the Chronicle, and I also was a part of starting the Quad News before I chose to transfer to Seton Hall University, one of the reasons being the people that Quinnipiac tended to attract. I graduated from Seton Hall with a B.A. in Journalism, and I was news editor of Seton Hall’s student newspaper, taking home several awards in a statewide competition.

I found [the story titled “Alumni: Keep your distance from QU”] to be extremely offensive and a total generalization to a whole group of people who do not deserve the stereotype of “creepers.” While I do recognize the majority of the article was aimed at older males who tend to frequent bars looking for younger girls, the headline is extremely misleading.

I find it surprising something like this would have been published given that alumni are an important part of any higher education institution. While I am not an “official” alumnus of the school, I know many of my friends would be extremely offended, and if I was an alumnus, I’d be extremely offended, too. In fact, I was directed to this piece by an alumnus of Quinnipiac who I know from law school. To be quite honest, reading this opinion piece made me glad I transferred, and I’ve seen several other transfer students say the same thing upon reading this.

Did it ever occur to you that graduates may have younger friends, and they would want to visit them? Visiting has nothing to do with not being able to move on. I think anyone who has a strong, valuable friendship would want to keep that going. I am still very good friends with quite a few people who are younger than me at Seton Hall, who also happen to be on the student newspaper, and I visited them a few weeks ago. It was not just about seeing my friends, but also lending support to the new editorial board. It also certainly was NOT about being unable to move on from my college years. I am currently attending law school, and I greatly enjoy it.

An article such as this, cautioning alumni to stay away from campus would certainly make me not want to visit nor would it make me want to lend any support to ungrateful individuals who believe after one graduates they should move on immediately. Take away the alumni support and see what happens to an educational institution. It may not crumble, but it certainly will weaken.

Next time you choose to write an opinion piece such as this, make sure you’re not singling out an entire group of people. Yes, I did see the several points about alumni weekend and catching up with old friends, but labeling an article mainly about “creepers” with “alumni” is irresponsible and poor judgment. Misleading headlines do not lend themselves well to journalism nor do poorly researched, uneducated, offensive opinion pieces such as this.

And Mr. Neslin, I find it quite unprofessional for you to be commenting on an article in your own publication defending Ms. Fano’s words. I believe journalism is supposed to be founded on objectivity, no? While I understand there is such a thing as an editorial and/or opinion piece, your blatant defense of Ms. Fano’s point of view does nothing to promote journalistic objectivity which is already a dying principle in the media world. – Jessica Sutcliffe

Comments ‘out of line‘

At Quinnipiac, we tend to be men and women who thrive upon drama and a juicy story. This past week’s article, “Alumni: Keep your distance from QU,” was a prime example of students taking something as simple as a piece of writing and blowing it way out of proportion.

To a certain extent, I understand the uproar and as a senior this year, soon to graduate in May, I can understand that certain points she touched upon were controversial. But isn’t this the beauty of the First Amendment? Aren’t we all entitled to our opinions, and live so lucky in a world as to express those opinions how we choose?

The author of this article was not merely a student who chose to submit a story randomly for the fun of it, unbeknown to the Chronicle staff; she is a member of one of the most well-established organizations on campus and was chosen among her peers, who deemed her worthy enough and rightfully so, to write not only for the organization but for all the campus to see. In my opinion, it takes skill and courage to foray into the world of journalism and I applaud her for voicing her opinion on such an open, and unfortunately sometimes hurtful, stage and setting.

So the comments regarding the author herself can come to an end. For students from this university, which is held to such a high national standard, to call the author slurs, poke fun at her age, comment on her writing style, etc. is out of line and disrespectful. I think it is safe to say that some of those students would not have the bravery to voice his or her opinions as proudly as this author did. The next time you read an article that you do not agree with and you choose first and foremost to attack the author, sit back and think if you can evoke the same fearlessness to put your very thoughts on paper for the world to see. – Jessica Poe