Established 1826 — Oldest College Newspaper West of the Alleghenies

Call and response: discussing the decision to run an anonymous letter

Dear Mr. Morgan,

First, we appreciate your input. We recognize the importance of identifying our mistakes.

While we agree there were flaws in our execution, and that it was unethical to publish an anonymous letter without noting that we could not confirm the identity of the author, we do not regret publishing the piece altogether.

We will admit we did not fully consider the negative impact of the author's anonymity.

Our biggest concern after the fact is international students may now feel uncomfortable on this campus. We fear there are international students sitting in class wondering, "Is that what my professor thinks? Did they write those things?"

On top of that, the letter raised more questions than answers, and we, The Miami Student, have failed to provide answers to those questions thus far.

However, we are currently working on a extensive article to correct that mistake.

In retrospect, there were a number of alternatives we should have considered. At the very least, we should have run a disclaimer clarifying that we could not confirm the identity of the source.

It was not our intent to slight our audience. Transparency has always been our priority.

All that being said, we stand by our decision to publish the letter because it served a formidable purpose for this university.

Yes, it was highly critical. We've received response letters from President Hodge, academic deans, international students, American students and one signed by hundreds of faculty members.

But, notice, the responses varied in opinion. Not all were in disagreement with the original letter.

In addition, the online comments that followed in the letter's wake drew attention to another issue: the existence of racially heated resentment on this campus.

So, what does this tell us? The letter served the purpose every opinion piece should. It ignited an honest check of our community, what we're doing right and where we need to improve.

The Miami Student is a student-run paper that holds itself to the standards of any other reputable news sources.

We readily admit our mistakes, but we also feel the need to point out the positives and ask the university community to use this as an opportunity to spark change.

The Miami Student Editorial Board