TO THE EDITOR:
When I first read the article "Friends Memorialize Tim Fresch," in Tuesday's issue, I was left with only one image of Fresch. Even though I never met him, I know that Tim Fresch was much more, and I cannot imagine what it must have been like for his friends and family to read the story.
That's why I believe an apology must be made for the publication of this article.
Publications such as ours have many responsibilities. Should we look deeper at the issues of substance abuse at our university? Absolutely. Should we do so in an honest, straightforward way that doesn't gloss over the truth? Of course. Should we use an article labeled as a memorialization to attempt to do so? In my opinion, no.
A death is much more than an opportunity to call attention to an issue, however pressing that issue may be. That issue could have, and still will, be addressed in future articles backed by research, statistics and anecdotal evidence. Most of Fresch's friends declined to comment, making it incredibly difficult to write a story that captured him accurately, but I, personally, would rather publish no story than one that would do harm without any real benefit.
Although the intention of the story was not to disrespect his memory, but to educate people about the risks of heavy alcohol consumption - that was not the result.
It has been extremely disheartening to see some of the hateful comments directed at the writer, Audrey Davis, and my other colleagues at The Student in response to this story. As I said before, a person cannot be defined by one thing. We're all human -and should be treated that way. As a first year student, Audrey was brave to take on the responsibility of writing that story. Although I don't defend the article, I still support her, especially in this difficult time.
Everyone at this university is learning, and I hope our staff at The Student and the Miami community learn from this. My thoughts and prayers are with Fresch's friends and family as they cope with their loss.
Emily Williams, News Editor
willi501@miamioh.edu