What exactly compelled you to feel that giving the names and pictures of the four individuals arrested at Ross was a good idea? First, the security reports take care of informing the students about violations on campus, often with no naming involved. Second, have you considered the repercussions of this article? Let’s say all four of these students continue their studies at our university. Do you think it’s fair that, outside of these students’ social groups and those they wish to inform, the entirety of campus can identify them by both name and face and that those faces are now linked with some petty crime? That those around them have been given the material to form stigmas against them at a school that is largely marijuana intolerant and ignorant (in relation to alcohol)?
Perhaps this was your journalistic right, but I and many people I have talked to feel that this was a disrespectful journalistic action and I thought you should know.
P.S. The same goes for those suspended for theft, although the names involved in the suspension of members of our school’s sports teams would be a harder thing to suppress anyways.
– Cyrus Nadia
Whatever happened to “Innocent until proven guilty”??
This comment is specifically for Kristen Smith, who seems to be lacking a few sensitivity chips.
I wonder, Kristen, if one of these students who was arrested happened to be a friend of yours, or someone you cared for, would you have even considered publishing this article? Did it even enter your mind that any of these students might be charged unjustly? Or that the police report was not even truthful? Now these young men (who had enough on their plates) have had your story and their pictures published on the cover of a newspaper for all of Drake University to read, which happens to be a very small community. Any one of these students could be innocent. Just being charged does not make one guilty. I feel you used VERY poor judgement printing this article.
@joanna the article never said they were guilty, with the exception of a student who pleaded guilty for possession of drug paraphernalia. It stated for the other 3 students that they were charged with possession of the items that were listed on the police report. If you have issues with whether or not the reports were truthful, that’s something you can call up the DMPD. It’s the journalist’s job to report unbiased stories and the article was factual with the reports (police report, charges) which explained Drake Residence Hall policies and the possible penalties by the Iowa courts. Newspaper isn’t facebook and news is news, positive and negative.