Dear Editor,
I am disappointed with this newspaper this year. Let me elaborate; I have been a very involved student in the residence life community, which is truly an amazing one, and this year I helped plan an annual event we call Light the Night. The night, as your pittance of a blurb pointed out on page 4 of volume 36, issue 8 is a night to raise awareness about violence against women. We as a community were able to raise over $900 for the Interim Place shelter for abused women and children. We accomplished this with donations from a 12 hour relay held in the RAWC that was a sports event on residence, by taking donations at a table location in the Oscar Peterson Hall lobby where students decorated paper bags which would hold candles on the night of the event, and thanks to Allan Zacca, who allowed his flowing hair to be cut by the student who donated the most to this cause.
I have been a loyal reader of The Medium, for the four years I have been attending UTM, and even though every year there are pitfalls and people who are naturally upset (myself now included in this category) with the things written, and in this case NOT written about in this school paper. I value that we have a school newspaper and what it stands for and the right to be heard; it is suppose to be the voice of the students. Do not mistake me for just another frustrated angry student complaining about how I didnt get my way, Im a frustrated angry student who simply wanted this event to be known, for the rest of the school to be aware of some of the amazing things that happen in residence. The allocation of space that was dedicated to Light the Night versus Halloween Pub is ridiculous to be honest. ¾ of a page dedicated to the pub is half a page too much. I am not saying dont write about it, and am glad to see that a canned food drive had taken place during this event however the event itself, not really newsworthy in my opinion, and I was there. Or how about the half page designation to Rapist Shack on page 11. I will out of the kindness of my heart not rip this nonsense article to shreds, but I highly recommend The Medium staff review any sensitive material before printing next time, since rape is a sensitive topic and to my knowledge no such murder or other serious crimes have been reported in that area. You choose to write about what students think about this historical building, dont actually identify what it is used for (which by the way is storage for cleaning supplies as I have seen the inside if you had done any serious research you would know this). You discuss this rapist shack instead of mentioning an event which promotes awareness for non violence against women? I cannot help but see the sad irony in such a situation. I didnt realize when I contacted The Medium nearly two weeks in advance to ask that someone show up and write about this good cause and event, that I was asking a lot. I apologize for taking space away from the pub news and the building that could have been written about any time of the year. I almost feel guilty that the small photo and insincere blurb were published in the first place, since it took away from hearing once again about how UTMSU is attempting to drop fees .
I was not even aware that any reporter had showed up. No one mentioned they were from The Medium, nor they did not say what time or where they would meet us, however since I gave the date and time and location, I (silly me) assumed they must know. That was my fault. I should know better than to ask for a little recognition for a hugely successful residence event promoting a good cause. We may be smaller community, but it doesnt make us less important or less deserving to be heard. And if the editor to whom I spoke planned on making it a small subsection in the paper, I would have appreciated knowing this in advance, so as not to heighten any expectations. So thank you everyone on the planning committee who helped with this event, Allan Zacca for donating his time and hair, all the volunteers who helped collect money, and helped set up and clean up during Light the Night, and a special thanks to a good friend of mine, Danielle Thompson, for coordinating everyones efforts, and making this night, a memorable one.
And Dearest Medium, I surely hope this will be the last you hear from me on such a negative note, since I know you will continue to publish student relevant articles which I will still enjoy and pertain to me. I see and read about the wonderful things achieved and events held by UTMSU and various clubs on campus and in the medium on a regular basis, and we just wanted everyone to see what we as a residence community can accomplish as well.
Kristen Blank
