Jordan O’Connell
oconnellj@uwplatt.edu

Students, be advised: the Exponent reports and editorializes on hearsay and conjecture, and is more concerned with passing judgment on students’ free expression than covering the real issues of this student governance election.

The posters in question were neither misleading nor false, as so reported in last week’s edition of our student news source, the Exponent. The posters at the time of their creation represented the opinions of the Coalition of Concerned Students Against “Chops” and “Burns”; students who saw the posters could easily check the posters’ clearly-cited sources and make their own judgments regarding the accuracy of the declarations. The only smear campaign that I saw take place during this election was in the pages of our student newspaper, which editorialized inaccuracies as fact and assigned guilt based on the testimony of three anonymous (and perhaps, politically-motivated) sources. The front-page news article saw fit to label students’ expressions of perception as “misleading,” as if Exponent news reporters have some authority to judge the validity of an opinion that supports itself by citing its source. I, for one, believe that our students are capable of determining the legitimacy of an allegation without undue influence by the Exponent.

By choosing to get involved at UW-Platteville early on, I effectively made a choice to take ownership of my university experience, and I began to believe that, should I accept the responsibilities inherent in the decision, my sphere of influence, even as an individual student, could be unlimited. I continue to believe that this is true, and as I prepare for graduate school, I can’t help but feel that my actions and words now characterize my legacy at UW-Platteville. Thoreau wrote, “The only obligation which I have a right to assume is to do at any time what I think right.” I will not apologize for the posters, nor will I ever censure myself when expressing my honest point of view. My very being revolts at the idea.

Jeffery Schwan
schwanj@uwplatt.edu

No doubt you have heard about the infamous “mudslinging” posters that went up around campus last week, if not from friends, then from the “Posters Bring Questions Before Election” article and the opinion column “Senators’ Posters Unethical, Apology Deserved” in the April 17 paper. Both articles assert that the posters are misleading, but let’s identify the facts.

The posters assert that Eric Hopfensperger is due to leave for military service on August 26, 2008. This is a direct quote from the March 31, 2008, meeting of Student Senate. In regard to Christopher Smith, the posters stated that he failed to clearly commit to being here for his second semester, and this too can be referenced on the “Chris ‘Chops’ Smith & Jon Helt: Student Senate President & Vice President” campaign Facebook group. Many heard that Smith would be student teaching during his second term next academic year, and in an inquiry to this concern via his Facebook group, he gave a confusing and ambiguous answer. The posters present accurate information and contain fact or a reasonable assessment of fact in regard to both candidates at the time the poster was printed.

After posters were distributed, Smith clearly stated that he would be present for the entire year. Hopfensperger, as you may note, made no challenge to the posters’ assertion regarding his plans for next year.

Further Exponent inaccuracies include the number of individuals involved in the “Coalition of Students Against ‘Chops’ and ‘Burns.’” In the article “Senators’ Posters Unethical, Apology Deserved” it is asserted that two individuals are members of the coalition. In actuality, the number is six. I have significant concern that the Exponent would take such a negative view to members of the campus community wishing to exercise their rights of free speech. The Exponent has cast the posters as some act of turpitude. Let’s remember that negative campaign ads are typical in political campaigns, and individuals who feel they wish to influence an election should exercise their right to do so. The fact is that the poster was fully accurate at the time of its creation and still arguably so even after Smith asserted that he would be present all next year.

Even more interesting is the fact that the Exponent chose not to cover the elections as a whole. There was no identification of candidates, platforms or articles addressing the upcoming election in past Exponents. Instead, we saw a witch-hunt of two individuals attempting to do what they thought would be best for campus.

“Ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free,”­­­ (John 8:32).