Is Brandon Farmer an elementary school student? His immaturity was displayed by the lack of research and disregard for accuracy in his “Opinion: Where Is Student Government?” column in the February 5, 2002 edition of The Activist.A mature journalist takes the time, and expends the energy, to collect facts before writing an article about a topic. A serious college student takes the time to check spelling (see ‘wondered’ and ‘Crew Tower’ in The Average Joe: Something Better), writing style, grammar, and punctuation (see ‘The reason for the special elections is this:’ in Special election.). Since Brandon neither accurately reported information, nor constructed his thoughts correctly in any of his articles in this issue of The Activist, I am left with the impression that he must be an elementary school student trying to write for a college newspaper.
As for The Activist, it should advertise itself as a class activity, not as a newspaper reporting Raymond Walters College news. Its tradition of poorly written articles and ambiguously identified photographs (‘This is not Bob Dylan’) is carried on by writers such as Brandon Farmer.
Brandon may pick up a blue-penciled copy of his February 5 articles in the Student Government office in Flory Center, if he knows where that building is located.
Elaine Dulovich
Student and Student Government Secretary