Letter to the Editor: The Bullet's handling of drug story distasteful

Dear Editor,

Let me begin by expressing my disappointment in the Bullet for the lack of taste shown in the handling of so sensitive an issue. The goal of this letter is not to perpetuate this cycle of blame but to offer our community and the Bullet suggestions for going forward with this matter.

We as a community of students are given a chance here, in this “scandal,” to define ourselves to the University and to the Fredericksburg community.

What these students face is not perhaps as isolated or sensational as some might make it appear or may think. Yes, these students made errors in judgment, or we wouldn’t be having this debate; but who among us can say that we haven’t made a few in our years at Mary Washington?

Who among us can honestly say that they haven’t done anything illegal during their time in college?  That being said, perhaps we ought to practice extreme caution as we throw stones from our glass houses.

One of the best things about our University is the community we have here, which is inherently defined by its members, so the idea that names and photo would be published within a student institution and target these students—these people who are still and will always be members of our community—who we ought to be attempting to defend, is disappointing.

The students involved are in a difficult situation, and we ought to respect that and honor their privacy in this matter.

We ought to seek to move forward as a community with this, to turn it into something positive, something that we as a community of students can learn from.

Perhaps in the wake of this we can turn our discussion towards the drug policy of our campus, of our nation, the current punishments for these offenses and to consider further the issues of privacy and judgment within our community.

As we move forward as a community, with the Bullet acting as our voice, there needs to be attempts made towards sensitivity, understanding and learning.

Leah Kieff is a senior.