The insert that changed everything

Author: COLE DOVEY '06

There must be a more serious consideration of the illegal insert into The Middlebury Campus (4/20/06) that defended junior Alex Stanton's campaign platform and criticized first-year Alina Levina's while personally attacking opinions author Viraj Assar '07. Modifying The Campus is fundamentally different from hanging posters or other legitimate means of campaigning because it abuses the paper's readership, who expect the documents contained therein to be certified and reviewed by its editors. Junior Julia Bredrup's unauthorized piece reeked of the kind of poor quality that necessitates editors in the first place. She regarded Assar's opinion, an edited and legal submission, as "biased and unprofessional," and proceeded to berate him personally, saying "you might have an excellent career as a fiction writer ahead of you." She also harassed Levina, labeling her "a freshman" whose platform is "blatantly recycled from previous years."

Although Stanton himself was ostensibly not involved in the creation, publication and distribution, his friends were, as established through written correspondence I had with SGA officials Andrew Carnabuci '06 and Daniel Inadomi '07. On election day, a friend of Bredrup approached me to ensure that my newspaper had received the correct insert and defended her decision to aid Stanton. Whether or not Stanton acknowledges the relation between his campaign and these friends, their participation is obvious. In a pertinent interview, Stanton neglected to address the illegal nature of this work and the unfair assertions made within. On the contrary, he agreed with many of its points and was "grateful." As a regular reader of The Campus, I am offended by this fragment of errant, vigilante journalism. As a voter, I am shocked that such a strategy would be employed during an SGA election.

Ironically, the insert was more detrimental to the Stanton campaign than helpful, and served only to evidence the opinion it was attempting to defeat. I have no connection to either campaign and as a senior, won't be affected by the outcome. Indeed, my interest in the SGA election began only after reading Bredrup's insert. For the record, my vote counted for those who didn't have one - next year's first-year students to whom, in the words of Stanton's campaign, "nobody will listen." I urge Stanton to steer his office toward respect and honesty, two elements that are evidently lacking from the current state of affairs. I also encourage Bredrup, the next time she publishes, or doesn't publish, in The Campus, to apologize. This is an insult to journalism and democracy on this campus.