The
      Panther
      Prints
      ¢
     
    
   
   
    
     
          
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      January
      28,
      1997
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Dear
      Editor
     
    

    
     
      Dig
      up
      all
      the
      dirt
      you
     
     
      wish
      but
      the
      article
      “Digging
     
     
      up
      Dirt
      on
      the
      Soc/Anth
      Dept
     
     
      was
      inaccurate
      insensitive
      and
     
     
      prejudicial.
      I
      was
      in
      the
      class
     
     
      where
      this
      insident
      began.
     
     
      Inaccurate
      because
      no
      one
     
     
      tryed
      to
      deny
      anyone’s
      privi-
     
     
      lege
      to
      obtain
      help
      from
      other
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      manic
      depression
      which
      you
     
     
      use
      as
      your
      sympathy
      card
      was
     
     
      caused
      by
      his
      event.
      But
      you
     
     
      and
      your
      witch-hunter
      friend
     
     
      do
      her
      no
      favor
      by
      perpetuat-
     
     
      ing
      this
      unreality.
      Your
      paper
     
     
      should
      go
      back
      to
      discussing
     
     
      sex
      surveys,
      for
      your
      attempt
     
     
      at
      investigatuve
      journalism
     
    
   
   
    
     
      leaves
      much
      to
      be
      desired.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      professors.
      Get
      a
      life
      man
      her
     
     
      Francis
      O’Donnell
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Dear
      Editor,
     
    
   
   
    
     
      I
      would
      like
      to
      respond
      to
      Jennifer
      Caseley’s
      “article”
      called
      Digging
     
     
      Up
      Dirt
      on
      The
      Soc/Anth
      Dept.
      A
      more
      appropriate
      title
      for
      the
      article
      might
     
     
      have
      been
      “The
      Five
      Minutes
      Killed”
      or
      “The
      Shoddy
      journalism/diatribe
     
     
      maligning
      Bruce
      Holbrook’s
      character”.
     
    

    
     
      I
      took
      exception
      to
      many
      of
      the
      things
      you
      said,
      beginning
      with
      the
     
     
      paragraph
      outlining
      “the
      course
      of
      events
      leading
      up
      to
      her
      breakdown
      have
     
     
      caused
      some
      concern
      for
      the
      students
      at
      U.P.E.I.
      Maybe
      you
      should
      recon-
     
     
      sider
      treading
      on
      the
      dangerous
      grounds
      of
      linking
      Bruce
      Holbrook
      with
     
     
      Rachel’s
      manic-depressive
      breakdown.
      Later
      in
      the
      article
      you
      state
      “The
     
     
      whole
      ordeal
      was
      more
      than
      Rachel
      could
      handle
      and
      within
      two
      weeks
      of
     
     
      receiving
      a
      mark
      of
      49%
      on
      a
      paper,
      her
      manic
      depression
      took
      over
      and
      she
     
     
      was
      hospitalised.’”
      Maybe
      you
      should
      do
      a
      little
      research
      on
      mental
      illness
      and
     
     
      you
      would
      probably
      see
      that
      a
      breakdown
      was
      not
      the
      fault
      of
      Professor
     
     
      Holbrook
      or
      the
      failing
      grade
      she
      received.
     
    

    
     
      I
      do
      not
      speak
      for
      anyone
      but
      myself,
      but
      I
      want
      you
      to
      know
      that
      your
     
     
      attempts
      to
      besmirch
      Bruce
      Holbrook’s
      reputation
      hurt
      me
      as
      a
      student
      of
      his.
     
     
      I
      have
      taken
      every
      course
      that
      Bruce
      has
      offered
      and
      hold
      him
      in
      the
      highest
     
     
      regard.
      He
      has
      been
      nothing
      but
      professional,
      fair,
      and
      freely
      encourages
     
     
      ideas
      while
      remaining
      extremely
      approachable.
      He
      is
      a
      person
      I
      truly
      admire
     
     
      and
      has
      raised
      my
      consciousness
      to
      a
      higher
      level,
      something
      I
      cannot
      say
     
     
      about
      any
      other
      professor.
     
    

    
     
      I
      suggest
      to
      you
      Jennifer
      that
      you
      get
      some
      formal
      training
      in
      Journal-
     
     
      ism
      and
      practice
      some
      fairness
      and
      research
      before
      you
      end
      up
      with
      anymore
     
     
      egg
      on
      your
      face.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Sincerely
      your
      100%
      Bruce
      supporter,
     
     
      Paula
      McNally
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Enquirer
      or
      Panther
      Prints?
     
     
      It
      might
      seem
      to
      the
      uninformed
      reading
      of,
      “Digging
      Up
      The
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Dirt
      on
      The
      Soc\Anth
      by
      Jennifer
      Caseley,”
      that
      the
      views
      ex-
     
     
      pressed
      within
      are
      those
      of
      a
      factual
      nature.
      However
      facts
      have
     
     
      very
      little
      to
      do
      with
      this
      article.
      It
      would
      seem
      that
      Ms.
      Caseley
      is
     
     
      a
      propagandist
      of
      ambiguities
      and
      grossly
      misinterpreted
      informa-
     
     
      tion.
      How
      so
      you
      ask?
     
    

    
     
      An
      ethical
      reporter
      does
      not
      only
      refer
      to
      one
      side
      of
      an
     
     
      argument
      (let
      alone
      having
      a
      one
      sided
      argument
      based
      on
      inaccu-
     
     
      rate
      information)
      but
      realizes
      that
      it
      is
      in
      her,
      and
      thus
      the
      readers
     
     
      best
      interest,
      to
      show
      both
      sides.
      In
      doing
      this
      the
      reader
      is
      able
      to
     
     
      make
      his
      or
      her
      own
      mind
      up
      instead
      of
      having
      this
      task
      done
      for
     
     
      them.
      An
      ethical
      reporter
      also
      does
      not
      paraphrase
      a
      quotation
     
     
      incorrectly
      or
      take
      the
      quotation
      entirely
      out
      of
      context.
      Perhaps
     
     
      Ms.
      Caseley
      believes
      that
      the
      students
      of
      U.P.E.I.
      are
      unable
      to
      think
     
     
      and
      are
      therefore
      unaware
      of
      her
      misconstrued
      article.
     
    

    
     
      When
      Ms.
      Caseley
      starts
      her
      story
      off
      she
      reports
      that
      one
      of
     
     
      the
      students
      who
      had
      problems
      with
      of
      the
      Soc/Anth
      professors
      was
     
     
      amanic
      depressive.
      What
      does
      this
      have
      to
      do
      with
      anything?
      Is
      this
     
     
      some
      sort
      of
      empathy
      ploy
      in
      order
      to
      win
      support
      for
      her
      biased
     
     
      reporting?
      It
      would
      seem
      to
      me
      that
      this
      has
      little
      to
      do
      with
      whether
     
     
      or
      not
      professors
      in
      the
      department
      are
      at
      odds,
      as
      does
      the
      equating
     
     
      of
      the
      Enquirer
      to
      the_Panther
      Prints.
      Wait
      a
      minute,
      on
      second
     
     
      thought
      that
      sounds
      more
      true
      than
      false.
     
    

    
     
      Also
      Ms.
      Caseley
      appears
      flawed
      in
      her
      facts.
      For
      instance
     
    

    
     
      she
      reports
      that
      Dr.
      Holbrook
      is
      not
      easily
      accessible.
      However,
      if
     
     
      she
      had
      interviewed,
      oh
      I
      don’t
      know
      maybe
      more
      than
      on
      student,
     
     
      she
      would
      have
      realized
      he
      is
      extremely
      easy
      to
      reach.
      For
      instance
     
     
      in
      all
      of
      the
      classes
      I
      have
      taken
      with
      this
      professor
      one
      of
      the
      first
     
     
      things
      he
      does
      is
      write
      his
      home
      phone
      number
      on
      the
      board.
      He
     
     
      explains
      to
      his
      students
      that
      you
      can
      call
      him
      anytime
      about
     
     
      anything.
     
     
      :
      As
      for
      ambiguities,
      Ms.
      Caseley
      implied
      that
      Dr.
      Holbrook
     
     
      said
      that
      seeing
      as
      he
      had
      tenure
      he
      was
      above
      the
      law.
      Well
      I
      was
     
     
      there
      when
      this
      was
      allegedly
      said.
      A
      NOTE
      TO
      ALL
      THIS
      WAS
     
     
      NOT
      WHAT
      WAS
      SAID.
      He
      did
      not
      say,
      “...remember
      when
     
     
      filling
      them
      out
      that
      he
      would
      be
      teaching
      them
      next
      semester.”
      In
     
     
      fact
      Dr.
      Holbrook
      was
      alerting
      students
      to
      the
      fact
      that
      the
      present
     
     
      system
      of
      student
      evaluations
      could
      be
      improved
      so
      that
      students
     
     
      could
      better
      voice
      their
      concerns.
      AsI
      recall,
      Dr.
      Holbrook
      said
      that
     
     
      he
      wanted
      students
      to
      be
      honest
      on
      their
      student
      evaluations.
     
    

    
     
      Ms.
      Caseley
      has
      obviously
      demonstrated
      her
      lack
      of
      profes-
     
     
      sionalism
      in
      her
      journalistic
      skill.
      I
      hope
      that
      in
      the
      future
      she
      will
     
     
      report
      the
      whole
      story
      and
      not
      some
      twisted
      fabrication.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Jason
      Doucette