Response
Response to Letter to the EditorBY MARY SLADE DUKE AND MARIA PROKOPOWICZ ON MARCH 21, 2014
We are writing in response to the Letter to the Editor, written by junior Matt Lopez. The letter is printed on page 5.
First we want to thank Lopez for his time and the contribution of his opinion to our newspaper. We appreciate hearing any kind of feedback or suggestions from our fellow students. In his letter, Lopez addresses the obvious segregation of the Rose student body. We agree with the fact that Rose is split unequally between races and it is apparent everywhere from the classrooms to the cafeteria. We are also quite aware of the power of journalism and the influence Rampant Lines may have on our school. It is a long- standing goal of Rampant Lines to report stories to our school that reflect our entire Rose community. While we plan for each upcoming issue, we weigh the most important news, sports and entertainment stories that may appeal to our readers. We make a conscious effort to look outside of our comfort zone, which admittedly is predominantly “the white middle-class,” to find stories that relate to a more diverse reader base. In our articles, we profile students who are active and productive citizens of our school community, regardless of their race or socioeconomic status. We do our best to incorporate as much diversity into our stories as possible. Our writers are asked to look outside of their social groups and conduct interviews with a broad range of students. For each issue, we also feature sections such as From the Halls, iRates and Pop Culture Grid. These sections include interviews from students picked completely at random in the hallway. Through small features such as these, we strive to include a wider array of opinions into the paper. We value Lopez’s criticism and vow to continue in our efforts to diversify Rampant Lines, while staying true to our values of reporting the most relevant and interesting stories pertaining to our school or community. It is difficult to solve a problem as large as the segregation that plagues Rose. Most of us feel awkward when bringing up the topic of race or class divisions, especially if, historically, we have been found on the side benefitting from said divisions. However, by having the courage to acknowledge these issues, we may take more active steps in addressing and finding solutions to the problems. Journalism is a class open to students of all races, ages, genders, economic classes and talent levels. We welcome all students to join our staff and contribute to our paper. Also, all students and staff are welcome to write a Letter to the Editor. We appreciate Lopez for taking the opportunity to use Rampant Lines as a place for open and candid discussion and we encourage other Rampants to do the same. In the meantime, we invite Matt Lopez to consider being a part of the Rampant Lines staff, where he may take an active role in being a part of the solution that he seeks. HTML Comment Box is loading comments...
|