I feel I must respond to Wednesday’s letter by Alfred Tatum which berated the Star for printing an article concerning the credit abuses by a set of fraternity men.

I fail to see how these men were “victimized” by this article; they allegedly stole from the State of Illinois and NIU, and violated a host of laws and regulations in the process.

Evidence apparently exists in the form of signed receipts. This is certainly newsworthy and appropriate for a campus newspaper, for the actions of these men could jeopardize the availability of NIU vehicles for other student groups.

I reject Alfred Tatum’s claim that the story was printed, or its importance inflated, by the race of the alleged perpetrators.

In fact, the story does not mention their race, nor did I know their race until I read Mr. Tatum’s letter. The mention of their fraternity (which was a logical part of their article) means little to the Greek community.

Alfred Tatum is apparently guilty of his own charges. He is attempting to use the race of the men, for whatever personal reasons, to discredit the Star, the reporter and the story.

We should all do our best to judge each case on its own merits, and the heavy-handed tactics used in this letter should be saved for a situation where true injustice exists.[[XR]]

James J. Miner

Graduate Student