When I first thought about writing this letter, I thought about how I was going to write and express my dissatisfaction with the fact that there are so many student complainers, and not enough student leaders. I was going to tell everyone that Allen Roscoe had every right in the world to say what he did. Most of us work part-time jobs, take a full course load, and still have time to handle our leadership responsibilities. But when I picked up the paper this morning, and read the column written by Dave Kirkpatrick, I felt like something else should be in its place.

Life Line is not a paper that separates; it is a paper that EDUCATES! The young black man that Dave talked to obviously has not read the paper, or been to any of our staff meetings. We write the things that The Northern Star somehow “forgets” to put in their “wonderful” paper. When spring break is over, our monthly newspaper will report (in its 14th volume, third issue) things that the Star didn’t publish. Like the Miss Black NIU African Cultural Pageant, and if they are lucky they might even get around to it by the time we print our story! The pageant was on Feb. 25, and no one covered it in the paper. (I wonder if I forge some checks, or try a little “terrorism,” will I be in the Star?)

Let’s talk a little about accurate reporting. When Claudia Curry did an article on the paper, the guy that does the headlines wrote, “BSU STARTS MONTHLY NEWSPAPER.” For their information, this publication has been around since 1973, and the reason why you didn’t know that was because you did not care to come to us! You tell the black and minority students to come to you when we have a problem with the paper, and then when we do, we are picking on the poor little Northern Star. You have screwed up my quotes time and time again, and I don’t even want to talk your reporters when they want a statement. You are always a day late and a dollar short when you get to topics that reflect on the positive aspects of the black and minority community, and your writers and headlines sensationalize things more than the National Enquirer.

So the next time that Mr. Dave Kirkpatrick gets on his soapbox, criticizing the JLS, Life Line, and God knows what else, he should look into his own back yard. I now know why the SA won’t fund the Star; it is because it doesn’t serve the needs of all students. Until the Star can handle this responsibility, there will be papers like Life Line to take some of the “journalistic burden” off of their back.

Tracy Lynn Deis

BSU president

sophomore

English/black studies