Series 2558: Constituent Correspondence, 2000-2003
38954
From: Judy Fos <jfos@olemiss.edu> CC: senator@cochran.senate.gov; Governor Musgrove; senatorlott@lott.senate.gov; roger.wicker@mail.house.gov; thompsonms2nd@mail.house.gov; ltgov@mail.lbo.state.ms.us; adbk@olemiss.edu; adriana@olemiss.edu; alivings@olemiss.edu; awright@olemiss.edu; bbingner@olemiss.edu; bmbrown@olemiss.edu; bredmond@olemiss.edu; dlemmons@olemiss.edu; dorange@olemiss.edu; eemfh@olemiss.edu; epugh@olemiss.edu; hhuggett@olemiss.edu; hsulliva@olemiss.edu; jlemmons@olemiss.edu; jnrbb@olemiss.edu; jonic@olemiss.edu; kdkreske@olemiss.edu; lawhite@olemiss.edu; ltopp@olemiss.edu; lwlas@olemiss.edu; mchrestm@olemiss.edu; mdobbert@olemiss.edu; megwd@olemiss.edu; moore@olemiss.edu; neno@olemiss.edu; nhouse@olemiss.edu; pcregar@olemiss.edu; rcrocket@olemiss.edu; reycraft@olemiss.edu; sbailey@olemiss.edu; scrawley@olemiss.edu; showardb@olemiss.edu; ssbeeman@olemiss.edu; sstevens@olemiss.edu; stpotts@olemiss.edu; tmister@olemiss.edu; tmitchel@olemiss.edu; ulrmm@olemiss.edu; vbrew@olemiss.edu; vlmahan@olemiss.edu; vmartin@olemiss.edu; wyoung@olemiss.edu; kathy@sunset.backbone.olemiss.edu; tjones@sunset.backbone.olemiss.edu; vhjohnso@sunset.backbone.olemiss.edu; dannyphillips@yahoo.com Created: 6/8/2000 11:06 AM Subject: Re: My letter to the editor in today's paper Message: Mr. Braseth: Thank you for your timely response to my comments. I am not angry with the DM, nor am I attacking the DM; however, I am terribly frustrated that my opinion was not printed in its entirety as I worked many hours to get my letter just right so that it said exactly what I wanted to say. I just read the fine print underneath the list of Daily Mississippian staff which says, "Letters are welcome, but may be edited for clarity, space or libel" and I see just below that "Submissions ... should ... be no longer than 300 words" so I understand that this is the policy of the DM. I just wish they had emailed me back and told me that my article was too long--I would have cut out part of it so my major points might have been included. I realize that this is not your call, since the students decide what does or does not go into print, and I apologize if I offended you with my comments. I do appreciate the chance to be heard, even in part. I'm glad that Deb's guest column was not edited by the DM and was run in its entirety because what she had to say needed to be said. (For what it's worth, her original column was edited down 700 words, because she was notified by someone on the DM that her column was too long and needed to be shortened. This she did herself; then resubmitted her guest column for publication.) Her guest column is the very thing that got me and many other staff "fired-up" enough to try to have a voice. I will forward your response to the folks on my e-mail list since you said that it is okay and some people have already e-mailed me back saying that they are interested in finding out what the DM's response is. I decided to forward my letter to the Oxford Eagle to see if they might put it in as a guest editorial or a letter to the editor. The things that I said need to be heard by members of the community or alums who might lend a compassionate ear. Sincerely, Judy Fos At 10:24 AM 6/8/2000 +0100, you wrote: >Dear Judy Fos: > >Please feel free to share my response with all the folks on your e-mail list. > >1. You are a guest in the newspaper. The newspaper is not here to serve the >staff, the faculty, etc. >The newspaper belongs to the students. They pay for it. It is their >newspaper. > >2. The DM on page two spells out submission guidelines for letters to the >editor. Three hundred words is the limit, and even then, students have the >right to edit copy for clarity and available space. Your concern about >censorship is unfounded. > >3. Students and students alone determine what goes in the paper. As the >advisor and publisher of the DM, I can assure you I have never engaged in >prior restraint nor have I ever told them what they can or cannot run in >the paper. > >4. Jeff Alford's letter (right below yours) was reduced from more than 1000 >words. > >5. Why Deborah Lemmons letter was run in its entirety is unknown to me. It >normally would not have been. > >6. The staff getting to voice their opinion is important, but in the >student newspaper, that voice is a privelege, not a right. > >People all over the campus seem to have a misunderstanding about the >student newspaper. It does not belong to the Chancellor, the >administration, the staff, or the faculty. It belongs to the students. They >obviously thought staff concerns were important and that is why yours and >other letters have run. If your gripe is with the DM, I think it's misplaced. > >Sincerely, >Ralph Braseth > > > > >At 09:54 AM 6/8/2000 -0500, you wrote: >>I was glad to see my letter to the editor in today's Daily Mississippian; >>however, the "meat and potatoes" part was left out. While I am not an >>attorney, nor do I pretend to know all the legal issues thereof, this feels >>like censorship to me. I may be wrong. I thought that letters to the >>editor were personal opinions and were to be printed as written by the >>individual whose name appears at the bottom of the letter. When my name >>appears at the bottom of printed material, such as a letter to the editor, >>that says that it is MY opinion. You cut out over 2/3 of MY opinion. >> >>I ask you. Why do ONLY sentences 1,5,6,7,8,11,12,28,29,31,33,and 35 appear >>in my letter? Where are the remainder of the 42 sentences? In paragraph >>one of my original letter, 5 complete sentences were left out. In >>paragraph two of my original letter, 4 complete sentences were left out. >>In paragraph three of my original letter, 12 complete sentences were left >>out. In paragraph four of my original letter, 2 complete sentences were >>left out. And in paragraph five of my original letter - it was completely >>ignored - absolutely none of it was printed!!!!! If my letter needed >>shortened for purposes of space within the newspaper, you should have sent >>it back to ME so that I could edit it MYSELF since it is supposedly MY >>letter. Instead you chose to delete much of the "meat and potatoes" of MY >>letter. >> >>I should be allowed to have MY say. I am forwarding a copy of this email >>to everyone who has called me about my letter so that they can see my >>entire message which should have been conveyed by your newspaper. I am >>also forwarding a copy to the people I copied on my original submission as >>well as others who knew about my letter being submitted for publication. I >>want everyone to know my TOTAL opinion, not just the SUGAR-COATED parts >>that your newspaper decided to print. >> >>The following is a copy of my original letter to the editor: >> >> >>The issues raised by Deborah Lemmons, the guest columnist, in the June >>2,2000, Daily Mississippian have concerned me for quite some time. I can't >>believe that there are no concerned individuals, alums or members of this >>community, who would be willing to share the wealth with staff here at Ole >>Miss. Hey, our cause could be a nice tax write-off at the end of the year! >> What about all the money which was raised in the Campaign for Excellence >>or by the Foundation? If you check out the webpages of the Foundation, you >>will see a pie chart. Faculty support is listed; however, staff support is >>noticeably absent from the pie chart. Was this just human error or was >>support staff completely left out intentionally? Where is our piece of the >>pie? Tuition is probably going up for fall. Why can't these funds be >>used to go into a pool for staff salary increases as a one-time deal this >>year? >> >>If we don't receive raises this year, many of us will be at or below >>poverty level. Many employees leave this 40-hour a week job to work at >>another job just to pay the bills. Let's face it - the prices of >>everything continue to rise, yet we didn't even get a cost of living raise >>to offset this increase. As with many other support staff members, I am >>faced with trying to make a decision of whether to go work at a second job, >>leaving almost no time for my children or my church, just to keep ahead. >>If not, I will have to make a big cut in my budget, which now consists >>basically of only food, clothing and shelter. We work hard for Ole Miss; >>we deserve some type of monetary reward this year! >> >>I am proud to be a graduate, as well as a staff member of this fine public >>institution. I love my job, have wonderful co-workers and a terrific boss. >> Our football team is better than it has ever been and I don't miss any >>home games. Staff, faculty, students, and alums all bond together as one >>watching our Rebels fight their way to bowl games! This is all part of Ole >>Miss and its charm. We have a Chancellor who always speaks to everyone and >>goes out of his way to make everyone here feel welcome. There are not very >>many places of employment where someone in such a position of power cares >>about the "little people". The beautiful campus and the closeness of >>everyone here at Ole Miss make it a pleasant place to work! It saddens me >>to even think of looking for full-time employment elsewhere and having to >>leave Ole Miss and all its Southern charm, but I have to make a living, so >>this weighs heavily on my mind these days. People, let's face it! If >>additional funding is not allocated, the only ways to get a raise this year >>are to either "job jump" or look elsewhere. Surely we are not just >>nameless faces or numbers. I feel that if the "holders of the University's >>purse strings" appreciate all that we do, value us as dedicated employees, >>and really want us, they can find the money for raises somewhere. Monies >>are transferred from one fund to another for purchases in individual >>departments, so why can't funds be transferred to support staff salaries >>for raises this year? Any effort to find funding for support staff members >>would boost morale tremendously! >> >>If you are a staff member and feel that you deserve a raise, don't just let >>this issue drop. It seems that the administration feels that renovations >>and new buildings are more important than actual living, breathing, >>hard-working, dedicated employees with actual families and children to >>provide shelter for, feed, and clothe. That really hurts me as I am sure >>it does most of my fellow-staff members who have also invested time and >>energy here to make Ole Miss the best it can possibly be. Maybe the >>administration feels that if they don't respond the issue will "die in the >>dust" of all the building renovations which are ongoing. If that happens, >>any chance we have to lobby for a raise will be "gone with the wind." >> >>If you care and are concerned, please send letters to the editor of the >>Daily Mississippian, your representatives, the administration, alums, and >>everyone else who might care or be able to help. If you are a member of >>the administration, show us that you value us, respond. Try to help find a >>solution. We would be eternally grateful. The problem is not disappearing >>and is making many of us feel that we don't matter at all. Show the staff >>that we do matter and are truly an important part of this institution! >>Thanks for listening. >> >> >> >Dr. Ralph B. Braseth, Jr. >Director of Student Media >Assistant Professor of Journalism >233 Farley Hall >University, MS 38677 >(601) 232.5503 >Fax (601) 232.5703 > > - Attachment Filename: C:\archives\governor\mail\Governor Musgrove\_attach\Re_ My letter to the editor in today's paper\Mime.822
Attachments
re__my_letter_to_the_editor_in/mime.822