Response to Paddy Murphy Article

phelpsc@lawrence.edu

I am writing this letter rather reluctantly. I do
not wish to begin an incendiary debate about
Allison Augustyn’s platitudes (I refer to her
May 25th article addressing certain issues with
the Delta Tau Delta fraternity). However,
Allison has made a few statements that I find
disturbing to such a degree that I cannot remain
silent. The first thing I want to bring up is
that Allison’s latest manifesto is nothing more
than a consummate anthology of disastrously bad
writing teeming with misquotations and
inaccuracies, an odyssey of anecdotes that are
as relevant as discussing the Minnesota Viking
quarterback’s accolades at a Packers game.
Let me start by pointing out that the accuracy of
your journalism runs as deep as your bylines.
I’m sure that the Delta chapter president Brion
Winters will agree with me, you need more than a
spell- and grammar- check to write newspaper
articles. And who can forget the blaze of ’97
and its deep implications on today’s issues. It
seems as if by some unseen stroke of mercy that
?This time the Delts are allowed to reside in
the house?. Pardon my sarcasm but that’s a
stupid thing to say. The relocation of Delta
fraternity members had nothing to do with any
disciplinary action; it was a matter of not
having minimum safety standards as the result of
an accident.
I?d also like to add a comment about the quality
of your investigative reporting. Of the three
members you quote (aside from the statement by
Brion Winters): all three are freshmen, only two
of which hold active membership in the
fraternity, and none of whom had firsthand or
authoritative knowledge of the situation. I
would ask you to please consider your sources of
information more carefully in the future.
The article attempts to report on disciplinary
actions against Delta Tau Delta, accusations of
unfair and biased treatment towards the
fraternity, and even so much as equal housing
opportunities. It fails on each account. I
suggest that each be addressed separately if the
Lawrentian wishes to do justice to all of them.
To end on a more positive note: I have no
sympathy for those who gain little more from
Freshman Studies than the money for their
textbooks and a t-shirt.-Chris Phelps