Letter to the editor: Milam misrepresented

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In response to Mr. Patrick T. Sullivan’s article, “Fraternity member charged with drug trafficking,” I am deeply appalled and offended at how Mr. Sullivan has attempted to slander and vilify a young man and an entire fraternity. As the article states, Mr. Milam was charged with selling marijuana out of his fraternity house, and because he was in a fraternity this story was a major news article to the Kentucky Kernel.

With unemployment at an all-time high in decades, financial instability plaguing the country and a government out of touch with its people, the Kernel focuses on a young man who made a mistake. Not only does this young man have legal ramifications he has to deal with because a simple lack of judgment; on top of that he now has to deal with being humiliated and vilified in front of the entire student body of his university by Mr. Sullivan.

I highly doubt this is the first time a University of Kentucky student has broken the law. The fact that Mr. Milam sold some “pot” to a couple of friends should not be a major news headline. While I recognize that selling drugs is not legal and should not be tolerated, the reason why this article is even relevant is because of the Kentucky Kernel’s lack of stories. Its six-page newspapers consist of full-page ads and pictures that take up all the blank space its staff cannot fill because of the lack of decent and relevant articles.

University newspapers are supposed to be the voices of the students they represent; I see it highly unlikely that students at this university would like to be publicly humiliated like Mr. Milam has been in your article. Mr. Sullivan, you did not uncover the Colombian drug cartel of college campuses or even anything remotely close, you took police reports and copy and pasted them into an article. Congratulations on your fine journalism skills.

Mr. Sullivan has the audacity to remind his readers of the past alumni who have graced the halls of Delta Tau Delta, who in no way were involved with this isolated incident with a certain fraternity member. I recommend that the Kentucky Kernel do some reporting that truly has merit and meaning to its readers instead of running full-page ads of Google Chrome or slandering students.

Greg W. Scott

Class of 2011