'Poorly researched' article warrants apology to Schurig

I would like to write in response to the article published on April 23 titled MSU students protest sexist, racist incidents on campus. This article was very poorly researched. Hearsay evidence was presented as fact in this article that discredited the character of Max Schurig. In the article, Schurig was presented as a bigoted, violent racist. Because the investigation is ongoing, Schurig is not allowed to discuss the incident for which he has been charged with assault. There is much more to this story than one particular incident, but the reader does not get a chance to hear all sides. As the case is ongoing, I expect more integrity from The State News or any publication that claims to report the news in the future. The claim that a student was “slapped in the face multiple times by a white male, who also is a resident mentor in Case Hall” is not substantiated by any evidence. To present it as fact is irresponsible.

The publication of this article is not only irresponsible for its sloppy research, because it adds to an already emotional and tense climate for all those involved. There were certainly reasons for concern; there have been multiple racially motivated harassment incidents in Case Hall this year. Some situations were handled poorly by the Department of Residence Life staff. But this mismanagement should not be taken as proof that the Case Hall staff is racist or does not wish to help the situation. By publishing inaccurate and damaging hearsay as fact in an article, The State News has contributed to the escalation of a very delicate issue. The students of MSU and Case Hall need to be aware of the facts and be prepared for the situation in an educated and thoughtful way, not with inaccurate information and emotional retorts.

While coverage of this event is relevant to the campus, the presentation of the article was inappropriate. I hope The State News will offer an apology to Schurig until all the details of the incident are known.

Michael Wiederoder
biosystems engineering senior

Published on Sunday, May 11, 2008