The Plainsman is an open forum.
This means you as students, readers and individuals have the opportunity to voice your opinions on issues and make them heard to the Auburn community.
We provide the paper for you to write on.
This is a large responsibility, not only for the staff of 30 students, but also for you.
You have the chance to speak your mind via letter to the editor, commenting on the Web site, writing an entertainment review, drawing comics, and of course, joining the staff and being able to write personal columns.
I enjoy criticism.
My skin toughens daily just by the position I have chosen to take.
It's with critiques and criticism that we grow and learn from our mistakes.
It's not from the venom of hatred and abundance of free time that we learn from others.
Recently, there have been a growing number of misplaced comments on The Plainsman's Web site.
I'm not referring to the ones slamming grammatical errors, quality or quantity of articles or even really the ones criticizing the writers.
It is the immoral and lewd comments attacking other readers and individuals at this University with no basis that tempt the freedom of a forum for others.
Racist comments are uncalled for on any level and for any reason.
Especially when they are on an article dealing with a person being hit by a car and being sent to ICU.
I'm still confused how racism is relevant here.
Not to mention appropriate.
The people commenting on how this publication is a failure also bewilders me.
If you don't like it, tell me what to do to improve it.
Better yet, show me.
I am constantly amused by commenters saying they don't like this story or they don't like the paper.
That room is for your opinion, yes, but use it to your advantage.
Instead of bashing one of the sports guy's grammar (who is Dutch, by the way, and he was called a hick), offer some advice or guidance.
You don't have to help, and I realize not everyone is a 'word cop,' but crudeness isn't always necessary on articles about clothing and basketball.
With that space where you can publish almost whatever you want, write things that matter and put your name to it.
In the pedestrian article, discuss the issues, not misguided assumptions.
On an Avatar review, write why you didn't like it instead of death threats to the writer.
This is not an opportunity for you to brag on your personal life either.
If you have questions on how we deal with articles, ask me.
If you don't like how we do something, tell me.
If you think you can do better, show me.
One way is with the Readership Survey to give us feedback on your thoughts on the paper. It's on the Web site.
The point is, this is an open forum, and we want to keep it that way.
If you abuse that power, especially on the Web site, new policies will be put in place.
Readers are basically allowed to run free now with a few exceptions to obscenities and libel laws; let's keep it that way.
Keep the racism and less than ethical comments on your personal, trashy Web sites.
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