Editor, Daily Nexus,

I am currently a student at Westmont College and currently an editor for the Horizon, our student newspaper. On Nov. 13, I was conducting research at the UCSB campus. During the day I picked up a copy of your paper, the Daily Nexus.

The majority of the stories and issues you covered, I thought were well presented. However, I did find one article that you chose to print completely vulgar, lacking integrity, and completely tactless – “I Hate You, so Take Your Pants Off”, by Beth Van Dyke.

The subject matter and language of the article was plain tactless. I have to admit my friends and I got a good laugh out of the sick and twisted idea that make-up/break-up sex is a viable solution to problems in a relationship, yet I think it was ill-fitting in an otherwise good newspaper. The article lacks respect and integrity.

We are living in a society where each of these virtues are at stake and daily being compromised. Ms. Van Dyke demonstrated little respect for her significant others and encouraged readers to do the same by suggesting that all problems could be solved by sex. The smart person would more than likely conclude that sex is a temporary fix to a problem, not a long-term solution. Integrity is compromised daily if we think it will help us get ahead. Just look at all the corporate business scandals. Then look at how many politicians are accused of misconduct and sexual harassment.

Integrity needs to be at the forefront of everything we do as citizens of this great country. Without respect and integrity in our lives, how do we think we can prevent and stop things such as hate crimes and injustices from occurring? I would like to suggest that preventing such atrocities from taking place starts at the individual level in the decisions we make and how we choose to handle the little things.

As a fellow journalist, I believe that we have a responsibility to use the position we are in to spur individuals to make wiser, better informed and educated choices to be better citizens. Ms. Van Dyke’s column goes against all these qualities in my mind. Thank you for your time and efforts.