Letter to the editor: Timely acknowledgment is key for the JMU family

Posted on November 12, 2007

It is safe to say that if you are reading this that you did not know anything about the suspicious people who were found in Jackson Hall a couple of weeks ago until this issue of The Breeze. However, you may have heard something about the incident from a friend or overheard what you thought might be a rumor in class. If you were fortunate enough to come across this information you most certainly did not hear it from a JMU staff member.

My roommate and I are outraged about the matter, and we did a little research. She confronted a custodian working in Memorial Hall last Wednesday afternoon. The worker acknowledged that he did know what happened, but he said that the matter was very “hush, hush” due to the unsafe air it would give to the university.

There were people unaffiliated with the university allegedly making themselves at home in one of our academic buildings, and we were not informed because of how the incident may make our school look? If anything, the withholding of this information sheds an even more negative light on our school. I am appalled at the university’s reaction to this incident, especially after what our neighbors in Blacksburg went through.

In no way do I want to bash our school. I simply want to make it better. I feel that we should collectively demand to know about this matter in more detail and others that hold such weight. We are a family and it is our job to ensure the security of our brothers and sisters. 

Melissa Clark
class of 2008