I have an apology to make and bones to pick. Here goes.

Apology

I publicly apologize to the University Museum for the incorrect time The Pacer consistently printed for the Rashid Arshed gallery presentation this past Tuesday night. I saw the correction in the office and assumed (always a bad idea) that the correction had been given to the staff members who put together our Bulletin Board. Obviously, it had not, and I failed to double-check the page before it went to print. I sincerely hope that the mistake did not hurt attendance at the event.

For all who are interested in viewing Arshed’s photo exhibition, “Leaves of Lanka,” the museum is open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday and at other times by prior arrangement. The exhibition was developed after a trip Arshed made to the island nation of Sri Lanka.

Bones to pick

Bone of contention No. 1 would be the ongoing problems we have in educating our audience about the different sections of the newspaper. In the Opinions section of the paper, for example, we print the opinions of our readers and, sometimes (like right now), of our staff members and adviser.

Unlike news stories, opinion pieces do not have to include both sides of an issue. However, they also should not include controversial hearsay, obviously inaccurate information or libelous (defamatory) information. The Pacer is legally responsible for all content found within its pages, regardless of who wrote it. We reserve the right to edit any material that is submitted to us, and we are not doing our jobs as well as we should when information we know is wrong is printed anyway.

What readers must understand is that the Opinions section reflects only the opinions of those who write the columns and letters, not necessarily the opinions of The Pacer staff. You will find a cohesive staff opinion only in The Pacer editorials, which are unsigned and written with the royal “we.” Therefore, readers, if you don’t like the opinions you read in The Pacer, please send in your own opinions. These pages are meant to reflect the diversity of the campus population, but they can’t if you don’t contribute your voice to the mix.

Bone of contention No. 2 centers on the issue of covering academic events vs. covering social events. I certainly don’t believe the paper can now be accused of being anti-greek; in fact, the pendulum has swung too far in the other direction, in my humble opinion. I harbor no biases against any particular group, and I would dearly love to see more coverage of the good things done in our classrooms and with the clubs associated with academic disciplines.

To that end, I ask that faculty advisers to all organizations work diligently to ensure that publicity officers are not only chosen, but are regularly contributing information to The Pacer. We can’t print what we can’t prove, but we also can’t print what we don’t know is happening. Let us know.

Having asked for help, however, I must now issue a cautionary note, which brings me to bone of contention No. 3. My staff will not print everything that is submitted. Sometimes it is because of space limitations, and readers must realize that advertising determines how many pages the newspaper has each week. The Pacer must be ever conscious of its budget, just like all other departments on campus. Pacer staff members also have to judge whether a story is well-written enough to be printed, whether more information is needed, or whether the event is newsworthy enough (affects enough people) to be included in the paper.

Sometimes submissions get lost, particularly the ones that are handwritten or typed and left in the office. I can’t explain why that keeps happening; I just know it does.

Anyone who wishes to submit information should use our Web site and submit the info online. All you have to do is go to the UTM home page (www.utm.edu), click on Quick Links, click on The Pacer, then click on Submit a Story, which is one of the options listed down the left-hand side of the Web page. Follow the directions, hit send and you’ll at least guarantee that your information won’t get lost in the shuffle of paper we call The Pacer office. It’s also faster and much more convenient for you than making a trip over to 314 Gooch Hall.

Meanwhile, let’s buckle down, hit the books and survive Homecoming Week and midterms. Oh yes, I nearly forgot bone of contention No. 4. It’s so simple, really: Go to class!!! Your professors will be much happier with you if you do.

Tomi McCutchen Parrish remains behind in her effort to get anything done lately, including her classwork. She, however, does attend class, even when she hasn’t had enough sleep and doesn’t feel like lecturing.