Sample Critical Response

In her Student Printz article entitled “USM doles out sanctions to 25 SAE men,” Cam Bonelli reports on the results of an investigation into alcohol use and alleged sexual misconduct at a fraternity party. According to a witness, a young man offered a woman party-goer a white pill. When her friends looked for her at the party, they found her semi-conscious and incoherent. Five other female students became ill after attending the party and sought treatment in the emergency room. The woman who had been drugged woke up the next morning and discovered signs of sexual assault. She reported this to the police and underwent an exam to determine whether there was physical evidence of sexual assault. In addition, a parent reported that a daughter had consumed one drink at the party and did not remember the rest of the evening. The university police and other university organizations launched an investigation. No evidence of drugs other than alcohol was found. However, the rape kit hasn’t been analyzed yet. The results of the investigation led to the discipline of 25 of the approximately 30 members of the fraternity. While no one was expelled from school, several  were expelled from the fraternity and other were placed on probation. Law enforcement officials were still deciding whether or not to press charges for sexual assault.

Bonelli’s article on SAE follows generally accepted standards of newspaper writing. She uses  an inverted pyramid style of organization, presenting the most important facts first. After presenting those facts, she offers more detail and analysis. Finally, she concludes with a summary that quotes a university official.

Although the article is generally well-written, much of the information is vague. The information is second-hand and drawn from heavily redacted reports in which the names of the alleged victims and perpetrators were deleted. The practice of concealing names of alleged victims is no doubt necessary, but one result of this policy is that no first-hand witnesses were available to be interviewed. The article also lacks interviews with members of SAE, depriving readers of the chance to hear their point of view. On the other hand, the article includes the information that five people witnessed improper actions. The fact that there are so many witnesses adds credibility to the accusations, as does the fact that a parent came forward.

One passage in this article was unclear. Bonelli reports that the university conducted an investigation and found no evidence of drugs. However, she does not include information about the type of investigation done. The article does not state whether the investigation involved interviews, searches of the fraternity house, or laboratory tests. Without this information, it is difficult to assess the validity of the charges.

This article serves an important public purpose, even though it contains limitations. It served to spark a campus-wide awareness of the problem of date rape and date-rape drugs. Many students discussed this article and shared information about how to stay safe at parties.