When I started my term as editor in chief, I was told to view the job as a learning experience. This week I learned a lot.

On Friday, I had the opportunity to meet with a group of students, faculty and alumni. The group was angry with what they viewed as The Exponent’s insensitivity toward the issue of race.

Specifically, the group, along with many other people on campus, was upset about the editorial cartoon that ran on Thursday. The cartoon, drawn by nationally syndicated cartoonist Pat Oliphant of the Washington Post, featured Abraham Lincoln talking about slave reparations and ended with a comment about the Academy Awards. Because the cartoon is nationally syndicated, we printed it without critically thinking about the impact it would have or the message it portrayed. In doing this, we were wrong.

The cartoon was offensive, hurtful and prejudicial. The cartoon was not reflective of the students at Purdue or the climate of Purdue. The editorial cartoon was wrong and should not have appeared in print. As editor in chief, I take full responsibility for the pain we have caused and the wrong we have done. I apologize to the students, staff, faculty and alumni of Purdue for printing something that has caused pain and outrage for so many. I also offer my apology on behalf of the staff of The Exponent. We strive every day to provide one of the best college newspapers in the country; last week we let down not only our readers but also ourselves.

I must also offer The Exponent’s apology for an article that ran on March 26 titled "Race Tarnishes Oscars." The article written by one of our staff writers was a review of the Academy Awards. As a review, a review icon labeling it as the writer’s opinion should have accompanied the article. Unfortunately, the article was presented with no icon and with no indication of the article being an opinion. As journalists, we broke one of our sacred rules that day — we presented someone’s opinion as fact. The error is severe and inexcusable. I apologize for misleading the Purdue community this way and I apologize to the journalist community for our indefensible mistake.

What I’ve learned from all this is that ignorance is not bliss. I’ve learned that there are many issues that happen on this campus to which I am fully unaware or which I think I understand but in reality know very little.

On a college campus, ignorance has no excuse. The fact that we at The Exponent were unaware of our insensitivity does not absolve us from blame. As editor in chief, and as someone who truly cares about this problem, I promise to work toward ending our ignorance and the ignorance of others on campus. But I know idle promises mean nothing and saying and doing are two completely different things. That’s why I am asking for help from you, our readers.

We at The Exponent could try to fight our ignorance with books and magazines. We could take sensitivity training and study different cultures. These are all good ideas and things we need to do, but it is not enough. No book, no magazine, no class epitomizes the daily life of a Purdue student. No amount of in-depth research will ever fully mine the thoughts and concerns of such a diverse community. The only way for us to know is for you to tell us.

My goal for the rest of my term as editor in chief is to open the door of communication to all students, faculty and staff at Purdue. It is my plan to establish focus groups who, by working with The Exponent’s staff, can help us identify areas of concern on campus, address the student body as a whole about these concerns and realize those moments when we appear insensitive or unaware of the message we are sending.

My plan is to have these focus groups established by the fall semester and that through these groups we, as a University, can abolish ignorance from Purdue. These groups will be assembled to discuss many issues on campus, not just race; other preliminary focus groups I would like to establish include groups addressing the concerns of international students, West Lafayette residents, faculty and staff, and Greek and off-campus students.

But we cannot do this alone. We need your help. If you would like to help establish these focus groups, or if you would like to identify a concern, please feel free to contact me. My phone number is 743-1111 ext. 207; my e-mail address is editor@purdueexponent.org. I look forward to hearing from all who choose to participate; ignorance is a disease that cannot be allowed to continue — help us make Purdue a better place for all to call home.

Finally, I must also address an issue that was brought up when I met with the group on Friday. The suggestion was made that we cancel our subscription to editorial cartoonist Pat Oliphant. Members of the group argued many of his cartoons have been insensitive regarding race and that he has no right being printed in a college newspaper.

These arguments are well founded; the fact that his cartoon outraged so many is an indication of his occasional insensitivity. But the point of an opinions page is to offer opinions and not just the ones we agree with.

I can guarantee an effort will be made to look more carefully at the editorial cartoons we choose to print, and consideration will be taken not to print material we deem as too offensive to our readers, but we will continue to publish his cartoons.

The Exponent’s Opinion page is manifestly that: a page devoted to providing different opinions on the things that are affecting our lives. We take pride in the fact our opinions page is a place where everyone can have a voice.

Yes, we are accountable for the content of the page. But we do not, and I hope we never will, censor anyone who submits an opinion to our paper. Of course, there are ground rules. Our letter submission policy is the absolute standard for letters. We will not print libelous material, material we consider a personal attack or material we consider to be an advertisement. As long as I am editor in chief, we will not print foul language unless it is absolutely needed for context; swear words are the crutches of unimaginative writers.

But never, never will we quell anyone’s opinion. As Purdue’s independent student newspaper, we are strong advocates of free speech; it’s the basis for our independence and one of the reasons for our existence.

Like I said before, I learned a lot in the past week. My only hope is that now, working together, we can all learn a lot more.