Letter constitutes an unprovoked personal attack on Hurskainen

Dear Editor,

I have worked at UNC Asheville for 17 years. In all my time as an employee, I have seen many things that I have disagreed with being printed in the paper.

One article, just a few years ago, said that (men’s basketball coach) Eddie Biedenbach should be fired because he didn’t win and didn’t do what a men’s basketball program should do for our university. The year of that article, our university was in the national spotlight more than ever because of Kenny George, and, oh yes, Coach Biedenbach, who brought him here.

I remember thinking how unfair it was because their season hadn’t even started. I wanted to defend him because I knew him and I know how lucky we are to have a legendary coach like him here.

The letter to the editor that you printed regarding Lassi Hurskainnen was different. It was an unjustified personal attack on a student of this university by another student. You allowed anonymity and asked for a rewrite so that you could print it.

Everyone is entitled to their opinion and, just like Coach Biedenbach, Lassi is a prominent person on our campus. However, Lassi is a student, and allowing personal attacks on students is unacceptable.

If a student sitting in class decides they don’t like the student sitting next to them, and they don’t deserve to be here because they don’t do quality work in the class, would you accept a letter and print it to slam that student? If a boy breaks up with a girl, and she wants to get back at him, so she writes a letter about his flaws, would you print that?

I believe there is a personal agenda here. I would imagine the author of this letter has a personal reason to dislike Lassi. Anyone who knows anything about soccer knows how good Lassi is and how lucky we are to have him here. Anyone who knows Lassi knows that he is appreciative for his opportunity and this has hurt him deeply.

You say that you accept these letters on the basis of interest, space, and timeliness. I don’t know how you would think anyone at this university would want to read a letter like that about any of our students, but I do want to read all the letters that you receive in response to this, and they need to be printed.

Lassi did not do anything to warrant a personal attack on him other than going out and playing soccer and helping our team to the best position in the conference that we have been in for many years.

-Julie Torbett, head volleyball coach and senior administrator

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