I was extremely disappointed, when I read Sean Ely’s article, Judicial boards violate MSU rule (SN 12/6/07), to see that The State News decided to run what amounts to a hit job on Richard Shafer and the judicial system at MSU. While I do not know the specifics of the particular case in question, I did serve as chairman of the University Student Appeals Board for three years under the guidance of Shafer. During that time, he displayed nothing but the utmost respect for proper protocol and students’ right to privacy.

At that same time, I experienced constant frustration as ASMSU would inconsistently and haphazardly attempt to carry out its bureaucratic appointment process. Every year I served, ASMSU would use a different method of confirming appointments, and every year our ability to resolve students’ requests for hearings was hampered by ASMSU’s lack of organization and understanding of university policy. Furthermore, Shafer takes issues of confidentiality extremely seriously. Any responsible individual can see that talking with the media about these sensitive issues and allowing them to play out in public compromises the confidentiality of the parties involved and makes the university vulnerable to possible legal action. When challenging the reputation of a diligent university employee, The State News would be well advised to take great pains to understand every complexity of the situation rather than to rely on secondhand accounts from members of one of the most faulty student governments in the country.