By: Kyla Wetmore and Chloe Smith
Editor’s Note: This editorial represents the opinions of the writers, not of Southern
Adventist University or its administration.
When we planned to write about Southern’s Title IX department, we thought that
was all the story would cover. The reporting began on Oct. 4, when Dennis Negrón, vice
president of Student Development and Title IX coordinator, approached us about writing
an article regarding Southern’s Title IX process. He thought the recent Cornell University
controversy had sparked important conversations regarding Title IX, and we agreed.
However, a few days before publication, social media was filled with concerns
about a repost on Negrón’s personal Instagram account. So, we immediately contacted
him to get his response.
Over the weekend prior to us publishing the story, almost every conversation we
had with students began with “Did you see…?”
We watched as posts referencing the repost received over 600 upvotes on a Fizz
page accessible only to users with Southern email addresses. This was clearly something
that students cared about, and we discovered that the repost was not just a rumor but
could be viewed publicly on Negrón’s personal Instagram page.
Given that we were already writing a story about Southern’s Title IX process, we felt
that including this concern could not be avoided. Additionally, we believed writing the
article would give multiple parties, including Negrón, an opportunity to share their
perspectives and limit rumors and misinformation.
At the Southern Accent, we aim to always provide balanced coverage that
represents key perspectives in every story we write, and this was no exception.
In reporting on Title IX and the social media controversy, we interviewed Negrón,
one of the Title IX deputies and several students, including one who had been through the
Title IX process. Due to the sensitivity and confidentiality of Title IX cases, it was difficult to
get interviews with students who have been part of the process.
Other students approached us, wanting to share their concerns, and we relayed
those comments to Negrón in follow-up interviews so that he could address each concern
about Title IX and his social media account. Throughout the interviews, he remained open,
answering all our questions so we could thoroughly report on the situation. We also
reached out to Gary Sewell, associate vice president of Information Technology, to get a
professional perspective on hacking.
Our reporting did not only focus on the social media discourse. Instead, our
interviews with Negrón, students and the Title IX deputy centered on how cases are
processed. Many of the concerns expressed by students were about these processes.
The night before publication, our team went back and forth about how to best
approach the story. It was difficult being the only public platform to formally address the
situation.
Since publishing the article, many students and faculty members have reached out
with mixed reviews. Some believe we favored Negrón too much, while others feel we were
too negative towards him. As student journalists, we have to balance these perspectives.
Our goal in every news story is not to convince readers of any position, but to
provide them with the facts that they need to reach their own conclusions. We aim to
provide these facts with as much detail as possible, while still providing information in a
timely manner and giving all sides of an issue a voice in the story.
Covering sensitive topics is not always easy or clear-cut, but we take our
responsibility to this community seriously. We appreciate your continued trust in us as we
cover important, sometimes difficult, topics to increase transparency at Southern and
allow us to listen to each other better.
If you have questions or concerns about any of the stories we cover, email us at
chloegsmith@southern.edu and kylahopewetmore@southern.edu. We are always open to
feedback and sharing more about the process behind the story.
