Although “BU student charged with abusing girl, 13” (Oct. 17, p. 1) was factually accurate, it should never have been published in a student newspaper, much less as the lead story. The student named in the article has not been legally proven guilty of anything, and given that the assumption in our legal system is that a defendant is innocent until proven guilty, it is entirely possible that he will be acquitted.

The article does not inform the Boston University community of an issue that is relevant to us in any manner. The alleged crime did not take place at or near BU and did not involve a member of the BU community. The article simply provides us with cheap, sensationalist entertainment at the expense of a fellow BU student who has not yet been convicted of any crime. No student should ever be subject to this sort of defamation by his own school newspaper. Even if he is proven innocent, he will never be able to return to the BU community given the unfair, sensationalist front-page story.

William Koch

CAS