Letter to the Editor: Caption was inappropriate and offensive

The Webster Dictionary defines humor as: the quality or content of something such as a story, performance, or joke that elicits amusement and laughter.  The Advocate would appear to define humor as that which is offensive and inconsiderate as demonstrated by the example: "You can also surf the internet for porn while you look for scholarships" as per their caption regarding an article published in the April 6th edition on the Scholarship Resource Office titled "Scholarship office eager to help." The caption elicited neither amusement nor laughter.  To say that I am extremely disappointed in the lack of professionalism and judgment by both the writer of the caption and the editor of the paper would be an understatement.

The Scholarship Resource Office is partially funded by Student Fees.  Our mission is to be a resource for students attending the University of Colorado Denver to find, and apply for scholarships, and provide mentoring and support services for scholarship recipients.  We work closely with donors to identify scholarship opportunities for UCD students.  To imply that those resources include searching for porn is offensive and a gross misrepresentation of the work our office does.

The article itself is good. It accurately portrays what our office does and the support we provide to students.  However, the caption to the photo belittles the integrity of the article.  If The Advocate wishes to be a paper on par with The Onion, I would have appreciated knowing that prior to consenting to an interview and requesting that our student employees participate in the article.  I find this caption to be offensive, insensitive, and inappropriate.

Sharon Harper

DIrector of University Scholarships

Scholarship Resource Office