This editorial is about the quality of education at ISU. The second paragraph begins, “Our education is poor. It doesn’t matter how much your degree costs when it’s valueless.” I reject both assertions regarding the education of our students and the value of the degrees Iowa State confers.

1. The sole source of the statistics for the editorial was an unpublished PowerPoint presentation that was not peer-reviewed. This is hardly a legitimate source of statistics. Competent journalists obtain multiple confirmations of their facts from reliable sources.

2. The editorial states, “Classes bloated beyond 400 students make engagement impossible.” This statement is false and misleading. I have 570 students in my Physics 221 class Introduction to Classical Physics, in three consecutive lectures. We use clicker questions extensively, where the students solve basic questions. These are valuable for feedback both for me and the students. I ask for questions frequently during lecture. The students meet in small recitation sections once or twice a week. Our Physics 221 Help Room is staffed by competent TAs 38 hours per week to help individual students. I hold office hours two hours per week and also meet with many students by appointment.

3. The editorial stated, “You may be … a third-year engineer who can’t identify Newton’s three laws. These were things once required of a high school education.” I reject the assertion. I have recently spent four semesters teaching engineering majors about Newton’s laws and their applications in my Physics 221 class. This is a rigorous and demanding five-credit course that the students appreciate according to my student evaluations.

4. The Editorial Board refused my request to retract the editorial, apologize to the faculty and students, explain what went wrong and why, and outline steps to prevent a future recurrence.