By choosing to publish his article in the first place, Mr. Boeckmann left himself open to criticism, and he gave anyone reading his work the perfect opportunity to take advantage of him.

I agree that this was a bad call. However, as a friend and a fellow student, I took the time to read the original article posted on the Northern Iowan Web site.

Not only do I feel it was gross misconduct, but also incredibly inappropriate for the Daily to leave out the following line: “Columnist Trevor Boeckmann uses old arguments against interracial marriage to question current arguments against homosexual marriage.” To the students of Northern Iowa University this article was read and interpreted as a satire.

To the body of Iowa State University and to myself, upon first read I found the article disgusting. I am ashamed to go to a school that would allow such a “misprint” to take place. As the original publication stated that it was a satire, I am sure that this article will not ruin his life or his reputation. However, I do feel that this was incredibly tasteless and disrespectful act for the Iowa State Daily.

If anything, you should be encouraging students to speak their mind by encouraging honest, thought-out writing by printing it correctly. Mr. Boeckmann is now seen as a distasteful asshole at a university he doesn’t even attend, making it harder for him to defend himself.

Joseph Salvini is a senior in environmental science.