I went to Monroe on Monday to see Uri Sellers’ family and friends. I spoke with his father, who was a pillar of strength for others. It was a sad day in the town, but it showed the resiliency and strength of people.

Death isn’t anything new to me. I saw plenty of dead people in the Persian Gulf War, but none was my friend. None was even American, but it was death, for sure. I’ve never had anyone close to me die except for my grandfather. A death is never an easy thing, but the loss of someone so young and a senseless stabbing does not make it easier. It was a tough a day in Monroe.

But the people of Monroe amazed me. They were pleasant and willing to talk about it. They were happy to see that the student newspaper was interested in Uri Sellers. I gave them several copies of Monday’s Daily and they read it over. In journalism, I get to see the best and worst sides of people, and on Monday I saw the best side of the people of Monroe. I will never forget April 21.

Covering a story of such sadness is difficult. The Daily has been told by some that it is doing well and by others that it just can’t do anything right. The Daily has been accused of underhanded tactics and insensitivity, when, in fact, we’re all saddened by the death of Sellers and mean no disrespect to him, his family or his friends.

The Daily has been accused of placing a flower on the lawn of Adelante Fraternity, an accusation that is completely absurd. I saw the flower there after I was finished having lunch at Pizza Pit on Monday. My girlfriend and I drove past Adelante and saw the flower. I came back and called photographer Brendan Greiner, and he agreed to go take the photo. I think it was a poignant gesture by whoever put it there, and I thought it should be shared with the ISU community. I thought the photo might even prompt others to place flowers on the site.

The Daily has been accused of being insensitive for a headline that read: “Slaying aside, there were few hitches.” Perhaps it could have been reworded, but this headline represented what Veishea and university officials were saying. Maybe a headline that read: “Officials say …” would have provided clarity. The Daily produced that headline right under deadline and sometimes editors have to make quick decisions to make words fit space accommodations. These decisions under the pressure of a deadline aren’t easy to make and are easily judged by those who will have all day to think about what could have been better.

In Monday’s story we said Gordon Jones was the head coach of Prairie City-Monroe High School, when, in fact, he no longer is a coach. He was the assistant coach when Uri played for the PCM Mustangs. I spoke to his son, Matt, and I met Gordon, and they weren’t too concerned over a mistake like that because, as Matt said, there are more important issues about which to be concerned. Yes, the Daily regrets the error, but it was a simple mistake. Even The New York Times and The Des Moines Register make similar mistakes on a regular basis.

When the Daily first reported the story, it said Harold “Uri” Sellers, because the police reported him as Harold Uriah Sellers and friends called him Uri. After all, Harold was his name even though most people called him Uri. Now that the initial phase is over, we also are calling him only Uri Sellers, and not Harold “Uri” Sellers.

Monday’s photo showed a blood-stained spot on the grass. It is not meant to be an act of disrespect, it was just illustrating the truth, however difficult it may be to view. If I had walked passed at that time in the morning I would have seen the same thing. The Daily is showing the scene, and, sadly enough, Uri was stabbed and he bled.

Reporting that Sellers had no police record has also been criticized, however, it is industry standard to check the record of anyone involved in a crime, victim or otherwise.

And I hope Tuesday’s edit showed that we care. We are saddened and, even though we are writers, words failed us. So we spoke for the students simply saying we are sorry, and we will not forget. The rest of the page was blank except for a photo of Uri in memorial.

From the people with whom I have spoken, I believe Uri was a great human being. One of the people, Drew Cleavenger, a friend and ISU senior in history, summed up my impression of Uri when he said to me:

“I think the best quality about Uri was he was a great role model for his younger brother, Caleb, and other young people who wanted to maximize their potential.”

When I visited the school in Monroe on Monday, it was plain to see that Drew was 100 percent correct.

The Daily has provided more coverage on the homicide than any other news organization, which, I hope, says something about how concerned we are. If I do say so myself, we’ve done a stellar job covering the homicide, especially for students. Nonetheless, we welcome criticism. After all, we are all about free speech and are willing to hear any concerns about the paper. I hope this addressed some of the concerns

I’m going back to Monroe on Friday; not as a reporter, not as an editor, but as a person who wishes to send his condolences from the Iowa State Daily and from ISU students.

Tim Frerking is a senior in journalism and mass communication from Pomeroy. He is a news editor for the Daily.