In a letter to the editor on Feb. 11, 2015, Ms. Angie Carter responded to another student, Ms. Brittany Gaura, who posted a letter supporting the Bakken pipeline being proposed. Rather than getting into this debate, I wanted to point out that Ms. Carter was very rude and condescending toward Ms. Gaura.

She claimed that “most Iowans are not as ‘gullible’ as Gaura.” As someone who knows Ms. Gaura, she is far from gullible. Just because you are a Ph.D candidate and are in academia does not give you the right to name call! It is pure intellectual snobbery and is a mockery of academia. Attitudes like the one displayed by Ms. Carter are the reason why a lot of Americans are distrustful of academics. People who aspire to go into academia or are in academia should show more professionalism and even humility toward others. It would go a long way to bridging the gap between the ivory tower and the real world.