Rush week. Fresh-faced rushes roam campus, sizing up Greek life, eager to commit to something bigger than themselves. For many, brotherhood and lifelong connection lie ahead. But here at Reporter, only one person is being rushed — our copy editor, Sammy — and he didn’t sign up for this.

Unreasonable Responsibilities?

Like any good pledge, Sammy’s commitment to Reporter has been tested. Up until 2 a.m. juggling draconian deadlines and writers misspelling everything from “rhythm” and “technology” to “the”, Sammy has endured trials and tribulations that would make even the most dedicated falter.

While a typical pledge must memorize fraternity history and tradition down to a tee, Sammy does the same with AP style guidelines. Sammy’s initiation is arguably much more brutal; he has to track down hanging prepositions, stray semicolons and the mythical Oxford comma. Sammy lives in constant vigilance, battling writers who refuse to acknowledge subject-verb agreement. Sources (**cough cough Sammy**) tell us that Sammy averages more passive voice corrections than he does hours of sleep. Worst of all, Sammy has no “big” — unless you count the AP Stylebook, which hardly provides a shoulder to cry on.

Copy editing is thankless work — and, unfortunately, not Sammy’s only job. Whether it’s the Learning Assistant (LA) program, Supplemental Instruction (SI) program or Student Government (SG), chances are you’ve run into him. His presence on campus is almost fabled. So why does Reporter act like we have a monopoly on his talents? Does he not do enough to ensure our stories follow the inverted pyramid? Does Sammy not ensure our quotation marks end up where they belong?

Recently, rumors have circulated that Sammy is being recruited to critique design, a baffling managerial choice. The man is a writer with absolutely no design background. Imposing this responsibility has stretched Sammy thin and threatens to crowd out other valuable Reporter voices. Before we know it, Reporter will send Sammy out on photo and video assignments.

Protests Mount

As word has spread across campus about Sammy’s (mis)treatment, saying it has caused a stir would be an understatement. Sammy’s LA and SI students — past and present — have created a PawPrints titled “Save Sammy.” Student Government (SG) has drafted a resolution demanding that Sammy be freed from his editorial shackles. The motion, titled the “Sammy Liberation Act,” calls for more humane working conditions at Reporter and is expected to pass with unanimous support.

Furthermore, the College of Health Sciences and Technology (CHST), Sammy’s home college, will launch a formal investigation into workplace guidelines at Reporter. A representative stated Sammy’s mistreatment is part of a university-wide trend of overlooking CHST achievement. 

“CHST students continue to be subjected to oppressive conditions because the university believes they can get with it,” the representative (named Dammy Seol) stated. “Reporter’s conduct toward Sammy is appalling, but unfortunately unsurprising.” 

In an unfortunate twist of fate, the fraternity Sigma Alpha Mu (ΣAM) — commonly known as Sammy — is having its good name tarnished because of confusion with Reporter’s Sammy.

In a letter to Reporter, ΣAM issued a plea to “treat Sammy [the person] right,” citing concerns that it was harming their recruitment. ΣAM has since partnered with the National Workplace Bullying Coalition for a fundraiser promoting ethics in the workplace. Sympathetic to Sammy’s plight, ΣAM hopes this effort will clear its name and raise campus awareness about the importance of respectful workplace conduct.

Watching everything unfold in the background knowing that many — including myself — failed to come to Sammy’s defense has weighed heavily on my conscience. I hope that whistleblowing will spur others in Reporter to mobilize behind him. However, if an appeal to good-naturedness isn’t enough, then consider this: Sammy’s deep connections won’t go away. Unless things change, they will remain a thorn in Reporter’s side. To prevent campus-wide protests and a PawPrints exposé, Reporter must stop rushing Sammy.