Friend of Colbert offended by letter
I became increasingly upset and offended as I read Brian Mosteller’s letter regarding the “insincerity” of those involved in the search for Stacey Colbert. In the past four and a half years, Stacey has been one of my best friends, my roommate, my sorority sister and my bridesmaid. I can speak for all of those who have been close to her in expressing our complete devastation over her disappearance. The Columbus community, the media and OSU students have been extremely helpful in spreading the word about Stacey’s disappearance, and we appreciate their efforts. However, Mr. Mosteller mentioned witnessing a group of Greek students enjoying themselves while passing out fliers. Perhaps these students did not know Stacey personally and were not as emotionally affected as we are. Perhaps they were simply trying to find the strength to continue their daily lives in the face of this tragedy. Regardless, they donated their time to help out, which is likely more than Mr. Mosteller himself contributed, and they do not deserve to be held up to criticism. As a sorority alumna, it also angers me that Mr. Mosteller is using this terrible event as an opportunity to degrade the greek system. I have a message for the few people who find it necessary to hinder our efforts: whether you are offended by fliers being stapled to trees, “loud” staple guns, a sorority slogan or yellow ribbons, or perhaps you own a store and refused to post a flier or are a congressman who refused to accept one which was handed to you. In any case, I hope that you realize how tacky and insensitive such behavior is and hope that you never have to go though the loss of someone close to you. We wake up in the morning and go to sleep at night with the knowledge that Stacey may have been murdered, may not be coming back to us, and wishing to God that one of us could have been there to help her that night. No one should have to go through this, and no one should criticize people who care enough to help.Stacey would be amazed and touched by the concern that the community has expressed for her. Our efforts are not meant to be superficial or “celebratory,” but instead as a visual display of our love and respect for a remarkable woman.
Katie KnostmanProfessional studentCollege of Veterinary Medicine
