LETTER TO THE EDITOR: Leal Ambriz responds to Herald story

Diego Leal Ambriz
April 6, 2011

Dear WKU Students,

After reading the latest issue of the Herald, I find it imperative to clarify certain things: (see story about SGA election in the front page)

♦ “Diego Leal Ambriz, who is facing off against Billy Stephens for SGA president, said he’s confident in his chances despite not visiting student organizations.”

The reporter for the Herald decided not to include the reasons behind this: I would have liked to visit every organization on campus however I did not have the time to do so because of the more than fifty hours of online training that I need to complete in a couple of weeks for my summer internship with Xerox in its headquarters in Connecticut where I will be working in the business strategy area. This online training, in addition to my tests, papers, SGA meetings, SGA Campus Improvements Committee meetings, ATO Executive Committee meetings, ATO Fraternity Meetings and Gordon Ford College of Business Ambassador events have kept me busy and did not allow me to make the time to visit organizations and ask them for their input.

Once I get elected, the first thing I am going to do once Fall semester starts is to visit each and every organization and not tell them what I want to do… but to ask them HOW can the SGA better serve them and what are the issues they are worried about.

I am confident in my chances because I have proven leadership strengths, I have people skills and I am honest and transparent. My optimism and enthusiasm will do wonders for the SGA. I am confident the rest of the student body is able to see that and will allow me this opportunity to serve them.

♦ “I know a lot of people on campus, and I think they will vote for me,” Leal Ambriz.

I do not remember saying this arrogant comment, and when I asked the reporter for the recorded interview, he said he did not have it anymore… THANK YOU VERY MUCH Herald.

Diego Leal Ambriz

Monterrey, Mexico senior

Candidate for SGA president

EDITOR’S NOTE:

The Herald considers accuracy its most important objective, and when we fail at that, we are honest and forthcoming about that failure.

In this circumstance, the Herald stands by its reporting in Tuesday’s paper about the SGA elections.

The reporter approached the story from the beginning as a way to illustrate what the candidates were doing to campaign as voting got underway. The Herald has reported before that both presidential candidates are heavily involved on campus and elsewhere, so that information was not included again in this story for space. The Herald does not take sides in the campaign.

The phone conversation between Leal Ambriz and the Herald reporter was not recorded. However, the quote in question is in the reporter’s notes and was repeated to an editor soon after the interview.

The Herald reached out to all the current SGA executives — Colton Jessie, Kendrick Bryan and Wade Pierce — who agreed the veteran reporter had a history of dealing fairly with them.

We regret that Leal Ambriz has a different interpretation of the situation.

Josh Moore

Herald editor-in-chief