I owe an apology to you all for the Nov. 15 editorial, "The shit list." To anyone either directly or indirectly offended by the column, I'm sorry, not simply for using unsuitable language, but also for listing a person whom I should not have listed and also for being so entirely negative in my writing.

There were many words flung my way in the last few weeks regarding that list, with some readers throwing in words of praise and others hurling four-letter words of their own. Some people said things like "kudos," "awesome," "hilarious," "great job," and "I loved it." Others called the list "juvenile," "inappropriate," "tasteless," "inaccurate," and (here's my personal favorite) "like taking a dump on your front porch—not funny."

Whether or not it accomplished anything in the way of furthering campus discussion, the repeated use of the "S" word (which, I can assure you, is completely out of my system) diminished the fundamental message to the point of irrelevance for some readers. That's not to mention the people who threw down the paper in disgust, never to open a Sun Star again.

If you're still reading, thank you.

The pages of the Sun Star are not for my personal gripes, nor are they for bashing individuals that do not deserve bashing. Specifically, I'm sorry for including a particular photographer on the list. The photographer, whom I called J., did not deserve to be put down in such a way. Nor should he have been accused of misrepresenting himself as a photographer for the Sun Star. I have since had the opportunity to sit down with him, and J. tells me that he never claimed to be one of our photographers. It should also be noted that J. was a photographer for us in the past.

To use the words of an articulate and experienced friend, the bottom line is that an editorial is the wrong forum for such a criticism. Public figures like a university chancellor, the museum director or members of the student government are fair targets for their official actions, but private individuals, such as a student photographer, are not subject to the same scrutiny.

Because editorials tend to contain a certain amount of negativity, I'd like to close with a little optimism.

Just in case you didn't know, UAF houses the best radio station in Fairbanks and possibly the entire world. In fact, KSUA (91.5 megahertz on your frequency modulated dial) is probably the single greatest thing in the entire universe ever. And that includes sex, ice cream with pie, and the beautiful Crab Nebula, located about 6,500 light-years from here.

The diversity offered through our beloved college radio station is a welcome relief from the overwhelming corporate radio and repetitive, played-out music offered in Fairbanks. Unlike those other stations, commercial-free KSUA will never get old.

Plus, it's perfect music to listen to while writing nasty, inappropriate, tasteless editorials.