Equal time

Lest this space become the epicenter of passive-aggressive Sidelines-bashing, I'd like to point out a delightfully written lede by one Jennifer Holder.

Although it was the one-year anniversary of MTSU's student bill of rights, John K. Wilson left his party hat at home.

Yes! That is an excellent introduction to a story about one person dissenting from the ideas behind a particular policy. It's short, clever, funny, and it basically tells the story — albeit in an unconventional way. But a memorable one!

I understand that not every story needs or deserves a shticky lede like this one, but I read the rest of the story and the lede seems entirely appropriate to the subject matter.

My only major complaint about this article: Who is this kid and why should we care? We know he's a grad student from another school; what kind of lecture was he giving and why should we think of him as some sort of authority on the subject? He's only identified as "a doctorate student at University of Illinois," which I figure is about as relevant to MTSU as a podiatrist from Boise, Idaho. But maybe I missed something. Please let me know if I did. And I'm not being snarky. I often miss things when I do quick readings and move on.