I just wanted to thank you for everything you have done for me and my friends. We really appreciate it. Here is the thing Justin, college is a compilation of a number of experiences that result in our education. Some of it is academics. I assume that in your Opinion article last week, referring to us as “worthless jerks that should grow up” and that this is college where we are “supposed to be getting an education,” you are suggesting the academic part of our experience. Well, unlike you Justin, we are able to balance the academics with our social lives.

See, what has happened now, and why I want to thank you, is that because of your letters and phone calls to certain authorities, a lot of my friends are in deep shit.

I just wanted to let you, and whoever else reading this, is that there are more to my friends (or how you delicately described them: “the drunks”). Let us take for instance the “punk who can’t hold his liquor.” He is a first generation college student. Not only that, but he is working his way through college, going home every weekend, to make an extra buck to put towards his education.

So at the end of the day when this Vermont native gets done busting his balls to pass his classes, he wants to throw a few back. So he does. As for the other residents in Converse, who need to get some “meaning” in their lives, the Vermont native’s roommate is an aspiring guitar player, a position holding member of a fraternity, and here at the University on a nice little scholarship.

A girl upstairs, who was a frequent visitor to your former floor hopes to be an environmental lawyer. Her roommate wishes to be an anthropologist. Couple other guys have goals of becoming a venture capitalist and film director/producer. And I am confident that all of these people will succeed despite their amazing ability to have a good time several nights of the week.

I myself, if you were wondering, am an honor student, hold a position for one of the largest clubs on campus, cannot wait to teach high school after my graduation and am proud of my Irish heritage. I think I have found meaning in my life “bro.” But you would not have known any of this, because you never gave us a chance. Never came and talked to us.

So to who it may concern, life doesn’t “suck” here in Converse. Or at least it didn’t until our dear friend Justin moved in next door. See, now a bunch of my friends have meetings with judicial, the resident coordinator, and some cops. They are all facing hefty fines and will inevitably have to attend some sort of counseling. I am not saying that this is not the right course of action (we were doing something illegal), but it is not on my conscience.

Justin, all of this could have been avoided if you would have just come and talked to us. When you live in a community, not just Converse, or another dorm, or a city, and something is bothering you, try to solve the conflict yourself before resorting to authorities. Did your parents teach you to tattle? We are in college, and we are all here to learn and have a good time. But at the same instance we are also young adults and if you had asked us to keep it down, we would have been more than happy to. But you didn’t.

It was stated in the article that everybody that you talked to thought it was stupid for you to complain. And everybody was right. The last paragraph was kind of harsh though Justin. We are sorry about the name calling. We didn’t even know it was you until we read the paper today (had a good hunch though I guess). But how do you get off telling us we are not cool and we will never find true love?

My life doesn’t suck. I love everyday of it. And I don’t think that my drinking habits of college will affect me finding true love. I think I already have, and will again. Thanks though for your concern.