By Jared Fields, Editor in Chief

Occasionally we make mistakes. We hate it and try our best to keep them out of the printed edition. Friday we made a big mistake.

We printed a version of the editorial in the issue that had been prepared for the Opinion Writing course, and which contained notes from a professor to the writer, causing confusion to the reader and embarrassment to us. When we realized the error, we pulled the issue off the racks and Web site.

The Optimist serves as a lab for classes in the Journalism and Mass Communication Department. All content is student written and produced. When a staff member does not write a story, someone from a class does. We all use the paper as a means to gain experience for when we enter the professional world. I continue learning lessons working on the Optimist, and this weekend has been one of my hardest.

I pasted the editorial from a Microsoft Word document into its place on the Opinion Page. Because of a Word feature called “track changes,” I also copied the professor’s notes that were not displayed on the Word document.

Despite this technological glitch, the fault still lies with me. I took a shortcut when we were past deadline by not reading the editorial on the page when I thought reading it in the Word document sufficed.

I cannot go back and change what happened; I can only react to the error and try my best to right a wrong.

I apologize to our readers and those named in the editorial for this giant blunder. I know some do not care. Still, as a newspaper we are held to only one standard -perfection.

Friday’s issue contained the worst mistake I’ve known in my three years on staff. As the editor, I apologize and ask you – the reader – to not let my mistake affect your views of the Optimist, the staff, advisers or anyone else who produces content for the paper.

Because we picked up the papers around campus and took down the issue from the Web site, we are posting that news online and a few of the most important stories are included on page four of this issue.

We are accountable to you, and your remarks help us strive to improve our craft. Keep writing comments and letters to the editor. We appreciate the feedback; it keeps us on our feet.

Keep holding me accountable for your news. The Optimist, and I will be better for it.