Her Campus responds to criticism

We thank Samantha Lachman for her dedication to reading our publication and by no means seek to impose on her right to her own opinion, though we would like to respond to the Dec. 6 column, “HerCampus is not mine.” Our foremost responsibility is to reiterate our mission, support and protect our writers, and to contribute to the Duke community as a platform for women to express themselves freely and openly.

Her Campus Duke is an online women’s magazine that publishes articles by writers and non-self-identified writers such that they can share their interests outside of the classroom. We are just as likely to publish an article related to utilizing the Women’s Center as a resource as we are to publish one about the latest nail polish trends. Ultimately, Her Campus Duke seeks to serve a wide array of interests, opinions and readers.

Some people believe we do not need a publication like Her Campus Duke on campus. We would like to suggest otherwise. We average about 5000 page views per week, have received positive feedback from freshmen who have read our content prior to even attending Duke, and are consistently recognized as one of the most successful Her Campus branches nationwide. We want to iterate that we are a new and evolving organization on campus and that we appreciate all feedback and participation from the student body. However, we ask that when viewing the recent column and other sources of criticism, you, as readers, look not only to the content of the article but also to its intent.

Finally, it is important to note that if the combination of our articles and the recent column creates a constructive conversation, the Duke community can only benefit.

We would like to thank all of our readers. If you have any concerns about content or want to get involved please feel free to contact us at hercampusduke@gmail.com.

Betty Liu, Pratt ’13, and Sabrina Hamilton-Payne, Trinity ’13

Campus correspondents, Her Campus Duke