Response from the Dakota Student Editor-In-Chief Madison Feltman:

On behalf of the Dakota Student we would like to sincerely apologize for the lack of judgement whilst printing the article named “Halftime Performance or Pornography” that appeared in our February 11th issue of the Dakota Student. This was never meant to harm any individuals or cause any pain amongst the community of UND or women in general. This was an opinion piece written by one of our writers, who is a student and deeply regrets any pain or stress she may have caused.  We have failed by allowing this to be printed as it is written, and we are sorry.  We will be devoting the time and resources to become more knowledgeable about the topic discussed and will use better judgement in our issues to come. We are a student-run newspaper who views every article written as a learning opportunity.  This has been a learning experience for all of the staff at the Dakota Student.  Your response will make us better writers and editors.  The Dakota Student strives to be a reliable news source for UND and the city of Grand Forks, and moving forward we will learn from our mistakes and grow as a news source to the University and to the community.

Response from the Dakota Student Writer of the article:

After reading many complaints about my story about the Super Bowl halftime show, I have deeper reviewed my story and would like to sincerely apologize for any trauma or pain I may have caused with my words, that was never my intent.  In no means was I trying to degrade or disrespect women, nor would I ever want to victim blame anyone.  I realize now that my wording about rape and sex trafficking was inappropriate and hurtful and I apologize to anyone that I may have hurt by this. That was not my intent and I realize now that I could have presented my opinion more cautiously.

My intent of writing this opinion story was to share my true opinion of the sexualization of this culture. I do not agree with this type of behavior being “normalized” and even “praised” and that is the main message that I wanted to present. I am very passionate about the dangers of over-sexualization and the toll it takes on relationships, children and humans in general.  Once again, I do sincerely apologize for any pain, discomfort, or anger that I have caused with this article. As a student at UND, I am grateful for the opportunity to learn and grow as a writer for the Dakota Student.  Thank you for giving me the chance to correct my mistakes.  Going forward, I will be more knowledgeable and cautious in my stories to come.