The 2013-14 school year will bring a lot of changes for students at Millikin University with new faculty members, restructured organizations and new arrangements for events. However, some of these changes have already occurred.

Recently, a beloved professor of psychology at Millikin University had a tragic past exposed. While the issue of this has already been addressed, the word on the street about it has not. The news has gotten out. Thanks to reports on various media outlets, including the “Today Show,” more people than we could have expected know of the situation.

The actual facts of the incident with Dr. James St. James are irrelevant to me. Instead, I prefer to focus on the way it’s being treated: how people are reacting to the story.

I’m from the semi-small country town of Jerseyville, IL. Here, our business stays our business and that will never change. Unless, of course, the news has something interesting to say.

At my place of employment in Jerseyville, I was always treated just like any other employee. However, once the story about Dr. St. James came into light, numerous coworkers of mine began asking me questions.

“Have you ever had him as a professor?” “Does the school condone such acts?” “Is he going to jail?” “Are you still going back there?” “Is he being fired?”

But worst of all: “Are students going to follow in his footsteps?”

I answered each ridiculous question to the best of my knowledge. However, it did nothing to quiet the concerns raging through the town.

My own step-mother, after reading a few of the articles, informed me that if Dr. St. James was not fired, she did not want me to continue attending Millikin University. Personally, this is my school and not a single thing can change that. Especially not when such a professor has been respectably and dutifully employed by the university for 27 years.

This past Monday, Aug. 19, I engaged in Honors Move-In events, where the Student Honors Advisory Council offered a Q&A session during dinner. One student asked about Dr. St. James, and whether it was alright to take a course with him. The issue was addressed with as much understanding as possible, that many people have loved both his courses and him, but we could never force her to remain in his course should she feel uncomfortable.

While I have never been in a course with Dr. St. James, I can easily see the following he has gained at Millikin. Numerous individuals have begun the fight against his criminalization. One of these fights was begun by Patrick White himself, the Interim President of the University.

In his address to the students on Tuesday, Aug. 13, White explained in his support for Dr. St. James that “we are a University, not a uniformity; we bring people together, but do not demand everyone think alike.”

This one phrase has spread across campus like a wildfire.

Everywhere, students’ support for Dr. St. James is showing through amongst the criticisms. This is a battle that will continue to be fought, where only time will tell the victor.