Dear Editor,

I am writing because I am concerned with the lack of professional writing skills in today’s youth. This, I believe, is due to the “techno-social” phenomenon we are experiencing as a culture. Communicating dominantly through text messaging and Facebook ultimately embeds deeper our bad grammar behavior. I do understand the convenience of such technologies, and I too am guilty of blatant grammar misuse. However, when it comes time to write a formal essay I know which your, to, and their to use. Though it is arguably appropriate for colloquial speech to be, in a sense, grammatically colloquial, when writing professional works it is simply unacceptable.

I have heard many professors’ stories of students beginning e-mails with the greeting, “Hey.” I could sense the disbelief in their tone. They find it disrespectful and too casual for a conversation with a professor. I see it this way: Being a full time student is considered an occupation. Would you e-mail your boss with “Hey” as your greeting? Yet it extends farther.

In April of 2008, The Sacramento News published an article regarding how texting may effect teens’ schoolwork. “The study concludes, ‘A national telephone poll of 700 youths ages 12 to 17 and their parents found that 64 percent of teens admit that the breezy shortcuts and symbols commonly used in text messaging have appeared in their school assignments.’”

I believe that a student’s ability to write professionally is critical to success. By allowing students to slip by using shortened forms of words or incorrect grammar is an injustice to them. There needs to be stronger action taken to ensure the capability of students to know when to, specifically, use the right homophone and how to address professionals respectfully.

Sincerely,

KRISTI VERHAGE

GVSU STUDENT