FOCUS
Many student newspapers have
strange relationships with the peo
ple who control the newspaper's
budget and, to some extent, editorial
positions. At times, for various rea
sons, student governments, universi
ty administrators or faculty advisers
attempt to control a newspaper’s
content through prior censorship, by
removing editors they disagree with
or through other, more subtle, forms
of manipulation. Student journalists
maintain, however, they art1 protect
ed by the First Amendment, which
guarantees freedom of the press.
Editors asked
to resign posts
By Bradley S. Altman
■ The Oracle
U. of South Florida
The U. of South Florida Student
Government Senate, citing biased cov
erage, sexism and alcohol abuse, asked
the editorial staff of the student news
paper, the Grade, to resign this spring.
Paul Kern, senate pro-tempore, wrote
the resolution after students com
plained to him about Oracle coverage,
he said. “The students feel the Oracle is
lacking. We represent students.”
“The intent of this resolution is to
make the Oracle more receptive to stu
dents' needs,” Sen. David Ozner said.
"We have a responsibility to lie on record
and let them know we are dissatisfied.”
Editor-in-Chief David Whitehead said
he would not resign, nor would he ask Ins
editorial staffto resign. "1 think we’re cov
ering the important things and our cov
erage has been fair,” he said. He said the
editorial policy of the newspaper would
not change because of the resolution.
Not all senators agreed with the reso
lution. Thirteen senators voted for the
resolution, nine senators voted against
and 10 abstained.
Faculty Adviser Rick Wilber said he
does not think the resolution lsjustified.
“1 think David Whitehead and his staff
are doing a goodjob 1 support them fully.
“It is unfortunate that Student
Government became involved with the
content of a student newspaper That is
a strange thing for a student govern
ment to do.”
PRESS CENSORSHIP
GRANT r CAHMICMAEL. IH- iAhlA.N A-V • . • Mt . *,
Editorial staff locked out of offices
By Jonathan Levy
■ T'he Daily Tartan
Carnegie Mellon U.
The Duquesne l' Student tiovemment Association suspended
the student newspaper's constitution after an investigation the
editors say started because tlie paper continued to run a family
planning ad the association found inconsistent with the
university's mission
The SGA also changed the
inerting witn l irumm Uidisc.iss mi'marges. niter me meeting,
the SliA, citing a lack of coo|H*ration, upheld the suspension
.•Vs the dispute continued, the Duke editorial board began
publishing its issues off-campus as The Daily Free Dress
Liter the S( 1A Executive Board voted unanimously to lift the
suspension of the Duke's constitution, hut suspended Drumm
from participation in the Duke's operation pending resolution
of the charges brought against her
In March 1989, the Duquesne 1' Judicial Board convicted
Drumm with failure toobev
locks on l he Duquesne Dukes
office and refused to allow the
staff to publish unless the editor
in-chief resigned. The publishing
suspension was eventually lift
ed, but the editor was not allowed
“Obviously, they have the right to elose down a
student organization, but when the student govern
ment closes down the newspaper, that’s not right.”
— Paul Kominos, Duquesne U. senior
directives ot university olii
rials and failure to follow
university policy. She was
acquitted on charges of theft
of university policy, misuse
of documents and tamper
to return.
The Duke ran the ad three
times against SGA wishes. After the first time, SGA President
[ lappy Meltzer asked Duke Editor Rebecca i )rumm not to run
it again because it conflicted with the Catholic beliefs of the
university, a private school in Pennsylvania.
After the ad ran again, Meltzer stmt a letter toDrumm stating,
“The ad should not reappear. It it does, the SGA will have no
choice but to examine the operation of the student newspaper.”
But Melzer said, "The suspension has nothing to do with the
ads that appeared in print." He said the timing of the investi
gation was coincidental and that its focus was the existence of
a Duke off-campus checking account and improprieties sur
rounding Drumm’s re-election as editor in March 1988
Immediately after the SGA voted for suspension, it held a
inf' with the I!Jon editorial
elections.
Drumm, who was scheduled to graduate last May, was sen
tenced to probation for one year or until graduation. She was
also barred from participation in any student organization,
including the Duke
She acknowledges speaking with officials about the external
bank account, but says they only asked, not ordered, her to
move the money 'The Duke didn't feel we should move the
funds on campus because.' the university could have complete
control of them,” Drumm said
Duquesne senior Paul Kominos feels the situation was han
dled improperly. “Obviously, they have the right to close down
a student organization, but when the student government clos
es down the newspaper, that’s not right."
News editor sues, newspaper changes policy
By Michael Ashcraft
■ The Daily Bruin
U. of California, Los Angelas
California State U. at Northridge agreed to declare
its student newspaper a ‘public forum’ and changed
its policy concerning the publication of controversial
articles as part of a settlement with a former student
editor who was suspended for reprinting a cartoon
some called racist.
The university agreed to permit publication of con
troversial material without the faculty adviser’s per
mission unless the material could be obscene, libelous
or an invasion of privacy. In addition, the settlement
included $93 in back pay for the editor and removal
of his two-week suspension from university records.
James Taranto, former news editor of The Daily
Sundial, was suspended from his editor’s job in 1987
after he wrote an opinion piece criticizing the U. of
California at Los Angeles student publication board
for its handling of a controversy about an anti-affir
mative action cartoon.
Taranto also reprinted the cartoon, which por
trayed a rooster admitted into UCLA through affir
mative action. “U.C. Rooster” ignited a student
protest at UCLA and led to the one-day suspension
of the 1986-87 Daily Bruin Editor-in-Chief Ron Bell.
“This serves to call attention to the nationwide
trend to censor conservatives on campus,” Taranto
said. He called the settlement “a clear victory for free
speech.”
Taranto said he had been punished for his conser
vative views, and with the help of the American Civil
Liberties Union sued the university on the grounds
that his free speech rights had been violated.
Cynthia Rawitch, the faculty adviser who suspend
ed Taranto, denied the charge of squelching conser
vative viewpoints. “There has never been any
attempt to suggest that student opinions needed to
be watered down.*
Taranto called the old policy of checking controver
sial stories with the faculty adviser a form of prior cen
sorship. When he was suspended for failing to confer
with the adviser, he made a national issue of his case.
The civil lawsuit had been scheduled to go to trial in
June before Taranto settled with the university.
Bell, who will graduate this year, said the decision
represents a victory for free speech. “It's a strange
day when the opinion editor of a newspaper can’t
print what he strongly feels in his newspaper without
consulting an adult authority.*