September 16, 2010
Southwestern College Halts Publication of Student Newspaper
San Francisco
Southwestern College, a two-year institution near San Diego, has temporarily halted the student newspaper from issuing a print edition, and student journalists allege it did so to prevent them from publishing articles before a heated election for the college's governing board. But the college denies any attempt at censorship and says the holdup is an administrative issue unrelated to politics.
The paper, The Southwestern College Sun, won several national awards last year from the Society of Professional Journalists for stories that were critical of the college's president and board members. One board member, Jean Roesch, sharply criticized the paper last month and asked for more positive coverage.
Staff members said on Thursday that college officials had barred them from publishing a paper before three members of the board face re-election on November 2. "We've been told we can't publish before the election," said Max Branscomb, the paper's faculty adviser. "It's outrageous, it's inexcusable, and it's flimsy."
Southwestern has suffered from a revolving leadership and nasty battles between administrators, faculty members, and students. Last year, the college suspended four faculty members who participated in a campus protest against cuts to course offerings. In February, Southwestern's accreditor put the college on probation, citing a "culture of fear and intimidation," among other factors.
A spokesman for the college, Chris Bender, said the allegations of censorship were "flat inaccurate." The college stopped publication of the The Sun because officials discovered this summer that the paper is in violation of a campus purchasing policy requiring administrative approval for printing costs, he said.
Once the newspaper obtains proper approval for its printing costs, the paper can resume printed publication, he said. Until then, the newspaper is free to publish its stories online, he said.
"It's not an issue of free speech or freedom of the press," Mr. Bender said. "It's a purchasing problem."
6 comments:
"Southwestern's accreditor put the college on probation, citing a "culture of fear and intimidation," among other factors."
Gee. Aren't the accreditors coming to UT next year? Don't think this issue won't surface and loom large at that time. Time for all you greedy carpetbaggers to cash in, pack up and skedaddle!
"What goes around, comes around."
Fear, intimidation, isn't that the modern way? Isn't that the UT way?
I have it on very good authority that succession planning is beginning among trustees to install Gold as president when Jacobs leaves in several years. (There are rumors he's considering leaving early, I guess he's not enjoying it :) )
My source tells me trustees are far less worried about blowback from no search than they are that Jacobs "legacy" not live on.
I'm not so sure this storm we've endured ends when Jacobs is gone.
Gold move to Toledo? Never for a billion dollars in a million years! Let's have a more realistic rumor. How about Scarborough takes over? Or Clint?
WOMEN DOMINATE IN HIGHER ED DEGREES
Women currently receive more college degrees than men across the board, holding a nearly 3-2 majority in undergraduate and graduate education - so the question remains -- WHEN WILL THE DISCRIMINATION AGAINST WOMEN EVER CEASE??
From NRO Education blog at http://www.nationalreview.com/phi-beta-cons
NRO post begins here:
Women Now Earn More Ph.D.s than Men
September 15, 2010 12:22 P.M. By Nathan Harden
This from the Washington Post:
For the first time, more women than men in the United States received doctoral degrees last year, the culmination of decades of change in the status of women at colleges nationwide.
The number of women at every level of academia has been rising for decades. Women now hold a nearly 3-to-2 majority in undergraduate and graduate education. Doctoral study was the last holdout – the only remaining area of higher education that still had an enduring male majority. . . .
Scholarly attention in recent years has turned to the fallen aspirations of men, who are more likely than women to drop out of high school and more apt to be diverted from higher education into menial labor or prison. Men also join the military in disproportionate numbers.
...Nevertheless, I’m waiting to hear our nation’s feminist leaders speak out against institutionalized, anti-male sexism in our universities. According to their worldview, sexism is the only plausible explanation for the inequality men face now in all levels of academia.
If you think Jacobs is a micro manager who surrounds himself with people who agree with him all the time, just wait until Gold gets his next promotion. He is worse by far.
HSC faculty (anonymous because Gold is vindictive to those who call him out).
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