MARYLAND — A beleaguered college newspaper adviser had$4,000 in pay penalty restored Wednesday — good news that wastempered by a new round of sanctions against his student publication.
William Lawbaugh, a professor at Mount St. Mary’s College inEmmitsburg and The Mountain Echo‘s faculty adviser, wasdenied a raise awarded to the rest of the faculty 18 months ago.Lawbaugh said the penalty stemmed from his refusal to review thepaper’s content before it goes to press. Mount St. Mary’s officialsclaimed it was punishment for a possible misappropriation of funds,as well as Lawbaugh’s refusal to screen "juicy stories"in the 122-year old publication.
Now that the university has decided to revoke the penalty,administrators have made plans to hire an outside consultant toinvestigate Lawbaugh and his advising. The consultant will alsoapparently enforce the new sanctions, which range from anonymousevaluations by the college each semester to the demanding "appropriaterespect and loyalty to Mount St. Mary’s College."
"These sanctions are a mystery," said Carolyn Dawson,vice president of The Mountain Echo Editors Group, madeup of Lawbaugh’s former students dedicated to defending theirmentor. "The administration finally refunds the money, andthen they impose more sanctions. Dr. Lawbaugh and his family arejust demoralized, clearly the administration doesn’t recognizethe importance of free speech."