NEW JERSEY ‘ Two publications with different agendas teamed up to fight censorship at Cook College, located on the New Brunswick campus of Rutgers University.
October issues of Caellian and The Medium were removed from their respective distribution bins by Cook Campus Center Director Francine Corley. Corley told her staff to keep the publications behind the information desk and distribute them only to people who were old enough to view the content.
‘The moving of the Caellians and The Mediums to behind the information desk is a sinister act, which silences these papers,’ said Chris DeSarno, editor of The Medium.
Both publications are known for their controversial content. Caellian, a progressive magazine, used photos of editors’ breasts for cover art in recognition of breast cancer awareness month. On its cover, The Medium, a satirical paper, depicted two religious figures in a sexual position with the headline, ‘Jesus Fucking Christ.’
Corley told each publication that she found the content offensive and was concerned about minors from a nearby daycare center obtaining copies, Caellian editor Charlotte Kates said.
The student government associations at the Livingston, Douglass and Bush colleges, all housed on the New Brunswick campus, passed legislation condemning the censorship.
Caellian was restored to its proper distribution bin at Cook Campus Center. The Medium, however, was not put back, and instead was kept behind the desk for its next five issues. The Cook College student government restored The Medium to its proper distribution bin for the Nov. 14 issue. The decision is temporary pending the outcome of the student council’s vote on a new distribution plan.