News

WEST VIRGINIA -- Salem International University, formerly Salem-Teikyo University, is facing the highest fines ever levied for not complying with a federal law that requires universities to disclose information about crimes committed on campus.

KANSAS -- Former Kansas State Collegian adviser Ron Johnson was fired despite five of his most recent job evaluations rating him as "excellent" and another stating that he "exceeds expectations," according to a report by the Associated Press.The AP reported May 18 that Stephen White, dean of the College of Arts and Sciences, upheld the recommendation of journalism school director Todd Simon that Johnson be removed as adviser to the student newspaper and as director of student publications at Kansas State University.

KENTUCKY -- The state's highest court has decided not to hear an appeal by the University of Louisville Foundation of two lower court rulings that found the private foundation must abide by the state's freedom of information laws.By refusing to hear the case on May 12, the Kentucky Supreme Court resolved a three-year-long legal battle over whether the state Open Records and Open Meetings Act applies to the private fund-raising arm of the public university.The foundation, which receives and invests millions of dollars in donations to the university, has argued that privacy concerns protect university investments and allows the foundation to shield donors' identities.

KANSAS -- Ron Johnson, veteran adviser of the Kansas State Collegian, was fired May 10 as adviser of the student newspaper and removed from his position as director of the corporation that oversees student publications at the university.

CALIFORNIA -- A student who said he was punished for trying to post a flier promoting a conservative author's campus speech settled a First Amendment lawsuit on May 6 against California Polytechnic State University.Under its agreement with Steven Hinkle, the public university will reimburse him for $40,000 in legal fees, delete any reference to the punishment from his records and allow him to post fliers on the San Luis Obispo campus.In February 2003, a university disciplinary committee found Hinkle guilty of "disrupting a campus event" at a campus multicultural center for attempting to post fliers that promoted a speech by Mason Weaver, a black conservative who has argued that dependence on government aid enslaves blacks.

MONTANA -- The state's highest court ruled May 4 that meetings between top administrators of the Montana University System and the state's commissioner of higher education must be open to the public.In a 5-2 decision, the Montana Supreme Court found that the officials' closed-door discussions of university policy and other matters violated requirements for public meetings in the state constitution.

COLORADO -- Editors of a student newspaper at the University of Northern Colorado have sued the school's student government, claiming representatives violated the state open-meetings law by illegally holding closed meetings and repeatedly deliberating on matters in private that should be discussed publicly.The lawsuit, filed April 28 by editors of the Mirror, alleges multiple violations of the Colorado Open Meetings Law, including charges that as early as fall 2003, the Student Representative Council held closed-door, unannounced meetings for 30 minutes prior to the body's weekly regular meeting.

KANSAS -- A public community college has decided not to renew the contract of a student newspaper adviser because she refused to censor student journalists, the adviser said.

TENNESSEE -- The First Amendment Center, a nonprofit organization advocating Americans' right to free speech, has published a book that explores "the state of First Amendment rights of students in contemporary society."The Silencing of Student Voices: Preserving Free Speech in America's Schools was written by David L.