News

Student newspaper accuses Colo. college board of violating open-meetings law

COLORADO -- The student newspaper at Mesa State College in Grand Junction is considering suing the school's Board of Trustees for violations of the Colorado Open Meetings Law that allegedly occurred during the board's search for a new college president.The Criterion, Mesa State's student newspaper, believes that the board illegally entered into executive session and may have discussed aspects of the search in private which are prohibited by Colorado law.

Fla. university punishes student for her role in campus newspaper theft

FLORIDA -- A homecoming queen nominee at the University of Central Florida was punished by the school for directing other students to throw away stacks of the student newspaper, which reported that she had a criminal record.The Orlando university's punishment required Katie Noland, the UCF student, to perform 16 hours of community service and pay the newspaper $1,000, said Brian Linden, co-publisher of the newspaper.Because a Florida law prohibits universities from releasing information about student disciplinary records, it is unclear whether the school punished others involved in the incident.

N.Y. court orders private university to release some files on genetic testing

NEW YORK -- A state court ruled Feb. 10 that at least one department of Cornell University, a private institution, is subject to the state's Freedom of Information Law and therefore must turn over documents related to the school's decision to expand field testing of genetically modified plants.''[Cornell University officials] were claiming that the entire university was exempt and the courts just don't seem to see it their way so far,'' said Jeremy Alderson, a former radio talk show host who requested the documents in 2000 because he was concerned about the effects the research would have on his community.Tompkins County Supreme Court Judge Robert Mulvey decided that 51 of the 134 documents Cornell handed over in response to Alderson's Freedom of Information request were exempt from disclosure.

N.Y. university punishes editor, adviser for publishing student’s grades

NEW YORK -- The editor and adviser of the student newspaper at Long Island University were punished by the school for publishing an article that disclosed the grades of a former Student Government Association president.Adviser Mike Bush said he was fired from his position this month and Justin Grant was suspended from the newspaper for a month two days after the article appeared in the Jan.