Court hears arguments in Governors State case

The case pits student journalists at Governors State University against a college administrator who claimed she should have the power to review a student newspaper before it was published. A ruling in favor of the student journalists would reaffirm students’ rights to free speech. A ruling in favor of the university could limit students’ rights and give college administrators the ability to institute prior review of college student publications.

Mo. college paper in mediation over cartoon

The editor of a student newspaper at Southwest Missouri State University did not expect an editorial cartoon on Thanksgiving to spark controversy, but a student group’s complaint that the cartoon was discriminatory has landed her in school-sponsored mediation with the group this spring. The newspaper’s adviser, also under fire by the student group, refused to be involved in the mediation process.

D.C. university asks police to zip their lips

The confidentiality agreement asks officers to refuse to discuss or disseminate “all records related to University business or University personnel, whether received, disseminated, generated, or maintained by the Department …” Among the records officers are not to release are incident reports and personnel rosters, the agreement states.

Colleges adopt new policies on free speech

The nation’s largest association of student judicial administrators voted in March to protect students’ First Amendment rights to free speech as three universities this spring adopted new student speech policies intended to loosen restrictions on what students can say and where they can say it.