WHEN QUINNIPIAC UNIVERSITY IN CONNECTICUT threatened to ban the school chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists for supporting an independent newspaper critical of the administration, the college journalists fought back.
And for a change, freedom of information got the upper hand.
Last year, university officials told the SPJ chapter that it was in danger of losing it status as a student organization if the chapter's members continued to interact with the Quad News, an online publication created when some members of the college paper, the Quinnipiac Chronicle, became dissatisfied with restrictions on coverage placed on the paper by the college.
In a letter to college President John Lahey, the students eloquently laid out their case for allowing the SPJ to continue to operate.
"Colleges and universities in America are not only centers for learning but centers for freedom where students, faculty and others can speak openly about virtually anything," Jaclyn Hirsch wrote on behalf of her fellow students. "Quinnipiac should ensure that it shares this essential and valued tradition of academic freedom. We urge you to publicly reverse your threat to punish the student chapter of SPJ. We urge you to take no action that would further sully your reputation in relation to full First Amendment rights for students, faculty and staff at QU."
In November, according the Yale Daily News, the college retracted its threat to ban the SPJ chapter from campus and retracted its prohibition of interviews of administrators, coaches and student athletes.
Bravos to the students for fighting back, and bravos to the college for having the courage to admit when it was wrong.*