Blogs > Liberty and Power > Crimson White Defends ASA's Free Speech!

Jun 16, 2004

Crimson White Defends ASA's Free Speech!




The Crimson White, the only paper in Tuscaloosa to actually criticize the University administration on occasion, has published a long editorial deploring the UA's attempt to suppress distribution of the Alabama Observer. The Observer is the publication of the UA Chapter of the Alabama Scholars Association.

As discussed on Liberty and Power several times, the right of the ASA to use the low rate for campus organizations (still routinely granted to politically correct groups like the Coalition for Diversity and Inclusiveness, CDI), was revoked after the Alabama Observer published several articles criticizing the administration. The article that produced the greatest anger was one exposing massive grade inflation.

Unfortunately, though we are overjoyed by the CW's editorial, it has a couple of important errors. First, as already pointed out, the Observer was not distributed for free. It paid the low rate of about 30 dollars to cover the whole campus. Second, the CW editorial does not mention that other groups like the CDI continue to receive the special low rate. These are minor quibbles, however.

In this campaign for free speech, the UA Chapter of the ASA has received the support of the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education.

Meanwhile, Gilbert Cruz, the reporter on the campus beat who is best known for his story on Bear Bryant bobblehead dolls, has written another one-sided puff piece on the creation of yet another vice president position, this time for"Community Relations." He does not even allude to the fact, of course, that this new position will only add greater weight to an already top-heavy UA administration.



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Robert L. Campbell - 6/18/2004

David,

It's good news that the Crimson White has finally weighed in on the campus mail controversy.

If Alabama's upper administration resembled Southern Mississippi's, it would be starting a new, pro-administration student newspaper to counteract the existing one. At least, that seems to be Shelby Thames' plan...

Robert Campbell