The Montclarion, the student-run newspaper at Montclair State University in Montclair, N.J., was forced to stop publishing beginning Jan. 24 by its parent organization, the university's Student Government Association.
We feel the decision made by the Montclair SGA was an overreaction that could have been avoided through less drastic measures.
The Montclair SGA told the printer of The Montclarion to suspend publishing after the executive board of the government association found the newspaper to be in violation of "illegally spending funds [and] disregarding policies." The funds in question were used by The Montclarion to hire outside legal counsel to look into whether the SGA possibly had violated state open meeting laws.
The issue of free speech and free press on college campuses across the nation often has been met by ambiguity from lawmakers.
In the 1980s, the U.S. Supreme Court made a decision that allowed high school principals the power of censorship and prior review over their respective schools' publications. This action has been considered by many First Amendment advocates as a damaging blow against free press for future generations.
One of the fundamental duties of the press is to operate as a watchdog to keep governing agencies accountable to the people they represent. By suspending the student newspaper, the Montclair SGA has robbed its student body of the opportunity to participate in one of the essential freedoms guaranteed in the Bill of Rights.
The lack of separation between the SGA and the university's paper raises the alarming question of why any governing agency at a state university would be given the power to literally stop the presses. This oversight creates a fundamental conflict of interest since The Montclarion is responsible for reporting the actions of the SGA.
It is evident that The Montclarion may have been in violation of an agreement with the SGA regarding the use of funds. From this perspective, it is apparent the issue should be resolved as an internal matter that may result in some kind of disciplinary action for the violation of the agreement.
However, we feel the governing agency of any collegiate campus should not have the power to censor or the power of prior review over any journalistic endeavor. The freedom of the press is clearly stated in the First Amendment. Considering the damning implications for a nation whose press has been held under the choke hold of a governing agency, we believe the framers of the Constitution were correct in putting it first.
Do not underestimate the power of free speech and what it means for society. It is this freedom that separates America from so many totalitarian states around the world. The decisions made here, today, have far reaching consequences that may never be understood until it is too late. Allowing ourselves to fall into the stereotypes of apathetic college students may cause irrevocable damage not only to the freedoms we enjoy as Texas Tech students, but to the freedom of America and democracies like it across the globe.
We do not print this editorial as a warning to the Tech Student Government Association, but rather to the students who enjoy the right to a student publication unhindered by the administrative system, something no longer available to the students of Montclair University.
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