Student newspapers nation-wide are supporting “The Collegian,” the student-run newspaper at Los Angeles City College, as it struggles with budget cuts and other restrictions from the LACC administration. 

The paper accuses  the President of LACC of violating open meetings laws by requiring reporters to sign releases before recording open meetings and requiring members of The Collegian to identify themselves at open meetings.  The paper also alleges that President Jamillah Moore is working to move the paper to student services where she would have editorial control and that a recent budget cut was a punishment for the paper’s criticism of her administration.

Student newspapers around the country echoed these concerns by reprinting an October 7th editorial by The Collegian that “condemns the actions of [LACC President] Dr. Jamillah Moore.”

The editorial accuses Moore of violating the civil rights of the student journalists on campus by insisting  that reporters sign releases before recording public meetings and violating California open meeting laws by requesting the reporters to identify themselves before meetings begin.

The editorial was published by 17 student newspapers around the country, including “The Cornell Daily Sun” at Cornell University, “The Daily Orange” at Syracuse University and “The Daily Trojan” at the University of Southern California.

The allied student journalists stated, “An attack on free speech anywhere is an attack on free speech everywhere.  We, as student journalists, come together today with a single message: We will not tolerate administrations that, for their own benefit, try to silence the voice of the student free press. We will continue to rebuke those in power who attempt to diminish that freedom, and we will not be silenced.”

The paper argues that recent budget cuts to The Collegian were a punishment for the students’ hesitation to follow Moore’s guidelines.  While most LACC student organizations saw a  15 percent cuts, The Collegian is facing a 40 percent cut.
 
Rhonda Guess, adviser to the Los Angeles City College Collegian, referred to the budget cuts as “bullying” at the Board of Trustees meeting also on Oct.7.  Guess also said that with a reduced budget, she does not know if The Collegian can afford to continue its regular biweekly publication.

University officials deny that the budget cuts are inappropriate.  The President of the Academic Senate, Ken Sherwood, argues the budget cuts were necessary and that the College was attempting to avoid the newspaper going under.  “It’s the only way to preserve the newspaper from being cut completely,” Sherwood told trustees.


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