CAMPUS

More Newspaper Suppression on Campuses

Two more pieces of bad news for college newspapers have popped up recently. First, the Catholic University of America’s independent paper, The Tower, had thousands of copies of its latest issue stolen and dumped into campus recycling bins. Unfortunately, The Tower has received little more than apathetic shrugs from both the police department, who trotted out the old “it’s not theft if it’s free” trope, and the college administration.

Second, the Michigan Review, a Collegiate Network member paper, is at risk of losing its office space, which it has occupied for 27 years, because of a paperwork error. The Review has appealed the decision, but so far its appeal has not been heard.

One would hope that the Michigan administration can see the value in keeping such a strong and independent institution like the Review around. It may seem trivial, but newspaper offices do more than provide space for dusty back issues and computers. They are part of what gives newspapers an institutional memory and sense of continuity among staff.