Opinion ID: 1426237
Heading Depth: 4
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: May 1997 Issue of the College Voice

Text: Prior to the Spring 1997 election, the College Voice decided to endorse the Student Union slate. [3] By agreement within the College Voice editorial board, the decision about whether or not to endorse candidates, which candidates to endorse if the newspaper decided to do so, and what content to run in the issue was to be made by the members of the board that were not candidates in the Spring 1997 election. The College Voice chose to publish a special election issue that the editors intended to have distributed on April 28, 1997, two days before the beginning of the voting period. [4] The timing was a significant aspect of the College Voice 's message. An editor of the College Voice explained, an important part [of publication] is not just the content of the newspaper, but timing and placement. And we felt that the timing a few days before the election would be the most opportune time to influence the election. The May 1997 issue of the College Voice consisted of twenty-eight pages. The front page displayed a group photograph of twelve of the candidates running on the Student Union slate under a bold headline, VOTE STUDENT UNION! The rear cover of the newspaper featured only the Student Union's twelve-point platform. Page two of the issue contained an editorial entitled Vote Student Union. Various candidates' platform statements were printed on pages six and seven. The issue also included two articles by two of the plaintiffs criticizing the incumbent members of the student government who were running on the SFS slate, and two articles, one by a plaintiff and the other by a non-plaintiff, criticizing the CUNY chancellor. The remainder of the issue was devoted to articles on a wide variety of other matters, including pieces on international affairs, a New York City mayoral candidate forum, a work requirement for students receiving public assistance, campus security, the history of CUNY, the CUNY faculty union, and tenants' rights. It also included music reviews and poetry. The Banner also published an election issue prior to the May 1997 election that included platform statements from candidates running on both the Student Union and the SFS slates.