Opinion ID: 1426237
Heading Depth: 4
Heading Rank: 5

Heading: The Effect of President Springer's Actions on College Voice Practices

Text: After President Springer's decision, the members of the College Voice considered removing every copy of the May 1997 issue from campus before the second election in order to avoid angering the administration. In elections held in subsequent years, the College Voice reduced its coverage of the elections because, as an editorial board member explained, it recognize[d] that our endorsement could be a `kiss of death' for candidates we support because if President Springer or the [SERC] disapprove of our election coverage, they may cancel the election or take some other action, such as disqualifying a candidate or a slate who we prominently endorse, or prohibiting the publication or funding of our newspaper. Indeed, in Spring 1998, candidates from the Progressive Student Alliance (PSA), many of whom were members of the College Voice or worked with the College Voice on common political goals, expressed concern about the College Voice endorsing them because of the candidates' fear that an endorsement could lead the administration to cancel once again the election or disqualify PSA candidates. In order to prevent that outcome, the College Voice editors decided to give their endorsement of the PSA less prominence than the newspaper's endorsement of the Student Union slate had received in Spring 1997.