GUEST COLUMN: "An Opportunity to End Censorship"

To the Student Activities Committee, we here at The Red and Blue have but one thing to say: Read your Constitution. No, we don't mean the SAC constitution (although that's at issue here too), we mean the Constitution -- as in U.S. "So why do they say this?" You ask. We're instructing SAC's members and administrators -- and everyone else too -- to read up on your rights in response to the censorship that SAC has recently committed against the oldest student-run magazine in the Ivy League. Moreover, as editor of The Red and Blue, I'm exercising my First Amendment rights here in the DP because thanks to the caliber of its editorial board and its $800,000 a year budget, unlike other forums on campus, the Constitution seems to stand strong. Secondly, (again, thanks entirely to SAC), my usual place of publication -- The Red and Blue -- is not immediately presenting itself as an option. I will elaborate. On the night of January 26, the Student Activities Council met to vote on the allocation of funding for the officially recognized campus student groups. In order to obtain SAC funding, an organization must go through a process with SAC's finance committee, which will, in turn, recommend an amount to the SAC assembly at the monthly meeting. Despite a strong thumbs-up for funding and effusive praise from a finance committee member who said ours was the best presentation in SAC history, the body voted to deny The Red and Blue money to publish. Allow me to expand upon what happened. That night I took no part in the proceedings but observed intently. Before The Red and Blue was voted on, Students Together Against Acquaintance Rape went up for funds. Their representative was permitted to spend almost 30 minutes answering questions on financial matters and had to go as far as drawing their planned budget on the board before gaining approval from the assembly for over $6,000 in block grants. There was much excitement -- almost too much, I feared -- as it was announced that The Red and Blue was next on the agenda. First to speak was a representative from Dessalines (Haitian Students' Organization) and then a member of Caribbean American Students Association. They began by suggesting that The Red and Blue receive no funding as it is a "racist" publication. What's more, at no time was our budget discussed and not once was our representative asked a single question about financial matters. Whereas the assembly demonstrated zeal with other groups when it came to finances, it seemed now solely a matter of politics. At one point the chairman of the Steering Committee, Rich Chow, noticing the body's ill-will, asked if anyone was willing to speak in favor of The Red and Blue. Sophomore Shane Lipson asked to speak. "How can you people vote to recognize the First Amendment Task Force and an hour later deny The Red and Blue funding?" said Lipson. "I don't care what is in that magazine, it is their right to publish, and it is blatant censorship if they are denied funding tonight because of views expressed," he said. Before he reached his concluding remarks someone interrupted: "Well wait! Not everyone in this room agrees with the First Amendment. In fact, some of us think that free speech is a bad thing." The last word before the final vote came from the UA Chairperson Dan Debicella. Debicella stood up and addressed the assembly from in front of the podium (everyone else did it from their seats). "I come before you tonight not as the head of the UA --your elected leader -- but as the head of the College Republicans and the roommate of one of The Red and Blue's old editors," he said (Justin Cook, a friend and roommate of Debicella's, was Editor-in-Chief of The Red and Blue until December 1993; currently he has no affiliation with the magazine). Our UA head continued solemnly: "They [the editors of The Red and Blue] have all failed to be responsible journalists; this (no direct reference) has happened before with The Red and Blue and it's a pattern which will happen again." After a few more minutes of such talk he closed with the kicker: "Let's not vote against them because they are racist, bigoted and sexist. Vote against them because they publish crap! I ask you, please, please vote this down." Minutes later, the assembly voted to give The Red and Blue nothing. This decision constitutes nothing but blatant censorship. Among those who voted, some disagreed with Jeremy Hildreth's "One Man's Vision of Haiti" article, some disagreed with the very concept of freedom of speech and to top things off our UA chairperson had some personal motivations. The fact is we are unable to publish because we do not have the financial means to do so. Before I close, I would like to make some things very clear. The Red and Blue has no political agenda whatsoever. Among our editors are people of various races, religions, nationalities and sexes. The Red and Blue is not just "One Man's Vision," as it has been alleged. SAC was biased and unfair because under their own guidelines the only justification for denying a group funding is if they are politically or religiously affiliated. Denying us the right to publish by taking our funding from us only endangers every student group from getting any funding in the future. Should a group fall short of the political standards of SAC's members, it faces bankruptcy and imminent termination. Meanwhile, on the same evening, SAC did fund a student group that does indeed have a defined political agenda. The self-proclaimed feminist publication Generation XX was not only recognized and funded, but also allotted more than the amount recommended. By doing this, we believe SAC has committed a great injustice. All is not lost, we shall soon come out with another issue and we intend to appeal the decision to SAC at tonight's meeting and elsewhere if necessary. Nonetheless, January 26 will live in infamy as a day of intolerance and genuine bigotry. By the way, Webster's Dictionary defines the word "bigot" as "a person obstinately or intolerantly devoted to his or her own opinions and prejudices." To my dismay, bigots seem to abound on this campus.

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