Editor Speaks Out

The Student Free Speech Movement became a serious social movement on college campuses in the fall of 1964 at The University of California at Berkeley.  Beginning in the 1930s, due to fear of the spread of Communism the university administration imposed a number of new rules on the campus in order to keep political involvement and protest off of the campuses. 

In 1958, by the time Clark Kerr had become president of UC Berkeley, no student groups were allowed to operate on campus if they engaged in off-campus politics in any way, shape or form.  This included "electoral, protest or even oratorical" participation.  Because of this rule, students began to protest in a variety of ways, including picketing, leafleting and speaking out.

The Student Free Speech Movement is one that has been mobilized for years and may never see an end.  For all of these years, many students have struggled with university administration and the fight for their right to Free Speech on campus. 

In the case of the Free Speech Movement at UC Berkeley, the main goal was to obtain a place on campus where students could engage in political activism or any type of politically-based activity. 

The main goal of the founders of The Quad News was to be free from the censorship of the Quinnipiac University administration, create a newspaper that would share the truth about the university and report campus news responsibly, all in accordance with the First Amendment and the regulations set forth by the Society of Professional Journalists. 

I firmly believe that as Quinnipiac and The Quad News continue with their unprecedented growth The Quad News must extend the founder's original vision to not only provide liberty from censorship, but to move toward creating a place on campus where Free Speech is unhindered. 

The Quad News, while successful as a student-operated news source, cannot be considered a successful movement.  On April 13, 2010, The Quad News released an editorial addressed to the Quinnipiac administration regarding their refusal to grant us a student center table in which we could attract new writers.  This action taken by university administration continued to put a limit on Free Speech and free press at the university. 

After what had become a four-month-long process of emails and meetings, we were still denied a table because the administration stated that they didn't want to set a "precedent." That was the only explanation this organization ever received as to why we were not allowed to sit at a table. 

While it has become an outlet for students on campus to express free journalism ethics, we have yet to succeed in securing a physical place for Free Speech on campus, but rather had to create an external organization that is in no way affiliated with the university. 

As students at this university, we must act to obtain a place of freedom on this campus, just as our predecessors at UC Berkeley did.  This is a call to action.  I am asking all student journalists and fellow members of The Quad News to push boundaries and let your voice be heard in any way possible.