Craven Community College: Attempt to Establish Administrative Control over Student Newspaper

Case Materials

"Victory for Press Freedom at Craven Community College," FIRE Press Release, June 22, 2005: In a victory for freedom of the student press, North Carolina’s Craven Community College has agreed to respect the independence of its student newspaper, The Communicator. Reacting to controversy over a short-lived sex column, Craven had initially (and erroneously) claimed the college was “not authorized to provide its students an independent and open forum,” and had been considering granting prior editorial review of the paper to college administrators. But thanks to protests from FIRE and the Student Press Law Center, Craven now affirms its students’ First Amendment rights.
"Memorandum of Agreement Between Craven Community College and ‘Campus Communicator’ Staff, May 2, 2005," May 2, 2005
"Letter from Craven Community College President Scott Ralls to FIRE, April 30, 2005," April 30, 2005
"FIRE Letter to Craven Community College President Scott Ralls, April 22, 2005," April 22, 2005
"Letter from Student Press Law Center to ‘Campus Communicator’ Editor, March 21, 2005," March 21, 2005
"Proposed Student Newspaper Policy Guidelines, February 2005," February 28, 2005

"Out of the briar patch," G. D. Gearino, The News & Observer, July 19, 2005: Ralls got a graduate-level education in the pitfalls of stepping on the First Amendment. Two organizations that zealously protect free speech, the Student Press Law Center and the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education, weighed in with letters that explained the law and decried the proposal. Ralls also received e-mail messages from all over the country, some of which portrayed his proposal as "the worst censorship that's ever occurred," he says.