University of Oregon: Derecognition of Student Group for ‘Offensive’ Publication

The Oregon Commentator, a conservative student magazine, won a three-month long battle for press freedom from the University of Oregon student government. When a transgendered student senator complained of being offended after being mocked in the magazine, the student government finance committee rejected the Commentator's mission statement, which had remained unchanged for the past 21 years. The finance committee publicly denied their constitutional obligation to distribute student fees on a viewpoint-neutral basis. FIRE wrote to UO President Dave Frohnmayer, who declared he didn't want to intervene in the funding process. It was not until FIRE sent an open letter to the student government, reminding them that the First Amendment undoubtedly applies to public universities, that the Commentator's mission statement was approved.