U.S. Representatives Terri Sewell and Shomari Figures sent a letter Monday to University of Alabama President Dr. Peter Mohler calling on the University to restore two student-run publications that were recently suspended ostensibly for state and federal compliance.
Sewell and Figures requested a meeting with university leadership to discuss their concerns.
The members wrote in part,”The discontinuation of Nineteen Fifty-Six and [alice] is not merely a procedural decision; it is a decision with profound implications for free speech, academic freedom, and the University’s stated commitment to fostering an inclusive campus environment. This decision undermines the significant progress made by the University over the last six decades towards fostering a welcoming and inclusive campus environment for all students.”
The lawmakers continued, “We are particularly alarmed by the suggestion that these publications functioned as a “proxy” for discrimination. They did not. They serve as vehicles for student storytelling, creativity, and scholarship, not for the advantage or disadvantage of any one group. Treating them as proxies for discrimination represents a dangerous slippery slope. If student expression can be deemed impermissible simply because it reflects the experiences of women, African American students, or other underrepresented groups, what comes next?”
