The Virginia Informer says the administration at William & Mary is trying to shut down its distribution:
The Virginia Informer, the only independent newspaper at the College of William and Mary in Williamsburg, VA, was told it was not permitted to distribute copies of their latest issue at the University Center. Representatives of the paper were told it was against school policy to distribute in this high-traffic area, although the staffers had been distributing at the same location for more than a semester. The issue featured several articles critical of the administration.
“For the past year, we have been handing these out for students to read, and suddenly it’s a problem?” said Joe Luppino-Esposito, editor in chief of The Virginia Informer. “If this isn’t squashing free speech rights I don’t know what is.”
The current issue features articles regarding the college’s recent drop in rankings by US News and World Report as well as a piece on the College’s new policy of giving students the option to not list their home address in the Student Directory, a breach of privacy The Informer reported on last March. Other articles included an opinion piece on President Gene Nichol’s lack of values and a special report on the removal of Professor Noah Lemos from the Philosophy department chairmanship. Lemos was one of two chairs that refused to sign a petition supporting Nichol’s decision on the Wren cross.