The age-old battle between the press and government is being fought on the college front at Montclair University, after the student government president stopped the publication of the school’s student newspaper, The Montclarion.
The Student Government Association (SGA) contacted the newspaper’s publisher, telling it to halt printing until further notice, according to the Student Press Law Center
Meanwhile, the editor in chief of The Montclarion received a letter, signed by the SGA president and treasurer, which stated that funds for the paper had been frozen.
According to The Student Press Law Center, the SGA president’s decision was a response to a dispute between The Montclarion and SGA over the newspaper’s hiring of a lawyer to challenge SGA’s practice of holding closed meetings.
The Montclarion staff believed it was a violation of New Jersey’s Sunshine Laws.
According to a New York Times article, The Montclarion is partially financed by money from the SGA, which holds the right to freeze any funding it deems necessary.
The SGA claims that, by hiring its own lawyer, The Montclarion violated the association’s bylaws that require such a use of funds to be approved by the SGA.
A full legislature meeting is scheduled for Jan. 30 to determine whether the decision to freeze the funds will be upheld.
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