8/14/2019 SPLC and FIRE Letter to LACCD President Mona Field, January 15, 2010

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E\SPLCSTUDENT PRESS LAW CENTER

January 15,2010

Mona Field, PresidentLos Angeles Community College DistrIct Board of Trustees770 Wilshire BoulevardLos Angeles, California 90017

Dear Ms. Field:

The Student Press Law Center and the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education areconcerned about the state of free expression for student journalists at Los Angeles CityCollege (LACe), and we concur with Senator Leland Yees call for LACCs president,Dr. Jamillah Moore, to comply with state law protecting student free expression rights.

One of LACCs two October 9, 2009, press releases misleads readers by stating thatLACC has fully addressed all of the criticisms leveled at the college regarding thedecision by college officials to cu t the budget of the student newspaper, the Collegian, by40 percent. While College officials have since reduced the cu t to 16 percent, this issuehas never been the focal point of concern for those of us watching LACCs actions. Ourconcern, shared by other critics of LACCs actions, is rooted in LACCs pattern ofinterference with the work of the Collegian, LACCs unacceptable demands on Collegianstaff LACC Vice President Kim Perrys expressed desire (in meetings with Collegianadviser Rhonda Guess) to influence the content of the newspaper and, most recently,LACCs attempt to move the Collegian substantially outof an academic department andto place reporters under Student Affairs for mandatory content-based counseling byAssociate Dean of Student Life Earic Peters.

LACCs other October 9 press release, featuring Senator Curren Prices statement that there has been no trampling of First Amendment freedoms at LACC, is thus quiteinaccurate. Not only did the senators statement come mere weeks after a federal judgefound the Los Angeles Community College Districts speech code in violation of theFirst Amendment in Lopez v. candaele. but a brief review of the roadblocks, hostility.and threats directed at (oliegian journalists in the recent past indicates that the deniallacks factual support.

The following represents a sample. but not an exhaustive accounting. of the unacceptabletreatment that journalists at the ollegian have experienced under Dr. Mooresadministration. This is our understanding of the facts; please correct us if you believe weare in error.

According to Guess, in August and September 2008. the Collegian declined to runa classified advertisement because the advertiser had not paid for earlier

1101 Wilson Blvd., Suite 1100 S Arlington, VA 222O92211 S 7038074904 S splc@splc.org S www.splc.or

8/14/2019 SPLC and FIRE Letter to LACCD President Mona Field, January 15, 2010

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8/14/2019 SPLC and FIRE Letter to LACCD President Mona Field, January 15, 2010

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8/14/2019 SPLC and FIRE Letter to LACCD President Mona Field, January 15, 2010

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S tud ent Pre ss La w C ent e r p. 4 o f 4

in ab il ity to find a First Am endm en t vi o la ti on in a c lim ate wh ere such v iol at io n s seem tohappen as a ma tte r o f course, Fin din g a First Am endme n t v iola tion at LACC is likelooking fo r a needle in a need le stack.

For all o f its faults. Los A ng ele s Ci t Colleges student new spa per is cl ea r ly serving itsstudents well. LACC shou ld he ap p lau din g its te na c iou s, serious, aw ar d-w inn ing group ofstudent jou rnal ists, students who are committed to tel ling the truth even when it bringsthe animus o f their supposed educators. LAC C s ab ility to retain these students in theface of suc h anim us gi ves us hop e th at Los An gel es C ity C olle ge off icia ls ca n do be tt er .In dee d , the y m us t, no t o nl y to re sp ec t Fi rst Am en dm ent fr ee dom s but also to res pec t thei rstudents and th ems elv es .

We echo Sen a to r Lel an d Yces call for Dr. Moore to comply with state law, and we callon the LACCD Board o f Tr ust ees to act p roa ctiv ely to im prove the cl ima te for studentjour nal is ts at LACC. The C o ll eg ia n must remain ed ito rial ly independent . With theschools acc red i tati on already in jeop a rd y , th is is a peril o us tim e for LACC to take itsmoral and legal oblig ati o ns lightly.

Sincerely,

Adam G ol dste in A dam KisselAttorney Advocate D irec to r , Indi vid u al R igh t s D ef en s e Pr ogr amStudent Press La w Cen ter Fou nda tion fo r Individua l Ri ght s in E du cati o n

CC: Judy C. Miner, Ed.D., LACC E valu ati o n Team Chair,do The A cc redi ting C om m issi on for Com mu nit y and Junio r Co lleg es ,Western A sso cia tion o f Sch o ols and Colleges