8/11/2019 SPLC letter of concern, August 14, 2014

1/3

r

P

S

TU

DE

NT

P

RE

SS

L

AW

CE

NT

ER

A

ug

ust 1

4

2 1

4

Dr

Karen

Baldwin,

Vice

President

for

University Advancement

The

Un

iver

sity of

Al

aba

ma

2

84

Ro

se

dmi

nis

trat

ion B

uil

din

g

B

ox

87

12

2

T

usc

alo

osa

,

L

3

54

87

12

2

V

I

F

S

IM

ILE

D

ea

r

V

ice P

res

ide

nt B

aldw

in

,

Th

e

S

tud

ent Pr

ess L

aw

Cen

ter

pro

vid

es

lega

l

re

sea

rch and

a

dvo

cac

y

i

n

su

ppo

rt

of

tho

se

w

ork

ing

in

stud

en

t

med

ia n

ati

ona

lly.

We

w

ere

co

nce

rne

d to

read

m

ed

ia acc

ou

nts

de

scri

bin

g res

tric

tion

s

pla

ced on

ne

ws c

overage of

sorority

rush

events at

the

University

of A

lab

am

a, fol

low

ing

la

st ye

ar

s pub

lic

atio

n of

th

e

P

ulit

zer

no

min

ate

d inve

stig

ati

ve

re

po

rt

by

jou

rna

lists

at Th

e

Cri

mso

n

W

hi

te

ab

out the

rol

e

o

f

race

in

t

he

s

ele

ctio

n

p

roc

ess.

We

h

ave

rev

iew

ed

th

e m

em

ora

ndu

m

G

uid

elin

es

fo

r

M

edi

a c

ove

rin

g So

ror

ity

Re

crui

tme

nt,

hen

cef

ort

h sim

ply

refe

rre

d

to

as M

ed

ia

Gui

del

ines

dis

sem

ina

ted

by

th

e

O

ffic

e

of

U

niv

ers

ity R

elat

ion

s.

W

hi

le it

is

per

fect

ly

le

giti

ma

te

for the

U

ni

ver

sity to

re

min

d

jo

urn

alis

ts

not

to en

gag

e in

il

leg

al t

res

pas

sing i.e

.,

en

cro

ach

ing o

n fr

ont

yar

ds

an

d

to

r

egu

late

p

ark

ing a

nd

traf

fic, tha

t

is

whe

re

th

e

U

niv

ers

ity

s

law

ful

au

tho

rity

e

nd

s.

We

are

par

ticu

lar

ly

con

cer

ned

a

bou

t t

he d

irec

tive

s in t

he

Me

dia

Gu

ide

line

s

p

urp

orti

ng

t

o pro

hib

it co

nse

nsu

al

com

mu

nic

atio

ns

b

etw

ee

n

me

mb

ers

of

th

e

med

ia

an

d

ind

ivi

dua

l

stu

den

ts wh

o

ma

y w

ish

to sp

eak w

ith

th

em:

N

o

r

epr

esen

tat

ive

fro

m

U

G

reek

A

ffai

rs,

the P

anh

ell

enic

E

xe

cuti

ve C

ou

ncil

or any

s

oro

r t

s

wil

l

b

e

ava

ilab

le

fo

r

nt r

v

ws

du

rin

g Sor

ori

ty

R

ec

ruit

me

nt W

eek

e

mp

has

is ad

ded

ll

que

stio

ns s

hou

ld b

e

dir

ecte

d

t

o

Un

iver

sity Re

lati

ons

.

No

r

epr

ese

ntat

ive f

rom

U

Gr

eek

Aff

airs

,

t

he P

anh

ell

enic

Executive Council

or

any

soror t s

will

be

available for interv

iew

s

on

Bi

d

Da

y

emp

has

is ad

ded

.

To

th

e ex

tent

tha

t t

he

Uni

ver

sity is

pu

rpo

rtin

g t

o

us

e

its

re

gul

ator

y a

uth

ori

ty to

re

stric

t

con

sen

sua

l com

mu

nic

ati

ons

b

etw

een s

tud

ent

s a

nd t

he

new

s me

dia

abo

ut ma

tter

s

of

pu

bli

c c

onc

ern

,

suc

h

a g

ag

o

rder

c

on

trav

ene

s ba

sic

F

irst

me

ndm

en

t

pri

nci

ples

.

1

1 1

W

ils

on

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S

uit

e

11

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n

2

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B

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07

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s

plc

org

ww

w

s

8/11/2019 SPLC letter of concern, August 14, 2014

2/3

8/11/2019 SPLC letter of concern, August 14, 2014

3/3

w

as

ev

er

a tim

e

f

or

g

rea

ter tra

nsp

aren

cy

in

the

se

lect

ion p

roc

ess

it i

s

a

fte

r

t

he

in

tegr

ity

of

the

pro

ces

s ha

s

be

en

dis

cre

dite

d.

T

he p

ub

lic

has n

in

ter

est in

k

now

ing

wh

ethe

r

am

t h

ing

h

s

be

en

lear

ned fro

m

the v

n t

s o

f las

t yea

r

C

ann

ed q

uot

es fr

om

a

spo

kes

per

son w

ho is

no

t in

the roo

m

w

her

e dec

isio

ns

ar

e m

ade

w

ill

do n

oth

ing

to

reas

sur

e

the

pub

lic

.

T

o

th

e

co

ntra

ry

th

e Un

ive

rsit

ys h

and

lin

g of m

edi

a

i

nqu

irie

s

s

ma

cks

of an

intent

to conceal

and

obfuscate.

It

c

an

not go

un

rem

ark

ed tha

t

th

e

d

iscl

osu

res

pu

blis

hed

in

la

st

y

ear

s Cr

ims

on

W

hite ar

ticl

e

T

he Fina

l

B

arr

ier

c

am

e ab

out be

cau

se me

mb

ers

of

Gre

ek or

gan

izat

ion

s

br

oke

ran

ks

a

nd

did

con

sen

t

t

o spe

ak

wit

h

the

new

s

m

edi

a

abo

ut t

he o

utra

ges

they

wit

nes

sed

at

tim

es a

gai

nst the

wi

she

s o

f

th

ose s

upe

rvi

sing

th

eir

org

ani

zati

ons

. If a

n

i

ndiv

idu

al

s

oro

rity w

ishe

s

t

o

en

forc

e

a

no-

inte

rvi

ews

rule wit

h c

ons

equ

enc

es to be

im

pos

ed wit

hin

th

e

s

oro

rity

th

at is

a

pr

ivat

e

m

att

er

and

the m

isju

dg

men

t w

ill b

e

th

eir

p

riva

te c

onc

ern

.

B

ut

a

g

ove

rnm

en

t

ag

enc

y can

not

a

nd s

hou

ld n

ot

s

erv

e

as th

e

en

for

cer

of

a

po

licy

calc

ula

ted

t

o

ma

ke su

re

tha

t

whi

stle

blo

we

rs ca

nno

t com

e

for

wa

rd

w

ith

e

xac

tly t

he sort

of

info

rm

atio

n

on whi

ch

The

C

rim

son W

hite

s

gr

oun

db

reak

ing

rep

orti

ng

was

based.

I

t

is

in

cum

ben

t

o

n

t

he U

niv

ers

ity

to i

mm

edi

ate

ly an

d

un

eq

uivo

cal

ly cla

rify

i

t

hat

stu

den

ts

are fr

ee to

spe

ak

w

ith jo

urn

alis

ts

wit

hou

t fea

r of

rep

risa

l fro

m

th

e

i

nsti

tuti

on an

d 2

th

at

jou

rna

list

s i

n

pa

rtic

ula

r stud

ent jo

urn

alis

ts w

ho

are p

ayi

ng

c

usto

me

rs

ent

itled

t

o be

on

you

r

ca

mp

us

are equ

all

y fr

ee

to con

tac

t st

ude

nts

to

de

ter

min

e

t

heir

inte

res

t

in

sp

eak

ing

.

W

e

a

sk tha

t

yo

u

m

ake

a p

ubli

c

dec

lar

atio

n

to

dis

pel

th

e

im

pr

essi

on

le

ft

b

y the

M

ed

ia

G

uide

lin

es tha

t the

U

niv

ersi

ty

b

elie

ves

it

can

en

for

ce

a

gag

or

der

on its

ow

n st

ude

nts

.

Respectfully

F

ran

k

o

Mo

nte

E

sq

Exe

cut

ive

Dir

ecto

r

Stud

en

t Pre

ss

L

aw Cen

ter