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The University of Alabama, Montgomery, has suspended publication of two student-run magazines — one focused primarily on black students and the other on women’s issues — citing recent federal guidance against diversity, equity and inclusion programs on college campuses.
editor of nineteen fifty six And Alice The magazines were informed on Monday that the university was closing the magazines with immediate effect. A university official quoted july guidance According to one of the editors, from Attorney General Pamela Bondi on what the Trump administration considered unlawful discrimination at institutions receiving federal funding.
The move comes as college campuses across the United States respond to pressure from President Donald Trump to end the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Practice on college campuses. The university’s decision to discontinue the magazines appears to be based on the fact that the publications had a primary target audience, although no magazine limited who it could employ on staff.
Alice editor-in-chief Gabrielle Gunter said she was shocked and saddened by the decision. The magazine recently celebrated its 10th anniversary.
Gunter said, “It was very shocking. I was under the impression that we were protected by freedom of the press and the First Amendment.”
Gunter said that during Monday’s meeting, Vice President of Student Life Steven Hood told editors the university was withdrawing support because of the DEI guidance. Gunter said Hood cited the Bondi memo and said the magazines could be considered “a violation of federal guidelines on illegal proxies.” The memo defines unlawful proxies as “apparently neutral criteria that serve as a substitute for explicit consideration of race, gender, or other protected characteristics.”
Gunter said she asked how they violated the guidelines and was told the university believed having women as its target audience was a violation of the guidelines.
The most recent issue of Alice included beauty content, such as spoofs for high-end cosmetics, and more political pieces about misogyny in heavy metal music and an article on the politics of reproductive issues.
Nineteen Fifty-Six is named after the year the first black student, Catherine Lucy Foster, was allowed to enroll at the university. It has been in publication for the last five years.
Kendall Wright, the magazine’s editor, said in a statement, “As editor-in-chief, I am disappointed, but regrettably not surprised, by the University of Alabama’s decision to suspend Nineteen Fifty-Six based on our nation’s current climate. The students who have produced this magazine over its five-year lifespan have poured their hearts and souls into their work.”
A recent edition included an article on the experiences of international students and an article on the importance of “building camaraderie on campus” amid diversity program rollbacks. last year university closed dedicated premises Meeting space for the Black Student Union and the LGBTQ Resource Center, citing the state’s new anti-DEI law.
University of Alabama spokesperson Alex House said the university is committed to supporting all students and “in doing so, we must also comply with our legal obligations.”
“This requires us to ensure that all members of our community feel welcome to participate in programs that receive university funding from the Office of Student Media,” House said. He added that “the First Amendment rights of our students remain fully intact.”
House said the university plans to fund a new student magazine that “has a broader scope.”
The Bondi memo provides an extensive list of examples of what the Justice Department would consider illegal practices, such as dedicating scholarships to students of a particular race.
Gunter said his staff was working on next semester’s edition when the university broke the news. Gunter He and others were spending the afternoon handing out their latest edition on campus.
“I want students to have the final copies when they close our office, rather than having them thrown away somewhere,” Gunter said.
This article was generated from an automated news agency feed without any modifications to the text.
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