FIGHT THE POWER, STICK IT TO THE MAN: University leadership told the student newspaper to stop printing. Students fought back and won.

ro-free speech campus activism at Texas A&M University defeated the university president’s attempt to cease the print production of The Battalion, a student-run newspaper.

The Battalion reported Feb. 11 that university President M. Katherine Banks ordered the publication to stop printing physical copies of the paper at the end of the 2022 spring semester.

According to the student publication, the outlet would then be transitioned to operate under a newly anticipated Department of Journalism, effectively blurring the line on whether or not the group would retain its resources and independence as a student organization status.

The Battalion is a 129-year-old campus institution that first began printing in 1893. The paper introduced an online presence in 1997, choosing to conduct business on both platforms to honor both innovation and tradition.

Throughout its history, however, the paper has never operated under the thumb of university oversight. All publication decisions have routinely been made by the editor-in-chief.

The Battalion further reported that declining the university leadership’s Feb. 10 directive to conjoin with the journalism department may strip the group of university resources such as funding and office space – two criteria critical to operating a student newsroom.

However, student activism and vocal opposition led to university administrators declaring the new plans void.

Nice to see student activism in support of free speech instead of censorship.