On Tuesday evening, the University of Alabama Faculty Senate voted to demand that the university reinstate two canceled publications: ALICE Magazine and Nineteen Fifty-Six. According to a source, the final vote count on the statement was 55-15, with nine abstentions.
In the statement, the Faculty Senate claimed that the cancellation of the publications violated the First Amendment and that the university’s actions were “motivated by misogyny, racism or homophobia.”
By itself, the Faculty Senate’s vote carries no binding authority. The Faculty Senate does not control any aspect of student media or student affairs, and it does not have the power to reinstate these magazines.
During Tuesday’s meeting, the Senate also voted to temporarily suspend its normal rules to hear and vote on the statement, pushing aside other issues.
At its core, the Faculty Senate is intended to maintain academic standards and to consult on issues important to the faculty.
In the statement, after openly acknowledging that these publications had specific “target audiences” while receiving taxpayer funds, the Faculty Senate calls the University of Alabama's halt to funding a “grave threat” to “academic freedom and freedom of speech.”
What was noticeably absent from the Faculty Senate’s statement was any support for the university’s goal of creating a singular, diverse publication that supports all students and doesn’t discriminate between any group.
The statement was again forwarded to UA president Peter Mohler, provost Lesley Reid, and vice president Steven Hood after the Faculty Senate Steering Committee sent a draft out earlier in the month.
Trenton Buffenbarger is a senior at the University of Alabama and is the Chairman of the UA Young Americans for Freedom.
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