University of Oregon: Derecognition of Student Group for ‘Offensive’ Publication

Case Materials

• "Victory for Freedom of the Press at University of Oregon," FIRE Press Release, March 3, 2005: A conservative student magazine has won a three-month-long battle for press freedom against the University of Oregon student government. The Oregon Commentator had been derecognized and denied funding after it published items satirizing a transgendered student senator. After FIRE intervened, the student government reversed its unconstitutional actions and re-recognized the Commentator.
• "An Open Letter from FIRE to the Associated Students of the University of Oregon, February 21, 2005," February 21, 2005
• "Letter from University of Oregon President Dave Frohnmayer to FIRE, February 15, 2005," February 15, 2005
• "FIRE Letter to University of Oregon President Dave Frohnmayer, February 11, 2005," February 11, 2005
• "Commentator's mission denied, again," Ayisha Yahya, Oregon Daily Emerald, February 2, 2005: The Programs Finance Committee rejected the Oregon Commentator's mission statement again Tuesday night in a fierce budget hearing that ended with PFC member Mason Quiroz announcing his resignation.

Media Coverage

• "The ‘No Viewpoint’ Viewpoint," Greg Lukianoff, Inside Higher Education, June 6, 2005: Administrators at the University of Wisconsin at Eau Claire are confused about the nature of their obligations to the U.S. Constitution. While the student government misconstrues constitutional rules on viewpoint discrimination to prohibit funding to every group that has a political or religious viewpoint, administrators defer action on the excuse that the policy is “not yet in effect”—even though the student government has already applied it.
• "FIRE's Heat Douses Student Censorship in Oregon," Jim Brown, Agape Press, March 10, 2005: In a sudden turn of events, the University of Oregon student government has increased funding to a conservative student magazine that had been the target of alleged viewpoint discrimination.
• "Coding commentary," Jennifer Bear, Oregon Daily Emerald, May 30, 2003