Campus newspaper funds held hostage by student government – F
Montclair State University’s student government association suspended its campus newspaper, Montclarion, for reporting on the organization’s closed meetings, the New York Times reported Thursday.
Montclair’s SGA is temporarily restoring the newspaper’s funds for 30 days, although it is unknown if the newspaper will return to business as usual.
Montclair’s student government found a way to suppress Montclarion’s freedom of the press through its pocketbook, which is an underhanded way to keep information away from concerned students who will likely be impacted by those decisions.
As public figures on campus, the Montclair student government’s actions make it seem more suspicious, which is more reason for Montclarion reporters to question through investigations and inform the rest of the student population about decisions being made behind closed doors.
At the moment, the situation is being mediated by lawyers and one hopes it will be resolved so that the Montclarion can accurately report decisions made.
Go Tejano Day leaves out Tejanos – F
A group including musicians, state representatives and city officials met earlier this week and are now threatening to protest the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo’s Go Tejano Day as it does not include a Tejano performance this year, The Houston Chronicle reported Thursday.
This year, Duelo, a norte’ntilde;o band, and Los Horoscopos de Durango, a duranguense act, are slated to play Go Tejano Day on March 16.
Tejano music is distinct in that it originated in south Texas and has influences from r’b, country and Mexican music.
"Go Tejano has never meant Go Tejano Music Day at the Houston Livestock Show ‘ Rodeo. That’s a play on our Go Texan promotion," the HLSR’s chief operating officer Leroy Shafer told the Chronicle in response to the protest threat.
It seems more likely that because of the 1995 death of Selena, who some have called the "queen of Tejano music," the genre lost many fans, the HLSR lost money and is looking to make some of it back.
"We program this day to hit as much of the Hispanic community as we can, to display as much history, heritage, culture and as much regional diversity as we can," Shafer told the Chronicle.
If that is the case, the HLSR should consider a name change for the day. A Hispanic Heritage day, like the Black Heritage Day already in existence, would be more appropriate for the broader range of people it hopes to entertain on that day.
