Transcript Censored

Roughly 275 copies removed from Ham-Will because of front page content

By: Mark Dubovec

Posted: 4/9/09

Two weeks after the journalism department hosted a week-long celebration of First Amendment rights, this publication suffered an infringement of its own freedom of the press.

Last week, The Transcript ran stories on page one about the 50-Day Club at the Backstretch Bar and the possible installation of surveillance cameras in campus residence halls. Over the weekend, at least one junior Admissions Office staff member made a personal decision to remove roughly 275 copies of the publication from racks in the Hamilton-William Campus Center before Slice of College Life.

This was done with intentions to highlight positive aspects of the university during an admission event and not as a conscious violation of the First Amendment, according to Assistant Vice President of Admission and Financial Aid Carol DelPropost.

"We regret if anyone was offended. We did not mean to offend anyone but simply to do our best to meet the enrollment goals of our university," DelPropost said. "We offer apologies to all of The Transcript staff."

Slice is the largest admissions event of the year. Between 220 and 230 admitted potential students and their parents visited the campus last weekend to get a feel for life at OWU.

"Our intent is to showcase our students, our faculty, our facilities and help them understand why [admitted seniors] might be best suited to attend Ohio Wesleyan," she said. "Our staff generally looks to clean up things."

DelPropost added that the tough economy exacerbates the challenge of attracting students.

"Our work hinges on our showing people the value of an Ohio Wesleyan education," DelPropost said. "The students who we want to join Ohio Wesleyan are competed for by many, many fine institutions."

"We all respect all who work on The Transcript, and we appreciate and value that we have such a vehicle on our campus to communicate with others, and again, I regret that this has occurred and that it has offended people," DePropost said. "It won't happen again."

Concerns about alcohol consumption from parents of potential students are a common issue for the Admissions Office, said DelPropost.

"We actually get that question virtually every day," DelPropost said. "We believe that there is so much choice on our campus, so much choice for different kinds of activities, different ways to engage with each other, to have fun, and alcohol is an option. But students should not feel pressured."

DelPropost added that individual choice is important. "Even on a dry campus, you're going to have drinking," she said. "It's how we approach it and what we make available to our students that's important."

In addition, DelPropost stressed the importance of an independent college newspaper having the freedom to bring awareness and stimulate discussion on issues. "It's really a vital part of the university culture," she said.

DelPropost insists that the person or persons responsible weren't aware of any First Amendment violation. "I think that was the farthest thing from their minds," she said. "I think they had no idea that this would at all be an illegal transgression."

"It's a teaching moment. It's a learning opportunity. I think that there is not a likelihood of any loss of job," DelPropost said. "This was not a malicious act or any intentional breaking of the law. It was a mistake, an error of judgment…but if we can learn from them and move on, that helps us all."