The University News

Breathe easy

Michelle Hasan • September 14, 2007

The circumstances under which I write are unfortunate, however, this must be said. As I am walking to my classes, I cannot help but be hit with huge clouds of cigarette smoke. I do not understand why students feel the urge to smoke in such close proximity to their peers and pollute their air.

Smoke.Free.SLU

Ryan Cantwell • September 14, 2007

I support Smoke.Free.SLU and wholeheartedly think that SLU has the ability to have a better, smoke-free campus. Ryan Cantwell Freshman

Dean confusion

Mary A. Bruemmer • September 7, 2007

To keep the record straight, our new dean of students is not the first person to hold that title at SLU. (The University News, Aug. 31) The title dates back to 1955, when?Matthias B. Martin, S.J., who had been assistant dean of the College of Arts and Sciences, was named to the position.

Image of a president

defaultuser • August 24, 2007

As a 1943 graduate of SLU it certainly was interesting to read Matthew Halverson's interview with Avis Meyer about his confrontations with Reverend Lawrence Biondi, S.J. about student affairs. Particularly, I was interested because of other recent articles of the Reverend's attitudes and the shameful firing of the basketball coach, ignoring the athletic director input.

Alum Examines “The Biondi Years”

Andrew Hahn • May 4, 2007

To the Editor: Recent items in the newspapers and on TV have prompted me to ponder the effect of the Biondi years at Saint Louis University. While many will remember these past 20 years for the expansion and beautification of the campus, others will no doubt recall this era as one where the value of academics seemed to be trumped by sports programs and a lust for green space.

Students Analyze Freedom of Press

Ryan Yost Jenna Steege • May 4, 2007

To the Editor: After 85 years of publication, The University News has been given an ultimatum: comply with a new charter or move entirely off campus and change its name. The timing of this ultimatum is no accident. Our student body's attention is focused on impending finals and the fast-approaching summer break.

Professional Journalists Express Concern

Board of Directors St. Louis • May 4, 2007

To the Editor: The St. Louis Chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists is troubled by reports concerning the University News, the student newspaper at Saint Louis University. The chapter believes a proposed change to the newspaper's charter will stifle the publication's editorial independence and freedom of expression on campus.

Gutless Act of Censorship, Student Says

Nathan Kamp • May 4, 2007

To the Editor: I am deeply saddened and outraged that our University President, Father Biondi, a man who never explains or gives reasons for any of the decisions he makes, has decided to move to revoke the current charter of The University News. The new proposed charter would take control of the paper out of the hands of the students and put it into the hands of the SLU administration.

Alum Expects Better

Donna Adamson • May 4, 2007

To the Editor: Simply put, this letter is to express my disappointment with those who purport to provide an education "Where Knowledge Touches Lives." It's a nice motto, but let's examine it further - especially in light of the ideals I learned from, especially, the Jesuit priests and lay professors I both learned from and interacted with in my undergraduate years at SLU (Donna Skelton, 91-95, A&S 95, UNews editorial board member, 91-95).

Reader Urges Editorial Independance

Brian Hercule • May 4, 2007

To the Editor: I am incredibly troubled by the e-mail I received informing me that the charter of the UNews is being unilaterally revoked by the administration and being replaced with a new charter for a new newspaper over which students would have considerably less control.

Former EIC Questions the Role of Advisory Board

Andrew Ivers • May 4, 2007

To the Editor: In the wake of Monday's news about this paper, I have but one question: Have the administrators of Saint Louis University completely forgotten the U. News advisory board? (They did, after all, create it.) During my two years as editor in chief, this was the means by which the University handled its problems with the newspaper, and I'd say it worked well.

Advisory Board Questioned Again

Jeff Fister • May 4, 2007

To the Editor: Some years ago, I was asked to be a member of an "advisory committee" for The University News. It soon became clear to me that the committee was not what it purported to be: a resource for student editors and reporters. It was as an attempt by the SLU administration to exert control over the paper.