Missouri administrators deny newspaper’s request to intervene in funding dispute

The administration at the University of Missouri at Rolla announced Monday that it did not find any evidence of censorship when the school’s student government voted to cut the student newspaper’s funding.

Editors now are searching for both legal representation and evidence to corroborate their claim of censorship.

The newspaper, which claims the funding cut was motivated by its content, had delivered an ultimatum to campus leaders last week saying that if the funding dispute was not resolved by Monday, it would pursue legal action.

The university’s general counsel said in a letter to the newspaper that because it had not found evidence supporting the newspaper’s claims, the administration would not intervene and restore funding. The letter does, however, invite the editors to submit any evidence that would justify their claim that the budget cut was based on content.