As both a student and a fan of the First Amendment, I am glad to see that the battle over whether ASMSU will gain editorial control over the Red Cedar Log finally ended with a defeat of that proposal.

There were some important legal concerns in the content of the bill that would allow ASMSU editorial control of MSU’s student yearbook; these concerns involved both First Amendment issues and problems relating to MSU’s anti-discrimination policy. Of even greater importance than these legal concerns is the question of whether ASMSU has the ability to run a yearbook.

Last Thursday night, I watched the Student Assembly struggle to reach quorum, then bicker for several hours about various issues on its agenda. When the bill concerning editorial control came to the table, the meeting turned to name-calling and twisted logic. The issue was turned into unfounded accusations of racism, and the purpose of editorial control by a student government was ultimately lost. The yearbook had already made concessions to ASMSU in an attempt to improve the diversity of the Red Cedar Log, but various members of the Student Assembly seemed to overlook this.

The Student Assembly as a whole seemed to forget that it was wasting its bickering on an issue that is not of primary importance to this campus. This is not to say that the Red Cedar Log is a worthless project - it provides both a nice memory and a free doorstop for many. Still, any group that can’t even keep focused on the topic of a weekly meeting should not be trusted to run a yearbook - a project that has to deal with things like deadlines.

ASMSU should be commended for supporting MSU’s student yearbook, but must remember its purpose is as a governing body, not a yearbook editor.

Mary Krizan
political science and
pre-law junior