Student Journalism Controversy
Quinnipiac has been at the center of controversy over the university's control over student publications and students' speech. The conflict has drawn national attention.
The problems began in the Fall 2007 semester, when junior Jason Braff, then editor of the Quinnipiac Chronicle, the official newspaper of the school, openly criticized a university policy that forbade the Chronicle from publishing news online before the content was published in the weekly print edition. Braff wrote an editorial about the policy and also gave an interview to the Republican-American criticizing it. Manuel Carreiro, Quinnipiac's vice president and dean of students, then sent a letter to Braff in November, telling him that his public disagreement with school policies "will seriously place your position and organization at risk with the university." Braff received an $8,000 annual stipend for his position, and the university said that its employees have more of a responsibility than other students to uphold policies. But Lynn Bushnell, QU's vice president for public affairs, denied threatening to fire Braff for disagreeing with school policies. Braff and the Chronicle staff were also openly critical of a public relations policy requiring all news media inquiries and questions (including those from the Chronicle) for administrators to be sent, via e-mail, to the university's public relations department.
Quinnipiac officials agreed to discuss the policies with students, and eventually decided that making the Chronicle independent from the university would be the best idea. The school set forth a plan of action, which included the university appointing editors for the 2008–2009 academic year. Angry with this plan, Braff and other staff agreed to leave the Chronicle at the end of the spring 2008 semester, and all applicants for the editor positions withdrew their applications.
Former Chronicle staffers came back in Fall 2008 with Quad News, an independent newspaper with only a website and no print edition. Plans are to incorporate Quad News as its own business venture run on advertising revenue. Quad News immediately faced opposition from the university. Staffers learned in September that university officials had instructed all varsity coaches, staff and athletes not to speak to Quad News reporters. Shortly after, officials threatened to shut down the university's chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists (SPJ), claiming that they violated school policy by using their meetings as a cover for Quad News meetings. The Quad News staff had used two SPJ meetings to meet, after the university took away Quad News meeting reservation, citing the fact that the organization was not a university-recognized club. Quad News promptly stopped their meetings with SPJ. The move prompted a public letter from national SPJ leaders, expressing concern over the university's actions. Both staffs recognize the other publication as legitimate and have wished each other luck in their friendly competition.
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