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Key Takeaways
- The University of Alabama has cut funding for two student magazines, 'Alice' and 'Nineteen Fifty-Six', citing federal guidelines against racial and gender discrimination.
- Experts argue that the university's decision targets specific viewpoints and undermines protected expression, as the magazines focus on historically marginalized communities without excluding others.
- Alumni have initiated a fundraiser that has raised over $28,000 to support them despite the funding cuts.
The University of Alabama recently cut funds for two student magazines targeted toward black and female readers, citing the Trump administration’s crackdown on “diversity, equity, and inclusion” practices.
However, a free speech expert told The College Fix that cutting funds could be a violation of the First Amendment.
The student-run magazines are called “Alice,” a “fashion and wellness magazine” “by and for women,” and “Nineteen Fifty-Six,” a magazine “focused on Black culture, Black excellence, and Black student experiences.”
“Alice” alone employs 50 students and advisors who rely on university funds to support them.
University Vice President Steven Hood cited a July memo from U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi to universities when he told the magazines the school could no longer support them, The New York Times reported.
In the memo, Bondi stated that “entities receiving federal funds” must ensure that activities like student magazines “do not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, religion, or other protected characteristics-no matter the program’s labels, objectives, or intentions.”
The University Vice President referenced Bondi’s memo, according to a recording of a meeting between the student magazines and university officials that was shared with The New York Times.
“You can understand why as a public institution we might not be able to support magazines that are based on demographics like these two magazines are,” Hood said.
One participant in the meeting pointed out that the magazines were open to all students, not solely their intended audiences. Hood responded that this was still insufficient to shield them from federal scrutiny, The New York Times reported.
The University of Alabama did not respond to The College Fix’s request for comment.
The Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression, however, believes the university violated the First Amendment.
“When a university bases its decision to kill off a student publication because of what it expresses, that causes a constitutional problem,” FIRE spokeswoman Marie McMullan told The College Fix.
“A public university cannot silence a publication based on its specific editorial perspectives and opinions,” she said. “That is what appears to have happened here.”
The Student Press Law Center also believes the university’s actions are unlawful.
“By shutting down only the magazines that primarily serve women and Black students — while leaving other publications alone — it looks a lot like they are targeting a particular point of view,” Mike Hiestand, the center’s senior legal counsel, said in a statement.
“The DOJ memo the university cites was aimed at race-exclusive programs that deny access to benefits. These magazines do not exclude anyone; they amplify the voices of communities that have historically been marginalized. That is protected expression, not unlawful discrimination,” he stated.
The editor-in-chief of “Nineteen Fifty-Six” also commented on the decision, saying she was “devastated” in an Instagram post. However, she wasn’t “surprised by the University of Alabama’s decision to suspend” the magazine.
“I remain optimistic that this is not the end of our beloved publication,” Kendal Wright stated.
The editor-in-chief of “Alice,” Gabrielle Gunte, published a statement on the magazine’s website saying she is “incredibly disappointed” in the university’s decision.
“Alice has always been a space for everyone and has never excluded anyone based on their identity,” Gunte wrote. “We pride ourselves on fostering an inclusive environment where all creative voices can flourish.”
The women’s magazine’s latest edition, “Resilience,” hosted articles such as “Unlearning Thinness,” “Southern Queerness + Resistance,” and “Yes… Hair is Political.” Another article discussed what it means to identify as a lesbian.
On its website, “Nineteen Fifty-Six” says it “strive[s] to showcase the complexities of the Black and brown experience and how people of color are not a monolith” by providing “a space for students of color to feel seen and heard.”
In its latest issue, the magazine opens with “Dear Black Students” and discusses what it’s like navigating a “predominantly white university.” It also features interviews of black students on how they “achieved success on campus.”
“Alice” and “Nineteen Fifty-Six” did not respond to The College Fix’s request for comment on whether they turned down any student applicants who were not female or black.
In response to the suspension, 80 student media alumni signed a letter to the editor published at the university’s student-run newspaper, The Crimson White.
“Never once has either magazine stated that their personnel or coverage areas cannot include all members of the University community,” the article states. “To suspend these publications based on an untenable, potential ‘feeling’ of unwelcome based on who these magazines’ perceived audiences are is cruel.”
Further, despite losing university funding, an alumni group launched a fundraiser for the two magazines that has raised over $28,000.
