Administrators at Grambling State University are allowing the student newspaper, The Gramblinite, to resume publication, but only if the university gets to look over stories before they're published.

In an article published in the Monroe (La.) News Star, Gramblinite editor Darryl Smith said the staff of the newspaper made a deal with the administration in return for permission to resume publication. As part of the deal, a publication director will edit each edition of the newspaper for style, spelling and punctuation before it is published.

In the article, Smith said he did not like the prior review of the paper. "I think they're going to pull stories, and I think they're trying to control content — period," he told the News Star.

In response, SPJ has joined up with the Student Press Law Center to express concerns about the prior review of the newspaper.

In a press release, SPJ President Christine Tatum had this to say: “I’m so tired of educators going on about how academically rigorous, accepting, community-oriented, student-focused and marketplace-of-ideas-honoring their institutions are – only to see them turn around and censor student publications. Unfortunately, this happens all the time. Students should, regardless of their academic interests, consider an institution’s commitment to free speech before deciding whether to attend.”

And SPLC Executive Director Mark Goodman said this: “College and university officials have to understand that the First Amendment simply does not allow them to censor student publications because they are unhappy with the content decisions student editors have to make."

Meanwhile, SPJ leaders are urging the university to adopt SPJ’s Campus Media Statement, which states, in part, that student media are “designated public forums … free from censorship and advance approval of content. Student media are free to develop editorial policies and news coverage with the understanding that students and student organizations speak only for themselves.”