To fend off a new threat to college students’ freedom of the press, college officials should designate their student publications as public forums, according to a statement issued today by the Society of Professional Journalists. That designation, the group says, would protect the publications from censorship by their colleges—something that was thought to be unconstitutional until a federal appeals court ruled last year that it wasn’t.

In that case, Hosty v. Carter, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit said administrators at Governors State University, in Illinois, could review and censor student publications in the same way as high schools do (The Chronicle, June 21, 2005). The Supreme Court declined to hear the students’ appeal three months ago (The Chronicle, February 22).

“Allowing college administrators to control the content of student newspapers is not much different from allowing the White House to control the content of The Washington Post,” David Carlson, the society’s president, said in a written statement.

“Student media are designated public forums, and free from censorship and advance approval of content,” reads the group’s official statement, which will be printed on wallet-size cards to help students approach college officials. “Administrators, faculty, staff, or other agents shall not consider the student media’s content when making decisions regarding the media’s funding,” the statement says.

The Student Press Law Center is also urging students—particularly in Illinois, Indiana, and Wisconsin, states covered by Seventh Circuit rulings—to seek public-forum status (The Chronicle, March 3). Also, state legislators in California are considering a bill to protect student-press freedom (The Chronicle, May 15).