The editor in chief of Saint Louis University’s student newspaper, The University News, sued the institution this week, alleging that university officials were attempting to gain more control over the paper because they objected to her editorials that criticized the administration, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported today.

The editor, Diana Benanti, said the university’s pique had led it to rescind the tuition break that traditionally went to the student paper’s editor. A university spokesman said the change was intended to spread the tuition breaks to more student leaders.

The administration has also proposed withdrawing the paper’s charter and holding a new charter itself. If the Board of Trustees approves the proposal, in a vote expected this week, university officials would have ultimate control over hiring decisions at the newspaper, and the stipends paid to top editors would drop.

The plan, just announced on Monday, gives students little time to respond, as they are all busy studying for final exams.

A university vice president said that students would still determine the paper’s content without advance approval, and editors would not be fired because of their opinions. The same official, however, also said that administrators were concerned that the paper’s articles too often mixed opinion and fact. —Elizabeth F. Farrell