Local News in Brief : Student Senate Votes to Shut Paper

The Student Senate at Cal State Long Beach has voted to shut down an alternative newspaper it has published for more than 10 years after the paper printed a satirical edition containing erotic drawings.

“That was the straw that broke the camel’s back,” Roger Thompson, the student body president, said of what was called “The Sexually Frustrated Male Issue.”

“We just felt that we could do better things with the money,” Thompson said.

The student-run weekly newspaper, The Union, allocated $10,000 this year in student funds, has been at odds with its student-government publisher for several years. In addition to showing poor taste, Thompson said, the paper is not read by many students.

“Government agencies shouldn’t publish newspapers,” he added. “We’re wearing too many hats.”

Union staffers have appealed the action to a student judiciary board, contending that the paper is being punished for its criticism of student government. In addition, they say, the Senate violated its own bylaws by circumventing a publications board designed to deal with such matters.