Hello and happy 2023! I am still so proud of our student leadership for taking their bill supporting GASP's request to be an officially recognized club, passed December 9, to PUC Administration. There hasn't been much in terms of updates since then but I also want to acknowledge the important work that the editor of our PUC Campus Chronicle has been doing to cover the story and raise awareness of the apparent censorship of that reporting.
Issue 4 of Volume XCVIII of the Campus Chronicle was published on January 12, 2023 and distributed to students. However, it was not distributed to PUC faculty and staff or posted on the Campus Chronicle website. Though not confirmed, my understanding is that administration in Student Life is responsible for restricting the distribution of this issue. The issue contains a lengthy article by editor Madison Brogan describing the Fall Fest incident where GASP was denied their promised booth, the fallout, and response.
The letter from the editor describes the lengthy publication process that resulted from "administration's request to fact-check the story followed by a lengthy review of the final copy before publication" in addition to the desire to report on subsequent events that evolved over the course of the fall quarter.
I wanted to share this with you and also give you the opportunity to see and share the Campus Chronicle to make sure this story is heard. As an educational institution and a religious one, we should not be afraid to reflect and scrutinize our beliefs and actions. It can be scary to not have all the answers or know how best to grapple with opinions that may differ from our own but I don't see any benefit to be gained from hiding these discussions from view.
I'll let you draw your own conclusions on what this apparent censorship of the Campus Chronicle. However, I hope that by bringing it to your attention you will see how important it is to continue sharing this petition, to share the Campus Chronicle, and continue to add your voice to this conversation.