UTAH TECH UNIVERSITY'S STUDENT NEWS SOURCE | March 29, 2024

Letter to the editor: Need exists to support student news

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To Whom it May Concern,

I write this letter in support of the “Dixie Sun, Dixie State University’s student run newspaper. I ask that the Student Fees Allocation Committee maintain the Suns’ allocation of student funding at its current level of $1 per student.

At the heart of our republic is freedom of speech and freedom of the press. This is a cherished value that knows no political boundaries. News outlets like the “Sun” are key to the maintenance of a well-informed populace, giving readers insight into the workings of their societies. University newspapers are no different. Everyone in the university community—administration, faculty, staff, students, outside community members—has the right to know what’s going on in all areas of campus. The “Dixie Sun” provides this service for DSU. Much of the funding for student run newspapers comes from student fees. A cut in fees to the “Sun” will seriously undermine their ability to provide relevant information to their readers. To cut their funding at this time, in light of recent antagonisms between the paper and DSU faculty and administrative organizations, and in light of DSU being ranked among the least favorable universities for freedom of speech by the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education, seems ill conceived in the least and retributive at worst.

Again, I urge the Student Fees Allocation Committee maintain the Dixie Sun’s student funding at its current level of $1 per student.

Thank you.

Matt Smith-Lahrman
Professor of Sociology
Dixie State University