Petition Grows After UA Shuts Down Student Magazines

The University of Alabama recently suspended two magazines on campus. Since the announcement, many have spoken out abut the decision.

The two magazines that were suspended aimed to empower women and black students.

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As first reported by the Tuscaloosa Thread, The University of Alabama provided the Thread with a statement saying UA had a legal obligation to suspend the magazines.

"The University remains committed to supporting every member of our community and advancing our goals to welcome, serve, and help all succeed. In doing so, we must also comply with our legal obligations. This requires us to ensure all members of our community feel welcome to participate in programs that receive University funding from the Office of Student Media," A spokeswoman said. "Editors and contributors of Alice and Nineteen Fifty-Six magazine were informed of the decision to suspend the magazines effective immediately, with the Fall 2025 issue as the final issue. Staff hope to work with students to develop a new publication that features a variety of voices and perspectives to debut in the next academic year."

There has been a petition started on MoveOn to keep both publications and it already has close to 2,000 signatures at the time of writing.

"This is only the beginning of a slippery slope — even if you don't care about [alice], 1956, or student journalism in general, this is a testing ground for the government and the current administration to see how far they can push," the petition states.

"Whether or not you support the sitting president or his administration is irrelevant. This is about the First Amendment rights of all Americans, and the protection of the Fourth Estate. What starts with us ends with you, and when your speech is taken away, there will be no one left to prove that it happened."

Do you think these magazines should be reinstated on the campus of the University of Alabama?