Funding for Wesleyan University's school newspaper has been slashed by the student government.
The student government approved the resolution Sunday to decrease The Wesleyan Argus's budget from $30,000 to $13,000. The $17,000 in savings will be divided among the four top campus publications, including The Argus.
A petition calling to defund the paper was circulated in September after The Argus published an editorial questioning whether the Black Lives Matter movement is achieving anything positive.
The student government's leader has said they want to promote community through greater inclusion. The paper's editor said the move sets a "dangerous" precedent for press at the university and the country.
Wesleyan President Michael Roth on Tuesday tweeted that he believes the students will realize cutting the newspaper's funding was a "big mistake."
I believe students will realize that it's a big mistake to cut newspaper funding, and they can find ways to support alternative publications
— Michael S Roth (@mroth78) October 20, 2015
