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The former student editors of the University of Missouri at Columbia newspaper had faced campus discipline because their April 1 parody edition included a slur against lesbians, the Student Press Law Center reported, before the university canceled those hearings. The managing editor, Abby Spudich, resigned this week after apologizing for jokingly retitling The Maneater as The Carpeteater. She said she didn't know that was an offensive phrase for lesbians. The editor in chief, Travis Cornejo, resigned shortly after that.
That seemed to be the end of it until Missouri's Office of Student Conduct contacted both former editors to schedule disciplinary hearings. The Maneater is an independent student publication. It wasn't immediately clear what university policy Spudich and Cornejo were accused of breaking. Students convicted of violating the university's standards of conduct can be suspended or expelled. The Student Press Law Center called on Missouri to drop the hearings, saying the language in the newspaper is protected by the First Amendment even if it was offensive. University officials didn't say why they canceled the disciplinary hearing.
