In April of 2009, the University of Miami Administration banned BACK\SLASH Magazine – a magazine created by their own students. The ban is still active, and the Administration continues to threaten the UM students who founded the publication with misdemeanors, fines, and academic consequences. One of the owners, Michael McCormack (who was a junior studying entrepreneurship at UM when they enacted the ban), subsequently withdrew from of the U because of this decision. Having already taken out $90,000 in college loans to pay for his education, Michael refused to give another dime to an institution that would go out of their way to keep him from realizing his goals, and has been on an academic hiatus for almost a full year. BACK\SLASH's mission is "to entertain, inform, and educate our college communities by creating an unrestrained channel of collegiate interaction and expression."

BACK\SLASH has met with UM President Donna Shalala on six separate occasions to address this ban, and has passed along the message that one of her students withdrew in response to it, but she maintains that there is nothing she can do... b\s.

It is my responsibility as a member of the UM community as well as of the media to make you aware that Donna Shalala is INHIBITING CREATIVE FREEDOM AND THOUGHT at the U; and as faculty, I believe that it is your duty to stand up against this unfair and immoral practice that is ultimately detrimental the unversity and its students. UM should embrace the fact that a company started by their own students has posted a 1,280% increase in ad sales since inception (at a time when print appears to be dying); they should be happy that BACK\SLASH Magazine has expanded to 17 new schools nationwide and is now printing 50,000 copies per release; and they should be praising back\slash for giving so many of their students real world experience in writing, photography, editing, and design. More than 175 students from the U have interned with the company, and Administration should be using this as a testament to their incredible entrepreneurship program and talented student body rather than making every effort to inhibit the dreams of the publication's founders.

Here is UM's response to an article written by the Miami New Times:

"back\slash Magazine was banned from the University of Miami on the grounds that they did not follow the rules – they circulated too many copies. They were specifically instructed to distribute only in 3 designated areas; and when copies were being read all over campus, and our Administration was unable to control the publication's circulation, our only option was to rescind back\slash's permission to distribute."

The Miami New Times is still reporting on this issue: http://blogs.miaminewtimes.com/riptide/2010/03/once_again_university_of_miami.php