Nonprofit Tops $25K Fundraising Goal To Print Student Publications Shut Down By UA

TUSCALOOSA, AL — A nonprofit advocacy group announced Wednesday that it had topped its $25,000 fundraising goal to help save two student-led publications at the University of Alabama after the school announced it would be ceasing operations on the magazines to comply with federal anti-discrimination guidelines.

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Patch reported last week that the university halted production of the magazines Alice and Nineteen Fifty-Six to comply with a U.S. Department of Justice memo that raised concerns about race- and identity-centered student organizations receiving public funding.

Patch also reported that MASTHEAD, an independent nonprofit that advocates for diverse and equitable student media at UA, launched a campaign to raise funds to allow the student staffs of both magazines to publish Spring 2026 print editions, pay student workers and secure workspace and equipment needed to continue producing their magazines.

The nonprofit on Wednesday said that in less than 72 hours hundreds of donors from across the United States — and even places like Auburn — donated to the cause that will allow MASTHEAD to independently publish print magazines in the Spring of 2026 by the staffs of both publications.

"But this isn't over," MASTHEAD said in a statement. "This month's events are just the latest in a troubling trend of hostility toward student (and all) media by powerful institutions. Your support of MASTHEAD will enable us to continue to support vulnerable student-journalists in their capacities at on-campus outlets on an on-going basis, and to be prepared to stand with them in defense of their First Amendment rights when required."

MASTHEAD then said it will be extending its fundraising campaign until Feb. 3, to commemorate the 70th anniversary of the enrollment of UA's first Black student, Autherine Lucy.

The nonprofit points out that Lucy is the namesake of Nineteen Fifty-Six and was forced to leave campus due to a hostile climate.

"We're not letting that happen again," the nonprofit said. "Your continued donations will be used to extend greater aid to the student journalists of Alice and Nineteen Fifty-Six as they navigate this challenging time. Let's preserve their right to free expression for a long time to come."

As Patch previously reported, UA administrators said the suspensions were temporary and necessary as the university reviewed compliance requirements, while student editors and supporters argued the shutdowns were abrupt and harmful to marginalized communities on campus.

The suspension resulted in widespread backlash from students, faculty and alumni, also prompting a petition and public demonstrations calling on administrators to reinstate the magazines.

As of the publication of this story, the petition to reinstate the magazines had received 2,939 of the 3,000 signatures it is seeking to gather.

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