University says ‘miscommunication’ led tour guides to remove student newspapers on campus

Baylor University said this week that a “miscommunication” between administration officials and tour guides led to the removal of a student newspaper that reported about an alleged rape on campus.

Eyewitnesses said Baylor student tour guides removed issues of the Baylor Lariat earlier this month at certain places on campus. The Feb. 8 issue of the paper had a front-page story titled “Fifth alleged rape reported.” 

“Campus Visits has never given blanket instructions to campus tour guides to remove papers from newsstands or to shy away from answering any question honestly and factually from prospective students and their families about our campus today and past issues,” Jason Cook, Baylor’s vice president for marketing and communications, said in a statement to the Baylor Lariat on Thursday. “They were not asked to destroy or remove papers.” 

{mosads}“We have learned there was a miscommunication at an event on Feb. 9, when an admissions staff member asked a few campus tour staff to move papers in the Penland Crossroads lobby and Foster,” Cook said. “Unfortunately, papers in the Penland lobby were thrown away while papers in Foster were moved within the newsstand or recycled.” 

Baylor did not immediately respond to a request for comment from The Hill.

Students spoke to the student newspaper about the incident last month.

“The girl who took the newspaper from our table, she told us her boss had told her to do it,” senior Ben Christie said. “Then they said it was something they didn’t want students to see.”

“A female tour guide came up and grabbed my friend’s newspaper, I imagine to hide it from guests,” senior Hunter Meroney added. “After that, we saw her take the rest of the newspapers off the stands at Penland [Crossroads] and throw them away.” 

Feb. 9 was “Know Where You’re Going Day” at Baylor and reportedly saw an estimated 2,000 prospective students touring the campus.