Editors at The Dolphin, a student-run newspaper at LeMoyne College, are flexing their muscle, refusing to publish copies of the small Syracuse college's paper until a dispute with the school's administration is resolved.

The two parties have been at an impasse for a few weeks already and appear to be no closer to a settlement. In the meantime, the LeMoyne community waits and wonders when they will once again get their news.

"It's a sad situation for everybody," said Andrew Brenner, editor at The Dolphin. "But some time, you just need to take a stand."

The dispute began when college administrators elected not to renew the contract of the newspaper's adviser, Alan Fischler. The decision, which Brenner said came as a shock to the newspaper and the small college community as a whole, was based on what the administration called a lack of quality and too many grammatical mistakes that kept appearing in the paper.

Immediately after the decision, The Dolphin's editorial board protested by issuing a letter signed by all members demanding Fischler's contract renewal. The next week the paper printed a four-page letter. After getting no response, the board unanimously voted to halt production of the newspaper until Fischler is reinstated. The last printed paper distributed on campus was simply blank.

"We've tried talking the administration about the issue and they've basically told us it's non-negotiable," Brenner said. "When you have that kind of situation, all you have left to do is to come out swinging."

Administrators did confirm that Fischler will be allowed to finish out the academic year and that a new adviser will be chosen for next year. According to Shawn Ward, the school's vice president of student development, the administration has even asked editors at The Dolphin to help in selecting a new adviser.

"The editorial staff has stayed loyal to Dr. Fischler," Ward said. "They would like to review their constitution and try to make the newspaper a better publication."

Brenner says the newspaper will accept no other editor, even if it means carrying the protest out and depriving students of campus news. Fischler could not be reached for comment, but said in an interview with The Post-Standard, a Syracuse paper, that he has accepted that he will probably not be back as adviser. He also said he was willing to give up his post if it was in the best interest of student journalists.

Brenner said the administration gave Fischler a raw deal. He doesn't buy the administration's reasoning, saying that there have been few complaints about the grammatical accuracy in the newspaper. Plus, Fischler isn't directly involved in the production of the paper, which is run completely by students. Rather, he is called on for advice on content.

And content has caused a stir from time to time and that's what Brenner thinks caused the decision to be made.

"There have been stories that (the administration) hasn't exactly liked," Brenner said. "We've heard about it in the past. I'm convinced that this played a big role in this whole thing. If we were more willing to please administrators, this wouldn't be a problem. But that's not what a newspaper does."

A recent story about the school's decision to cut its physics program really irked administrators. In fact, there were reports of a confrontation between newspaper officials and school president Rev. Charles Beirne, in which he ended up storming off. Beirne could not be reached for comment.

Members of the editorial board have met recently with administrators to try and negotiate a settlement, but to no avail. Brenner said the newspaper offered to compromise and was willing to incorporate administration ideas for improving the quality of the newspaper as long as Fischler was reinstated. However, administrators appear unwilling to budge on the issue. Administrators want help in forming a search committee for a new adviser and that's not something the staff is willing to do.

"We simply will not work with another adviser," Brenner said. "That's it. We've tried to talk to the administration but they ignore us. They don't show us any respect. And so we will continue to protest for as long as it takes. We will not be swayed."

Editors and administrators alike acknowledged the effects the issue is having on the community.

"The general student body may be missing the paper," Ward said. "That is tough to gauge."

Brenner said the newspaper has received some complaints, but mostly the community has been supportive.

"It does weigh heavily on us in that we know we're depriving the students of their news," Brenner said. "We're taking a stand. It's the first time anybody's ever done that here. And the students understand that."

The college is currently on a break and there would be no newspaper until the start of the new semester anyway. If no agreement is made, the newspaper will once again not publish. Nevertheless, editors wait eagerly for a deal so they can get back to work...with their adviser.