"During the spring of '62, we ran a series of articles critical of Pusey; he disagreed, but he was a fine man. No matter how upset he was, he did not say what we ought to do," Ballard says.

Bok says he once reprimanded two editors for parodying a professor in the Confidential Guide in "a tasteless fashion." He says, "I called them in and tried to explain to them how damaging and hurtful it was to the professor involved."

But Bok says he made an effort not to prevent students from expressing their opinions in print.

"I think universities of all places are places that should respect the First Amendment," he says. "Universities are built on the exchange of ideas."

Many past editors say The Crimson also allows reporters to march to their own drumbeat while helping to write the score that combines them in a successful melody.

"The Crimson is probably the most independent institution that most journalists will work for during their working lives," Swanson says. "It is run in a collective way...what attracted me most to the paper was its independence."

Whether independence refers to breaking loose from the ties of overbearing administrators or advertising moguls, University staff and Crimson staff agree that the loyalty of the Crimson reporters has been the integral force in its independence.

"If the question comes down to "This is a good story and it was legally obtained, but I might be ad boarded,' I'll run it," MacMillan says. "Anyone who becomes an executive knows that they may be called upon to do this."

MacMillan says she is willing to make sacrifices for The Crimson's right to free speech. "I have grown to adore The Crimson's independence," she says. "I see us get picked up by The New York Times and The Washington Post. The students here really run the paper."