The Society of Professional Journalists Bluegrass Pro Chapter donated $1,000 to the Kentucky Kernel’s legal defense fund Tuesday. 

The Bluegrass Pro Chapter said in a press release last week that President Eli Capilouto “vilified” the paper in his recent comments at a UK Board of Trustees meeting on Sept. 9. Capilouto said the Kernel printed “salacious” details of a sexual assault and harassment investigation against a former associate professor. 

The university denied the independent student newspaper the documents of the investigation. The Kentucky Attorney General’s Office ruled UK should release the documents. UK has appealed the matter to Fayette County Circuit Court. 

The Bluegrass Pro Chapter’s Board of Directors voted unanimously to donate to the Kernel. 

The Kernel’s GoFundMe campaign has reached $13,081 as of Wednesday morning. The newspaper’s goal is $15,000.