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ACP Forums
This is an archived ACP Forums thread.
CCAC North Campus Voice - consolidation threat
Michelle Eichner - North Campus Voice, 9/21/2005, 8:08:08 AM
I am not sure if you could possibly help me with this matter or not but I am trying to find any help I can. My name is Michelle Eichner and I live in Wexford, Pennsylvania (just north of Pittsburgh). I am a student at the Community College of Allegheny, North Campus and the Editor in Chief at our campus newspaper, The Voice. We are a member of the ACP.
The publications of our student newspapers, from all four of the campuses in the college, have been forced to stop print by administrative action. Dr. Brian Johnson, Senior Vice President, Student and Community Services and CEO of Allegheny Campus appointed Dr. Renee Clark of South Campus to mandate that ALL publications of the campus papers cease immediately. Dr. Johnson has initiated a plan to combine all campus newspapers into one publication distributed to all four campuses.
A direct quote from Dr. Renee Clark quotes, “This approach <one newspaper> is far less labor intensive than rushing to publish individual campus newspapers which may hit news stands at different times of different months (Oct? Nov? Dec? Jan?). That approach is inefficient, time-consuming, and labor intensive.”
Students at CCAC have been running their own separate newspapers for years and will learn or those returning students are well aware of what is needed to get a finalized issue of the paper out on the stands. Administrators have never had a hand in the student publications before and our papers have always been a success. Personally, as Editor in Chief at one of the campus papers, I love the whole process and feel a great sense of achievement once it is all complete. Is that not the idea of a student organized paper?
I truly feel this action denies students the right to publish their own community's paper. I feel our rights are being violated even more due to the fact that our individual newspapers are paid for by student activity fees and advertising solicited by the students. Four separate campus newspapers have never been an issue before and for this to come out of the blue without any input or vote from the students who work diligently on the newspapers or their advisors is absurd.
I fear that our student publications produced by the students and for the students on each campus, will surely turn into one controlled administrative/staff dictated and decided publication. I know the other campuses at CCAC may work a little differently than our campus newspaper, The Voice, because the Journalism students write and edit the paper with our Journalism instructor there for advising and to oversee the publication. Our content is solely chosen by the students and has consistently portrayed the school in a positive light. We have never published any vulgar, indecent, or libelous material, only fact.
The Assistant Dean of Student Life at North Campus, Dr. Mary Lou Kennedy assured that Dr. Johnson and his team only wish to present a united front as far as the campuses and students are concerned. But consolidation only limits our individual campus capabilities. I have always felt the unique and diverse individuality of each campus has brought the campuses together as one outstanding school. The individual campus newspapers illustrate this fact and cater to the students attending that particular campus. The students and the campuses were perfect as separate but equal entities under the same governing body of CCAC.
Our College President, Dr. Stewart Sutin (ssutin@ccac.edu) is not supporting the students in this matter, he is simply saying this will only be a positive and "assures the outcome will be a continuation of positive experiences even if it is within the confines of a system wide publication."
I am looking for help here and I am not sure where exactly to find it.
What I am trying to find out is if they can actually do this to a public college student newspaper that is funded by student activity fees and money from solicited ads? Because it is my understanding that at a public college this is threatening federally guaranteed freedoms of college students. Is this legal? Can students do anything to stop the administration from taking over the newspapers and ending their existence?
Any assistance in this matter would be greatly appreciated! I know in the big scheme of this world, this matter is just a drop in the bucket, but it means so much to me and other students at the campuses.
Thank you for your time and my apologies if I have taken up your time with a matter that is out of your area-
Thank you again!
Michelle Eichner – North Campus Voice – Editor in Chief
Responses
Mary Mazzocco, 9/25/2005, 10:59:31 PM
I am the journalism adviser at a community college in Northern California.
I am a little unclear from your message what role your college has in publishing your newspaper -- in other words, is there a newspaper production class or are your papers put out by students acting independently or as a club? Do you have a full or part-time faculty member involved with the newspaper? Does the faculty member merely advise you, rather than edit and direct your production? Does your newspaper act as a public forum by accepting letters to the editor and opinion pieces from the campus community at large? Is your college a public or private college?
The answers to these questions determine how much can be done to forestall your administrator's action.
If you are at a public school and your newspaper has been acting as a public forum, with faculty acting in an advisory role rather than being actively involved in producing content (or faculty not involved at all!), your administrator has pretty clearly violated your First Amendment rights and you would have a pretty good legal case to prevent your newspapers from being shut down. I would recommend contacting the Student Press Law Center, which provides free legal help to students and educators: www.splc.org, 703-807-1904.
You should also conduct a public relations campaign against the closure: Call local newspapers, talk to editorial writers, get alumni to show up at board of trustee meetings and write letters. Talk to your faculty union, if you have one: If the administrator made a unilateral decision to cancel the program at your campus, without going through shared governance, the faculty should be willing to take up your battle.
Good luck.
Michelle, The Oswegonian, 9/26/2005, 11:47:15 PM
Hey Michelle
This is such a tough situation to be put in for you. Right now I'm doing a abstract fot my Media Law class about Hosty v. Carter, a case that is rather noteworthy among student journalists. Basically, it ruled that an administration can regulate the publication of a college newspaper. The ruligns in the intermediate courts were very saddening as I was reading them about an hour ago.
Anyway, your college system is unique in that there are 4 competing publications. Has anyone in your journalism department (students and faculty) tried to appeal to the administration about this? I think you can stress the importance of having competing papers. They all check the other, increasing healthy compeition and the desire to ensure stories' accuracy.
If the paper's styles are different,you may want to stress that consolodating four publications would be detrimental to the journalistic freedom and growth that a college campus is supposed to provide.
I think that there's some other reason behind the sudden need to consolodate that the administration has not brought up.
Get people involved--those who are with the paper and those who are not. It's important that the student body show that there is a need to keep these papers from disolving.
Good luck!
Michelle
E-in-C, The Oswegonian
SUNY Oswego
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