Media Board Meeting
March 2, 2007
1849 Meeting Room
Student Center
Present: Susan Sweeney, Rebecca Barrieau, Vivian Martin, Otis Mamed, Faith Olsen, Sean Arcarese, Maurice Ledoux, John Adam Tercyak-Morgan, Mike McDonald, Jamie Paakkonen, Mark Rowan, Amanda James (Media University Assistant) and Tiffany Moffo (Guest)
I. Welcome
Ms. Sweeney called the
meeting to order at 12:15 p.m.
The minutes from the January 12th meeting were reviewed.
Motion: (Tercyak-Morgan/Mamed) To approve the January 12, 2007 Media Board Minutes.
Motion Passed (9Yes, 0 No, 0 Abstained)
II.Attendance
Attendance was passed around.
III. Media Board Membership
Ms. Barrieau spoke about the Media Board membership positions as stated in Article IV, Section 4.2 of the constitution.
4.2 The governing authority for student media at CCSU shall be the Media Board.
A. The following shall serve as members of the Board:
1. One full-time undergraduate student at large appointed by the Student Senate (not necessarily a member of the Senate).
2. Two students from The Recorder: the editor and one other permanent designee
3. Two students of the Helix: the President and one other permanent designee
4. Two students of WFCS: the General Manager and one other permanent designee
5. Two students at large appointed the Media Board (applications may be solicited from campus at large in the beginning of each academic year).
6. One academic faculty representative at large appointed by the President
7. One administrative faculty resource appointed by the Vice President for Student Affairs (can not be the same as SA/LD rep)
8. One representative of local community.
Ms. Barrieau discussed the positions that need to be filled, such as the student at large appointed by the Student Senate. The Media Board also needs another student-at-large. The faculty representative-at-large needs to be appointed by the president and Ms. Sweeney suggested that the Media Board make recommendations to the president as to who from the faculty might have an interest. Lastly, the Media Board needs a representative of the local community, as Chip McCabe will not be able to serve as the community representative because of previous time commitments.
Ms. Barrieau encouraged Media Board members to be on the look out for people to fill these positions so that the Media Board can become more diverse in its members.
IV. Purpose and History of the Media Board
Ms. Sweeney took a moment to talk about the history and purpose of the Media Board. Ms. Sweeney highlighted the Preamble of the Media Board Constitution which states its purpose.
PREAMBLE: This Constitution for the CCSU Media Board provides the structure for the continuity and functioning of student media at the University. It is the intent of the Media Board to approve the operating parameters as determined by student media organizations that will govern the student media while providing for the exercise of freedom of expression.
Ms. Sweeney also spoke about the Statement of Policy in the constitution. The Media Board helps protect media organizations from campus judicial charges when they have made errors in judgment as well as creating a sounding board for media organizations.
The Board discussed Article V, Section 5.4, which states that the Board shall require all media to develop and maintain operation manuals that provide the organization with a set of standards and a level of continuity year to year. The Board will provide student media with constructive feedback regarding whether mediums are maintaining their own standards and whether the SOPs are clearly stated. Ms. Sweeney stated that we need to be sure that the media organizations are creating operation manuals and following these guidelines.
V. State of CCSU Media in Response to The Recorder
Ms. Sweeney suggested that the board members go around the table and share their reactions to the opinion article placed in The Recorder on February 7, 2007 written by student John Petroski titled, “Rape Only Hurts If You Fight It.”
Mr. Tercyak-Morgan stated that as student leaders we are supposed to be learning from our roles. He continued to say that although, this controversy may have shed a bad light on CCSU it was a learning experience, not only for The Recorder, but for all media organizations.
Mr. McDonald spoke next and stated that the good thing about the Media Board is its ability to act as a sounding board for media organizations and that it is able to support its organizations in times like this.
Mr. Arcarese said that, although, The Recorder has the right to free speech that he thought this article crossed the line.
Mr. Ledoux stated that although he would not have published this article that he hopes it was a learning experience. He also stated that he was shocked at the campus reaction to the article as he had always thought of CCSU as a progressive school, not a school that would try to censor free speech.
Ms.Olson did not agree with the article but hopes it was a good learning experience for The Recorder.
Mr. Mamed spoke next and said that he was shocked at the lack of information on campus. This was not a case of money or poor advising and that the proper channels were completely bypassed. Although, Mr. Mamed did not agree with the article he supported The Recorder in printing it, and we as a campus are learning from this experience.
Ms. Barrieau stated that she completely agrees with Mr. Mamed. She shared that nobody on campus has contacted her, as the Media Board Chairperson to complain about the article. There is misinformation about what the Media Board represents and she supports the media organizations on what they decide to produce and personal taste, for her, is irrelevant. Ms. Barrieau pointed out that nobody on campus, apart from the Media Board members, attended this meeting.
Mr. Rowan spoke about the events that unfolded after the article was printed. The Recorder had five emergency meetings every night beginning February 7th, the day the article was printed. It was difficult for the executive board to know what to do, as many of them are friends of John Petroski. John Petroski told The Recorder that he had not wanted to hurt anyone and the editorial board had a meeting on Saturday, February 10, to vote on three things. They voted on whether or not to demote Mark Rowan, the board decided not to. The board also voted on whether or not to demote John Petroski, the board voted not to. Lastly, the board voted on whether or not to review the editorial process, the board voted yes to this. After this meeting the executive board decided to meet again the next night, Sunday, February 11. The board was not happy with John Petroski’s reaction to the campus controversy and came to the conclusion that he was not qualified to be an opinion editor for The Recorder. The board voted to demote John Petroski as Opinion Editor and keep him on as a staff writer.
Mr. Rowan also spoke about the additions to the editorial process. When an editorial is written there will be more safeguards before it is published. Mr. Rowan said that he would have the revised editorial process to share at our next meeting.
VI. Board Business
Ms. Sweeney suggested that all the media organizations look at their constitutions and go over their infrastructure to see if there are any changes they think should be made.
VII. Sharing
Mr. Tercyak-Morgan shared that WFCS has a new volunteer, Don, who is an engineer. Don advised WFCS to purchase their own server to facilitate their internet broadcasting. Ms. Sweeney suggested that they speak to the director of the Student Center and get some recommendations from him before purchasing anything. Mr. Rowan said that The Recorder was also thinking about buying a server. Ms. Sweeney suggested that the Media Board develop a sub-committee to investigate the purchase further. Mr. Tercyak-Morgan also informed the board that MetalFest will be March 15th in Alumni Hall and Semesters.
Mr. Rowan spoke for The Recorder. The Recorder will be attending a The National College Newspaper Convention March 8-March 11 and will be sending 10 people. This conference will include many lectures and workshops on ethics in journalism and they hope to grow from this experience. The Recorder is hoping to publish a rape and sexual assault awareness spread in their March 7 issue.
Mr. Arcarese and Mr. Ledoux said that the Helix is hoping to have a release party on May 10th. They would also like to learn more about using Quark. Ms. Sweeney suggested that they connect with I.T. about attending a CCSU training class. The Helix would also like to update their website. Ms. Sweeney suggested that they hire someone and that Student Activities could help facilitate their employment.
Ms. Olsen spoke for Dial Yearbook. They purchased computers and are set up in the Club Shop. They are hoping to get a closer idea of the release date for their DVD Yearbook.
VIII. Vance Lecture
Ms. Sweeney asked the Media Board whether or not they wanted to purchase a table for dinner for Media Board members at the Vance Lecture on April 4, featuring Dan Rather.
Motion: (Ledoux/Paakkonen) To approve the purchase of a table for the Media Board at the Vance Lecture, for $850.00.
Motion Passed (9Yes, 0 No, 0 Abstained) (MB07-003)
IX. Next meeting times
It was decided that the next Media Board meeting would be March 12th at 12 p.m.
Last updated: Wednesday April 25, 2007