5241 Board of Student Publications Procedure

Procedure

Policy Name: Board of Student Publications  

Policy Number: 5241  

Applicable Code/Law: N/A  

Procedural Guidelines 

Principles  

  1. The Board of Student Publications shall subscribe to the following statement about student publications based closely on a statement from the American Association of University of Professors. 
  2. Student publications and the student press are valuable aids in establishing and maintaining an atmosphere of free and responsible discussion and of intellectual exploration on the campus. They are a means of bringing student concerns to the attention of the faculty and the institutional authorities and of formulating student opinion on various issues on the campus and in the world at large.  
  3. Whenever possible the student newspaper should be an independent corporation financially and legally separate from the college or university. Where financial and legal autonomy is not possible, the institution, as the publisher of student publications, may have to bear the legal responsibility for the contents of the publications. In the delegation of editorial responsibility to students, the institution must provide sufficient editorial freedom and financial autonomy for the student publications to maintain their integrity of purpose as vehicles for free inquiry and free expression in an academic community.  
  4. Institutional authorities, in consultation with students and faculty, have a responsibility to provide written clarification of the role of the student publications, the standards to be used in their evaluation, and the limitations on external control of their operation. At the same time, the editorial freedom of student editors and managers entails corollary responsibilities to be governed by the canons of responsible journalism, such as the avoidance of libel, indecency, undocumented allegations, attacks on personal integrity, and the techniques of harassment and innuendo. As safeguards for the editorial freedom of student publications the following provisions are necessary:  
  5. The student press should be free of censorship and advance approval of copy, and its editors and managers should be free to develop their own editorial policies and news coverage.  
  6. Editors and managers of student publications should be protected from arbitrary suspension and removal because of student, faculty, administration, or public disapproval of editorial. Only for proper and stated causes should editors and managers be subject to removal and then only by orderly and prescribed procedures.  
  7. The agency responsible for the appointment of editors and managers should be the agency responsible for their removal. 
  8. All institutionally published and financed student publications should explicitly state on the editorial page that the opinions there expressed are not necessarily those of the college, university, or student body.  
  9. Editors should subscribe to the canons of responsible journalism. At the same time, they should be protected from arbitrary suspension and removal because of student, faculty, administrative, or public disapproval of editorial policy or content. Only for proper and stated causes should editors be subject to removal and then by orderly and prescribed procedures.  

Purpose  

  1. The purpose of the Board of Student Publications is to be a support service for Associated Student Government (ASG) and media, publications and the school newspaper. For example, it may make recommendations that will assist in the resolution of crises not resolvable by the editor or advisor of the medium. However, the Board of Student Publications will avoid placing itself between the medium and the campus community it serves.  
  2. The publications faculty and advisors, who are responsible to the Board of Student Publications and lead in the selection of supervising editors, shall have the authority and responsibility for day-to-day operations of the publications, lead in the selection of supervising editors, and oversee financial decisions. The editor of each publication is responsible for the content in the publication.  
  3. The (ASG) shall exercise its responsibility and authority concerning the Board of Student Publications through its appointed student members and through appropriation of monies necessary to supplement advertising and subscription revenues of student publications.  
  4. The College administration shall exercise its responsibility and authority concerning the Board of Student Publications through the President's appointment of a faculty or professional staff member to the Board of Student Publications, the appropriation of monies, and through the President's general directive powers applying to all Shoreline Community College agencies.  

Membership  

There shall be eight voting members of which five are students selected as follows:  

  1. One student appointed by the Vice President for Students, Equity & Success (VP-SES).  
  2. One editorial staff member from each student publication appointed by their publication staff members.  
  3. One student appointed by the ASG Executive Board.  
  4. One member of the ASG elected by the ASG. 
  5. Three faculty and/or professional staff members a. One to be appointed by the President of the College. b. One by the Faculty Union President. c. One shall be the Humanities Division Dean or their designated representative.  
  6. There shall be ex-officio members (without vote) as follows:  
    1. The VP-SES.  
    2. The advisor(s) of each publication.  
    3. A faculty or staff member, from the business or finance area, selected by the Board of Student Publications.  
    4. The editor of each publication.  
    5. The ASG president.  

Functions The Board of Student Publications shall:  

  • Select its own chair.  
  • Aim to meet once a quarter during the regular academic year. 
  • Approve the appointment of advisors for each student publication upon the recommendation of the Humanities Division Dean.  
  • Give general support to, as well as confirm the appointment and dismissal of the supervising editors of the Ebbtide, Spindrift and other ASG generated publications.  
  • Review and approve budget requests for each of the publications.  
  • Accept responsibility for additional publications at the request of the ASG Executive Board and the President of the College.  

When selecting the Ebbtide Editor in Chief (hereafter, editor) the Ebbtide will advertise the availability of the editor position opening.  

Application for Positions  

  1. Ebbtide Editor 
    1. Applicants will submit the following in writing to the Board of Student Publications Chair 
      1. Name, address, number of quarters at Shoreline CC and educational background  
      2. Experience in journalism and writing in general.  
      3. An outline of what they consider the role of a college newspaper on the campus and, in general, what they would do as editor to carry out that role.  
    2. Applications must be received seven days before the election. 
    3. The Board of Student Publications Chair shall send them, without delay, to all members of the Board of Student Publications.  
    4. Role of Ebbtide Staff: The staff of the Ebbtide has the privilege of recommending one or more applicants for the editorship. Any applicant for the position should request an interview with the staff of the Ebbtide to compete for the staff's recommendation. 
      1. The staff will first bring its recommendation to the advisor who will then bring it to the Board of Student Publications for confirmation. 
      2. The Ebbtide representative will cast one personal vote for editor and one vote as instructed by the Ebbtide staff.  
    5. Role of Ebbtide Advisor: The Ebbtide advisor has the privilege of recommending one or more applicants for editor. Applicants for the position may request an interview with the advisor in order to compete for the advisor's recommendation.  
      1. The Ebbtide advisor will give the same written examination problems or questions to each applicant for editor.  
      2. The examination will be used as part of the selection criteria by the Board of Student Publications members.  
    6. The Board of Student Publications will make the appointment of the new editor.  
      1. Each voting member of the Board will cast one vote with the exception of the Ebbtide representative who will cast two votes as provided in D.4.a(3)(c). When three or more candidates are running for editor, final selection will be through a runoff vote between the top two candidates.
        1. If the position of editor becomes vacant before the end of the incumbent's tenure, the Board of Student Publications shall call a meeting immediately to interview candidates and to appoint a successor to fill the unexpired term giving first priority to current Ebbtide staff.  
    7. Paid Ebbtide staff positions other than the Editor will be selected by the Ebbtide Advisor and the Ebbtide Editor.  
      1. If these two cannot reach a decision or agree on the appointment of staff members, the Board of Student Publications will meet to interview and appoint the paid staff members.  
    8. Spindrift and other student publications editors
      1. Advisors will submit one or more nominations for approval by the Board of Student Publications.  

Dismissal of Student Editors in Chief  

Grounds for dismissal or suspension shall be a) gross incompetence, or b) willful and/or repeated standards as defined in the American Society of Newspaper Editors’ Code of Ethics.  

  1. Allegations of such incompetence or irresponsibility may be lodged with the Board of Publications by the advisor, responsible and experienced members of the student publications staff, or members of the Board of Publications. 
  2. No student editor shall be dismissed or suspended without being informed by the publication advisor of the specific charges and given adequate opportunity to mount a defense.  
  3. Student editors will be suspended by the advisor only in extreme cases after the advisor has consulted with the student involved and notified both the editor and the Chair of the Board of Student Publications in writing.  
  4. Upon receipt of written notification, the Chair of the Board of Student Publications will call a meeting of the Board within five instructional days.  
    1. No student editor shall be dismissed or suspended without being informed by the publication advisor of the specific charges and given adequate opportunity mount a defense before the Board of Student Publications.  
    2. The student editor's defense may include help from an advisor and the right to challenge testimony and question accusers.  
    3. The Board of Student Publications hearing on continuing employment shall be informal and judicial procedures governing admissibility of evidence shall not apply.  
    4. The Board of Student Publications hearing on dismissal or suspension of a student editor shall relate only to the question of his/her employment as editor of that publication.  
    5. The Board of Student Publications shall not institute any disciplinary action beyond dismissal or suspension from the position of editor. 

Meetings  

  1. Meetings of the Board of Student Publications will be open to the public and press. 
  2. The Board of Student Publications shall develop rules of procedure for conducting its meetings. 

Approvals 

Procedures Adopted: 6/6/89 
Procedures Reviewed by Faculty Senate: 1/25/17 
Procedures Revised: 1/13/18