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From President Jack
Miller:
Because student newspapers and other
student media provide incomparable educational
laboratories for students interested in
journalism and communication; because, rightly
or wrongly, they tend to represent the
institution in public perception; and because
they are supported by the institution through
student fees, use of the institution’s
facilities, and use of the institution’s
technology and infrastructure, it is incumbent
upon the Central Connecticut State University
community to examine a range of issues brought
into even sharper focus by a recent issue of the
Recorder. I chose to wait for a while after the
publication of a particularly controversial
op-ed piece because I don’t want our work to
center just on one article.
Therefore, I
am now charging a task force composed of members
drawn from appropriate offices and departments
and the student body to examine the following
matters and such others as deemed relevant to
render recommendations to the University
community. This will be a short-lived task force
to examine and make recommendations on the
overall issues of the work and support of the
Recorder and perhaps other campus media. They
may well recommend different approaches for the
Media Board, Advisors, etc. However, their role
will not be to implement the changes. The work
will include:
1. Review of the Recorder’s
Constitution, Mission, and such other pertinent
enabling and defining documents as (a.) U.S.
Supreme Court decisions regarding collegiate
student newspapers; and (b.) the constitutions
of the other CSUS student newspapers; (c.) court
decisions regarding “protected speech,” “hate
speech,” and first amendment
principles.
2. Examine the roles of
editorial oversight and of mentor oversight:
what are the current practices and expectations?
How do they relate to the processes codified in
the Recorder’s Constitution? How do they compare
with those of other universities in the CSUS or
Central’s peer institutions? Review the role of
advisors—both faculty and professional staff—at
CSUS and other peer universities, in particular
such matters as compensation, course load
adjustments, percentage of work time devoted to
advising, and other work-related matters.
Examine the role and responsibilities of the
Media Board and other advisement across all
forms of campus media.
3. Examine the
funding of the Recorder and how it compares with
peer institutions in sources and amounts, and
determine how that interfaces with the ability
in recruiting student journalists.
4.
Examine measures which are in place—at CCSU and
at its peer institutions—for educating student
journalists in responsible journalism; in
community standards, particularly the expression
of misogynistic, racist, homophobic,
anti-Semitic, and other prejudicial ideas in
print.
5. Examine appropriate alternative
responses to pieces not deemed defensible by
segments of the University community.
I
ask the group to hold at least one campus
meeting to solicit and openly discuss ideas from
the campus community. Further, I ask that the
group prepare a report with findings and
recommendations to be presented to the president
and the campus community by the end of this
semester.
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