Statement of Policies
Washington State UniversityBoard of Student Publications
This document shall govern the Board of Student Publications and all publications and attendant activities coming under its purview. The authority of the Board of Student Publications is derived from the Washington State University Board of Regents through the Office of the President. The scope of this authority is dictated by the university’s charter and applicable laws of the State of Washington and the United States.
Students of Washington State University have the undeniable right as guaranteed by the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution to speak, write and publish their sentiments freely on all subjects and shall be free from censorship, advance review or approval.
Student editors and managers shall be free to develop their own editorial policies regarding news coverage, or content without interference by the university or its administrators, faculty, staff or agencies. The university shall provide for the exercise of these freedoms with various student publications serving as public forums for expression. Students working within Student Publications shall bear the legal responsibility for what they speak, write and publish.
Washington State University shall make no rule, regulation or policy that abridges students’ freedom of speech and of the press. To protect these freedoms, Washington State University prohibits any university official from requiring student or professional staff members to submit materials for prior review, or imposing sanctions against any student or Student Publications professional staff member on the basis of the content of any student publication. University officials, faculty, staff or agencies shall neither directly, nor indirectly, compel nor prohibit speech on the basis of the views expressed. Moreover, university officials shall not deny funding based on the content of these publications.
Section I. Charge to the Board of Student Publications
The charge to the Board of Student Publications includes the following general powers and responsibilities:A. To monitor all publications and to develop, implement and mediate policies of governance for Student Publications.
B. To act as a liaison between Student Publications and the campus and community at large, and to act as an advocate for the students and their publications.
C. To approve the annual budget and capital investments.
D. To provide, with the help of professional staff, input for long-range planning and goals in all areas of responsibility.
E. To appoint student managers for all publications in accordance with the Operating Bylaws.
F. To establish, consolidate or discontinue any publication under its control, subject to approval of the university president and the Board of Regents.
G. To ensure that facilities and equipment shall be used only for productions of Student Publications.
H. To ensure that all properties, funds, securities and titles of any publications established under Board of Student Publications authority shall be managed in accordance with the fiscal management policies of Washington State University.
I. To approve operating bylaws and to adopt grievance and appeal procedures.
Section II. General Manager Responsibilities
The general manager for Student Publications is delegated the following responsibilities by the Board of Student Publications:A. To act as principal fiscal officer with responsibilities to effect prudent fiscal control over Student Publications. The general manager shall administer the day-to-day operations of Student Publications and manage all business and budget affairs of its employees.
B. To evaluate, hire and terminate professional staff in accordance with university policies. The Board of Student Publications shall be informed of any changes of employee status.
C. To maintain financial records and report regularly to the board.
D. To prepare and update annually a long-range plan for systematic growth of Student Publications and an operating budget for the fiscal year, subject to Board of Student Publications approval.
E. To monitor and enforce the policies of the Board of Student Publications.
F. To provide written notification and agendas for board meetings at least one week prior to board meetings.
Section III. Professional Staff Advisory Responsibilities
Responsibilities of the professional staff of Student Publications are threefold: to oversee and protect the financial viability of the organization, to facilitate student expression and participation in Student Publications, and to organize and direct specific training activities in applicable journalistic laws and practices.Section IV. Amendments to the Statement of Policies
Proposed changes to the Statement of Policies and/or Operating Bylaws must be published in The Daily Evergreen at least three weeks prior to a vote by the Board of Student Publications. A proposed change requires a two-thirds affirmative vote of a two-thirds quorum of the voting membership of the Board of Student Publications. The university president or a designee outside the Board of Student Publications shall have final approval of changes to the Statement of Policies brought forward by the Board of Student Publications.Section V. Emergency Meetings of the Board of Student Publications
Any member of the Board of Student Publications or any 15 members of the campus community, through written petition to the general manager, may call an emergency meeting of the Board of Student Publications and determine items on the agenda. Such meetings shall follow established procedures with the chair or vice-chair presiding. Any emergency meeting must attain a simple quorum to conduct official business. An informational meeting may be conducted if a quorum is not attained.Operating Bylaws
The public is welcome to participate in meetings of the Board of Student Publications and to propose agenda items on any issues not related to content of the publications. All Board of Student Publications meetings shall include a period for public comment.Section I. Board Membership
The Board of Student Publications shall be comprised of 16 voting members and one nonvoting member.A. Nine student members, all voting: Students shall be full-time WSU students. Members shall include one representative from the freshman, sophomore, junior, senior and graduate classes; and student managers; The Daily Evergreen editor, advertising manager and graphics manager; and Chinook yearbook editor.
1. All students on the Board of Student Publications, with the exception of the student managers, shall serve staggered terms of three years, or until they no longer are full-time students of WSU.B. Seven members of the faculty and staff, all voting:
2. The Associated Students of Washington State University shall provide a list of at least three students to fill each undergraduate vacancy. The Graduate and Professional Students Association shall provide at least three names for the graduate student vacancy. These lists shall be forwarded to the university president, who shall make the appropriate appointments. If such lists are not sent to the president within three weeks, the Office of Institutional Research shall be asked by the board to complete the list with qualified students selected at random. The completed list shall be forwarded within three weeks to the president for appointment.
1. Faculty and staff nominations shall be made by the following areas:C. The general manager for Student Publications shall serve as secretary of the board and shall be a permanent nonvoting member. The professional staff of Student Publications may attend all meetings.
a. A representative of the Office of University Relations.2. All faculty and staff nominations from the respective areas shall be forwarded to the university president, who shall appoint members of the Board of Student Publications.
b. A representative of the Office of the Vice President of Business and Finance, finance division.
c. A representative of the School of Communication, journalism emphasis.
d. Two at-large members of the faculty, to be nominated by the Faculty Senate Committee on Committees.
e. A representative of the Office of Student Affairs, student activities area.
f. An at-large ethnic minority, nominated by the Provost Office.
3. All appointments, except that of the general manager, shall be for three-year terms with eligibility for reappointment.
D. Any Board of Student Publications member missing two consecutive meetings without appointing a proxy and notifying the chair of the board or the general manager will be removed from the board. The appropriate nominating body shall be notified immediately if a member is removed.
1. The chair of the Board of Student Publications shall be a voting member of the board elected to a minimum of a one-year term.E. A quorum of two-thirds of the voting members must be present for appointment of student managers and adoption of the annual budget, with a majority vote required of voting members present. A simple majority shall constitute a quorum for all other business except as noted elsewhere.
2. The vice chair shall be a student voting member elected to at least a one-year term and shall serve as chair in the chair’s absence.
3. Proxies shall have the power to vote.
F. Amendment to the Statement of Policies or the Operating Bylaws shall require a two-thirds vote from a two-thirds quorum of the voting members.
G. For voting purposes, the size of a quorum shall be based on the number of officially seated board members.
H. Amendments or changes to the Operating Bylaws do not require Board of Regents ratification for implementation.
Section II. Selection of Student Managers
Applicants shall submit the proper application forms at filing times, to be announced in The Daily Evergreen prior to application deadline, and interview before the Board of Student Publications at a designated time. Student managers shall be accountable for upholding the policies and procedures set forth by the board, pertinent to the positions for which they apply.The following criteria must be met by all applying for student manager positions at Student Publications:
A. Applicants shall be students enrolled at Washington State University who are not on academic or disciplinary probation.
B. Applicants shall have at least a 2.3 cumulative grade point average.
C. Applicants shall not hold an elective or appointive position in student government during their tenure as a manager for Student Publications.
D. Those appointed shall accept the leadership duties and responsibilities as defined in their job description in Section VI of the Operating Bylaws.
E. Terms of appointment for student managers shall conform to the job descriptions in Section VI of the Operating Bylaws. All student managers are eligible to apply for additional terms.
F. Student managers shall be responsible for selecting and organizing their respective staffs. Each shall have the authority to remove any staff member duly appointed, subject to the policies and procedures established by the Board of Student Publications and the university, and each shall inform his/her professional staff adviser and the general manager of any changes.
Section III. Conflicts of Interest
All student staff members are required to notify their respective student managers when and in what capacity they intend to work for competing media.In the event of a perceived conflict of interest, the student manager in the affected area shall determine an appropriate course of action in consultation with that student, the general manager and respective professional staff member of that area.
Student managers are required to inform professional staff and the general manager if they intend to work for competing media and in what capacity.
The Board of Student Publications shall mediate unresolved disputes.
Section IV. Filling Vacancies of Student Manager Positions
In the event of the resignation of a student manager or a vacancy resulting from unforeseen circumstances, an interim appointment shall be made by agreement from among professional staff, the general manager and remaining student managers.The interim appointee may petition the board in writing for permanent appointment and forward that petition to the chair of the board. The Board of Student Publications shall determine the method of filing for permanent appointment.
Section V. Removal of Student Managers
The Board of Student Publications may remove a board-appointed student manager for failure to perform his or her duties and responsibilities as required by the job description in section VI of the Operating Bylaws. Content-based issues are expressly disallowed as grounds for removal, in accordance with the Statement of Policies.A petition for removal must be submitted in writing to the chair of the board or the general manager and brought before a two-thirds quorum of voting members. The petitioner and student manager shall have equal time before the Board of Student Publications, and interested parties may b heard at the discretion of the chair. A majority vote to remove a student manager must be obtained from the full voting membership.
In the event of such removal, an interim appointment shall be made, as described in Section IV of the Operating Bylaws.