As the last issue of The Chronicle goes to print, no editorial board is in place for the 2008-2009 school year because the administration has suspended the selection process.
Applications for editorial board positions were completed and filed on April 7. On that same day, “The Chronicle was told by members of the administration to hold off on our normal process of choosing editors for next school year,” said Jason Braff, Editor in Chief of The Chronicle, in an e-mail to editorial board applicants last week.
“At this point I don’t have a comment for you and I am not sure of what the time-table is,” said Lynn Bushnell, Vice President of Public Affairs, when asked if a schedule is in place for selecting a new editorial board. Bushnell is one of three members of the Task Force formed early this semester to asses the media policies on campus.
As of now, the future of the Chronicle is unknown.
The Task Force has recommended that The Chronicle become independent after a year, but no information has been relayed to the current editorial board or faculty advisor as to what is happening.
“I’m concerned that come August, when the new semester begins, there won’t be an editorial board in place,” said Margarita Diaz, The Chronicle’s faculty advisor. “The Chronicle plays too important a role on campus for it to be put on hold like this.”
Diaz and Braff have contacted members of the Task Force several times.
Dean of Students Manuel Carreiro, who was out of the office for several days, told Diaz via e-mail that when he returned he would inform The Chronicle about the editorial board selection process. Carreiro has been in the office since April 17 and at press time, the selection process still remains on hold.
“Things are still at a standstill right now and it doesn’t seem that there is a plan in place for us. I’m worried that we will not be prepared for the beginning of next semester,” Braff said. “It’s getting late; by this time for the past couple years the editorial board has already been in place for the next school year.”
The administration has built a wall between The Chronicle and the University, leaving Chronicle readers and writers in the dark.
As a student organization, we have no say in our future.
According to our meeting with President John L. Lahey last month, the recommendations given to us on a sheet of paper were just “recommendations” and nothing has been officially set.
He told us that this meeting was for the best interest of the paper, but there was no student input in the Task Force, leaving these recommendations to be developed solely by the administration.
For all I know, this could be the very last issue of The Chronicle. The hours I put into this publication every day to ensure the best possible quality seem meaningless.
Instead, we are forced to fight an uphill battle with an administration that has failed to include students in the process to determine the future of a student organization.
Now, by putting the selection process for next year’s editorial board on hold, the wheels are turning in a process to remove The Chronicle from the campus.
