UNIVERSITY OF WASHINGTON
BOARD OF STUDENT PUBLICATIONS BYLAWS
(as amended March 6, 1998)
I. PURPOSE
The purpose of the Board of Student Publications is to centralize authority and responsibility for general matters pertaining to The Daily of the University of Washington and Student Directory and other publications authorized by Board. The Publisher/Editorial Adviser, who is responsible to the Board, shall have the authority and responsibility for day-to-day operations of the publications.
The Associated Students of the University of Washington, the Graduate and Professional Student Senate and The Daily staff shall be represented by either elected or appointed representatives.
The School of Communications, the Faculty Senate and the University Administration shall be represented by either elected or appointed representatives.
II. MEMBERSHIP
A. Voting Membership: there shall be nine voters as follows:
1. Two students (a student defined as a person enrolled at the University of Washington for at least six (6) or more undergraduate academic credits, not including correspondence credits) shall be appointed by the ASUW President and approved by the Board o f Control, each for two-year staggered terms. Neither student shall be an ASUW or GPSS officer, a BOC member or an ASUW Finance and Budget Committee member while serving on the Publications Board.
2. One graduate student shall be appointed by the President of the GPSS and approved by the GPSS Executive Committee for a one-year term. The student shall be neither a BOC or a F&B member, nor an ASUW or GPSS officer while serving on the Publications Boa rd.
3. Two student members shall be elected by The Daily staff to two-year staggered terms. Neither student shall be an ASUW or GPSS officer, a BOC member or an F&B member while serving on the Publications Board. A representative of The Daily staff shall be a member of The Daily staff during his/her term of office.
a. A Daily Editor or Advertising Manager shall neither be a candidate for or serve on the Publications Board for at least one quarter, including summer quarter, after his/her term of office has ended.
b. Daily staff members shall be qualified to vote for Board representatives if they were on The - Daily payroll in March, April or May of the year an election is held.
c. The Daily staff's election for Board representation shall be held annually in May.
d. In the event a general or special election is necessary, a roster of eligible voters will be submitted by the Editor, Advertising Manager and Publisher/Editorial Adviser. The roster shall be posted at least four days prior to the election.
Page 2
e. In any election, disputes about voter eligibility will be arbitrated by the Chairperson, Editor, Advertising Manager, Publisher and a representative from the Student Chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists.
f. The call for a special election shall be made by the Publisher/Editorial Adviser, who will post notices in conspicuous places in the newsroom, advertising office and the Photo lab two weeks prior to the election.
4. One faculty member from the School of Communications shall be appointed by the Director of that school for a two-year term.
5. One faculty member shall be appointed by the Chairperson of the Faculty Senate for a two-year term.
6. One member of either the administration or faculty shall be appointed by the President of the University for a two-year term.
7. One professional journalist shall be chosen from outside the University by the President of the University for a two-year term.
B. Non-voting Members
The Publisher/Editorial Adviser, The Daily's Editor-in-Chief and The Daily's Advertising Manager shall be ex-officio members of the Board.
C. Conflict of Interest
In order to reduce or eliminate the possibility of conflict of interest resulting from the holding of multiple positions:
1. No member, while serving on the Board of Student Publications, shall hold any other elective or appointive position which the Board, by a majority vote, deems to be in conflict with the interests of any student publication under its jurisdiction.
2. To avoid possible conflicts of interest. Board members elected or appointed to other positions in University organizations must inform the Chairperson of that fact. If, in the Chair's opinion, a conflict exists, a meeting of the Board may be called to resolve the issue.
D. Written Confirmation
The ASUW and GPSS Presidents, the Chairperson of the Faculty Senate, the Director of the School of Communications, the President of the University and the Publisher/Editorial Adviser, on behalf of The Daily staff, shall certify the election or appointment of their Board representatives by a written letter to the Chairperson of the Board of Student Publications. If a Chairperson has not been elected, the letters shall be sent to the Publisher/Editorial Adviser who will give the letters to the Chair when elected.
Page 3
It shall be assumed that--barring unforeseeable circumstances --all elected or appointed Board members are eligible to serve the full term stipulated for their respective positions.
E. Proxy Representation
A member of the Board of Student Publications may designate an alternate to represent him or her at any Board meeting.
1. To cast a proxy vote, the alternate must obtain a letter of authorization signed by the Board member.
2. The letter of authorization must be given to the Chair prior to the meeting.
3. The proxy must meet all membership requirements of the particular Board member he or she represents, except that the proxy for the ASUW or GPSS Board need not be approved by the ASUW or GPSS Presidents nor the BOC or GPSS Executive Committee
4. The Director of the School of Communications, the President of the University and the President of the Faculty Senate do not have to approve the proxy selected by the Board members they appointed.
5. An authorization is valid for only one meeting of the Board.
F. Vacancies
Vacancies on the board shall be filled according to the specific position(s) being vacated and in accordance with the Bylaws of the Board of Student Publications. ASUW Presidential appointments shall be filled by the ASUW President acting with the approval of the Board of Control; the Graduate and Professional Student Senate appointment shall be filled by the GPSS President acting with the approval of the GPSS Executive Committee.
A special election shall be called to fill The Daily staff's
representative positions. The election shall be held in accordance with the procedures outlined under Section II of these bylaws.
The position of the administrator or faculty member shall be filled by the President of the University who shall also name an appointee to the position of professional journalist. The School of Communications appointment shall be made by the Director of t he school; the Chairperson of the Faculty Senate shall name an appointee to fill that position.
Each temporary appointee shall serve on the Board of Student Publications until the term of the Board member he or she is replacing expires.
Term Duration
An elected representative may serve no more than two successive years without re-election. An appointee may serve no more than two successive years without concurrence of the appointing authority. No board member shall serve more than four successive year s.
H. Eligibility
Rules of eligibility for candidacy, election or appointment to, and membership on, the Board shall be established by the Board of Student Publications pursuant to these Bylaws, and shall be consistent with University rules. Upon receipt by the Chairperson of the Board of a complaint that any member of the Board has become ineligible for said office under the rules of the University or the Bylaws of the Board of Student Publications, the Board shall meet at the earliest possible time to review the case and make Page 4
a decision on the member's eligibility to serve. If the member is declared
Bylaws.
I. Successive Absences
Unless prior notification or arrangements are made with the Chair, an absence from three (3) successive meetings during the regular sessions of meetings will constitute a vacancy. Upon confirmation and notification by the Chair, this vacancy will be filled in accordance with these Bylaws.
III. MEETINGS
The Board shall elect a Chairperson at its first meeting during the regular academic school year. One regular meeting shall be scheduled for each month of the academic school year. The Publisher/Editorial Adviser shall provide agendas to all Board members prior to all regular meetings and shall provide secretarial service.
A. Open Meetings
All meetings of the Board shall be open to the public. The dates when meetings are scheduled shall be sent to The Daily for publication. In compliance with the Open Meetings Law, notices of scheduled meetings and the agenda shall be sent to the University 's Visitors Information Center. Executive sessions may be called by the Chairperson on matters of confidential nature in compliance with the Open Meetings Law. The Chairperson shall declare an executive session ended and reopen the meeting to the press and public as soon as the Board ha s completed discussion of the confidential question which prompted the executive session.
B. Call of Meetings
A meeting of the Board may be called in compliance with the Open Meetings Law.
C. Rules of Order
Meetings shall be conducted according to the current edition of Robert's Rules of Order except where such rules are contrary to University codes and statutes, the Board of Publications Bylaws or any other applicable law.
D. Elections
1. Of Daily Editor and Advertising Manager.
b. Voting shall be in open meeting, by secret ballot, including that of the Chairperson. (This does not preclude an executive session to discuss candidates before voting).
c. Procedure:
Distribute ballots and a list of candidates to all voting members present. Each member shall write the names of a listed candidate on a ballot, fold it, and pass it to the Publisher, who shall serve as teller.
Page 5
The votes shall be tallied by the Publisher and a member of the Board not associated with The Daily. The result of the vote shall be communicated to the Chair, who shall announce it. If no one is elected, it is necessary to ballot again and to continue balloting until there is an election.
If, on the third (and any subsequent) ballot) no one is elected: Any candidate(s) receiving no votes shall be eliminated.
If all candidates receive votes, the one who receives the fewest votes
shall be eliminated.
2. Of Publisher
a. A nominating committee shall review all applications and bring nominations to the Board.
b. Others who have applied within the prescribed period may be nominated
from the floor, provided that each nomination is supported by a second.
c. A majority of the full Board is required to elect a Publisher-- that
is, five (5) votes out of a possible nine (9).
d. Voting procedures shall be the same as those outlined in Section lc, above, except that the Chairperson shall tally the votes and announce the result.
E. Suspension of Bylaws (sections or subsections)
Suspension of the Bylaws (sections or subsections) requires a two-thirds vote of the Board and pertains only to the topic under deliberation at the meeting at which it is discussed.
IV. FUNCTIONS
The Board of Student Publications shall:
A. Assure that employees of publications under its jurisdiction adhere to ethical standards appropriate to a University publication. Specifically, the Board shall assure that the Code of Ethics of the Society of Professional Journalists shall apply to the publications under its control. (See Code of Ethics).
B. Select and employ the Publisher/Editorial Adviser.
1. The Publisher/Editorial Adviser shall be the administrator of the publications policies developed by the Board.
2. In situations where the Chair is vacant, the Publisher/Editorial Adviser shall serve as Acting Chair until the election of a Chairperson. 3. The Publisher shall set advertising policy and be responsible for the day-to-day operation of The Daily, the Student Directory and any other publications authorized by the Board. He or she shall be the chief fiscal agent of the Board and be authorized to negotiate and sign contracts.
4. The Publisher shall have a clearly recognized role in the recruitment, training and supervision of Daily staff members. He or she shall be required to notify the Office of Student Employment of job openings and recommend candidates for editor and advertising manager. Page 6
5. The Publisher shall supervise the Office of Student Publications and its employees.
6. The Publisher/Editorial Adviser should have authority over material
which he or she views as violating libel, copyright or other legal restraints upon the press.
C. Establish salaries and salary ranges for the Publisher and other staff personnel.
D. Elect The Daily Editor and Advertising Manager.
1. Deadlines for applications for Editor and Advertising Manager shall be extensively publicized at least three weeks in advance. All candidates for Editor and Advertising Manager must be notified of selection procedures prior to the meeting when the election is held. Every effort must be made to assure that each applicant is fully aware of both the selection date and the procedures to be followed.
2. No Daily Editor shall serve more than two terms (quarters) of office during the regular academic year. Summer quarter is, for this purpose, not considered part of the regular academic year. No Daily Advertising Manager shall serve more than three terms (quarters) of office.
E. Approve the payroll plan submitted by The Daily Editor for the editorial and photography staffs. The plan must conform with University rules and regulations.
F. Establish all policies for and give general supervision to The Daily and Student Directory.
G. Review and approve budget requests and allocate funds.
H. Review specific actions and/or decisions taken by employees.
In the event the Board of Student Publications or any person over whom the Board has jurisdiction becomes a party to a law suit or procedure stemming from involvement with The Daily, Student Directory or Board of Student Publications, that person shall in form the Publisher and must follow procedures listed in Executive Order No. 19, June 1. 1972. (See Appendix)
I. Dismiss, if necessary, the Publisher/Editorial Adviser, The Daily
Editor, The Daily Advertising Manager or any other staff member of Board of Student Publications has jurisdiction over. Classified staff persons shall be dealt with in accordance with Higher Education Personnel Board
Procedures.
I. The Board of Student Publications or the Publisher/Editorial Adviser has the authority to suspend for any cause any member of The Daily or Student Directory staff whose conduct is considered to be detrimental to the interests of Student Publications or to the policies of the Board.
2. Dismissal of Staff Members:
Grounds for the dismissal. suspension or censure of any staff member shall be:
a. Willful violations of professional standards as stated in the Code of Ethics of the Society of Professional Journalists.
b. Gross incompetence or the willful refusal to follow the direction of the Board of Student Publications or the Publisher/Editorial Adviser.
An order of suspension would immediately relieve the person or persons subject to it of all duties connected with Student Publications. It shall be issued pursuant to the procedures hereinafter set forth.
Page 7
a. The person or persons subject to the order shall be informed of the action immediately by the Publisher and at the same time be given a statement of causes of suspension. b. Within 72 hours after the chair has been notified of the suspension order, a meeting of the Board of Student Publications shall be held. The Board shall convene to hear relevant testimony.
c. If a party subject to the suspension order is represented by an adviser or counsel, the Board of Student Publications also may be represented by counsel.
d. At the meeting the Board shall make a final determination as to:
1a. Whether the suspension orders shall be lifted.
2a. Whether censure of any parties to the order shall be made.
3a. Whether the party involved shall be dismissed.
e. The Publisher is further authorized, when necessary, to name other staff members to act with full authority for suspended staff members during the period the order is in effect, subject to the approval or modification of the Board.
J. Require that the employees of the publications under its jurisdiction be undergraduate students of the University of Washington regularly enrolled with six (6) or more undergraduate academic credit hours, or graduate or professional students regularly enrolled at the UW in four (4) academic credit hours-- or two (2) academic credit hours for Ph. D. students working on their dissertation (not including correspondence or extension credits)-- during the quarter(s) in which they are employed by the Office of Student Publications, or be students of the University of Washington "on leave" for one academic quarter after a quarter in which they were regularly enrolled. To be employed during Summer Quarter, a student must have been enrolled the previous quarter or enrolled for Summer Quarter. All students employed by these publications will be hired and paid according to the rules governing student employment as established by the University of Washington (UW Handbook, chapter 9, section F).
1. The permanent staff of the Business Office of the Office of Student Publications, constituted by the Publisher/Editorial Adviser, Accountant/Business Manager, and Classified Advertising Manager/Office Assistant, will be exempt from this rule.
2. In exceptional circumstances, non-students may be employed temporarily in accordance with UW rules governing temporary employment. All such appointments must be approved by the Board. It must be demonstrated that the appointment in question is vital to the continued operation of the publications governed by the Board and could not be reasonably filled by a student at the University of Washington without seriously impeding the day-to-day operations of The Daily or any other publications authorized by the Board.
V. APPEAL SYSTEM
Unless otherwise indicated in these Bylaws, the following appeals system applies to any person or organization having a complaint against any publication or staff member under the jurisdiction of the Board of Student Publications.
A. Editorial Complaint.
A complainant will first make his grievance known in writing to the News, Managing or Associate Editor of The Daily. If one of the editors is unable to resolve this issue, the complainant will take his grievance in written form to the Editor-in-Chief of T he Daily. If the issue is not resolved, the complainant is directed to consult with the Publisher/Editorial Adviser and Editor-in-Chief concerning this matter.
Page 8
The matter may be brought before the Board of Student Publications only if it cannot be resolved by the complainant, The Daily Editor and the Publisher/Editorial Adviser. Under this procedure, the Publisher will inform the Chairperson of the details surrounding the unresolved complaint and request that the Chair call a special meeting of the Board.
If and when a meeting is called, the Publisher/Editorial Adviser shall draft a formal report on the facts surrounding the complaint. The report will contain:
1. The facts of the case.
2. A summary of the arguments from the standpoint of the complainant and the Editors.
3. The Publisher/Editorial Adviser's written report on the proceedings and copies of all letters of notifications sent to Daily editors or the Publisher regarding the complaint.
4. Signatures of all complaints and Daily personnel involved to assure that the facts of the grievance are accurately stated.
A determination by the Board shall be made after hearing all evidence regarding the complaint.
A complaint shall be deliberated by the Board if the decision of the Publisher and Editor was based on none of the following reasons:
1. Granting the relief sought on appeal places any student publication in conflict with existing laws regarding libel and copyright.
2. Granting the relief sought on appeal places any student publication in conflict with federal and state laws, or any existing rules and regulations of the University of Washington.
After the Board of Student Publications has made its decision, the Chairperson shall notify in writing both the complainant(s) and Publisher/Editorial Adviser of:
1. The Board's decision and reasons upon which it is based.
2. If the appeal is sustained, any suggestions which the Board feels appropriate also shall be included.
THE BOARD SHALL REPRESENT THE LAST STEP IN THE APPEAL PROCEDURE AND THEREFORE ITS DECISION SHALL BE FINAL
The chairperson's signature on the written notification shall signify that said notice has:
1. Been read by all voting members of the Publications Board present at the meeting where the appeal was heard.
2. That the decision of the Board and reasons upon which it is based are accurately stated in the notice. The Chairperson also shall include copies of all written communications regarding the complaint and the Board's written notification in the files of the Office of Student Publications.
B. Advertising Complaint.
The appeals system for an advertising complaint shall be the same as that of an Editorial complaint except that the Advertising Manager shall replace the Editor in all discussions and meetings described in Section V, Editorial Complaint.