🚀 go-pugleaf

I have been asked to post the following press release for the AMS, as
they do not have Internet access.  If you wish to respond to this
press release, DO NOT E-MAIL ME!  (However, if there are any
typographical errors, it's my fault.)  Please contact Janice Boyle,
AMS Vice President, by phone at (604) 822-3092 or by fax at (604)
822-9019.  Thanks.

==================

                            PRESS RELEASE

On June 2, 1993, in a special meeting of Student Council, the UBC Alma
Mater Society moved a motion to reinstitute the AMS Publications Board
under which _The Ubyssey_ operated from 1915 to the early 1960's.  The
newspaper's status was changed from that of an AMS Service
Organization to that of an AMS Publication which must be constituted
by, and is responsible to, a Publications Board.

This is not an issue about freedom of speech or censorship.  Campus
newspapers have always been a forum where students can push the limits
of what is "acceptable" and inspire debate on a variety of issues.
Controversy is the heart and soul of a student newspaper, and we are
not looking to destroy that.

The re-creation of an AMS Publications Board is in response to four
factors.  Student readership has drastically declined over the last
two years because of the paper's unresponsiveness to student
interests.  AMS Student Council has found itself in a difficult
position as both publisher and government, and this Publications Board
is a non-political body better able to deal with the administrative
aspects of AMS Publications.  The Editors of _The Ubyssey_ have
demonstrated a lack of fiscal responsibility with student funds,
resulting in considerable cost overruns.  The Editors of _The Ubyssey_
have refused to take responsibility for the material they print.  The
Publications Board addresses these problems.

The Press release issued by _The Ubyssey_ contained many factual
errors, which is disappointing coming from Editors who state they are
committed to responsible journalism.  _The Ubyssey_ has not been
"voted out of existence".  The AMS will be publishing _The Ubyssey_ in
the fall.  The decision not to publish a summer _Ubyssey_ resulted
from the fiscal irresponsibility of the previous editors, and the
unavailability of funds for the summer publication.  The Board does
not have complete financial control over the paper.  The AMS does.  If
the paper wants fiscal independence, autonomy is an option open to
them.

Editorial autonomy is strengthened by the Publications Board.  The
Publications Board does not have the ability to fire editors without
cause, and there is an appeal process in place.  The Publications
Board does not have the power to ban students from writing for a
publication.  The Publications Board cannot arbitrarily suspend a
publication from printing any time, cannot arbitrarily put a
publication on "probation" and cannot arbitrarily deconstitute a
publication.  These duties of the Board have been taken out of
context.

The Board membership will consist of three Alumni, one of which must
be involved in the commercial press, three students at large, one of
which must have present or past journalistic experience, two council
members, and up to two representatives from each AMS Publication.

The Board structure is democratic, and allows any AMS Publication to
determine their own editorial policy.  _The Ubyssey_ will have its
75th anniversary this year, and hopefully, the paper will be a
publication that students, editors, council members, and the UBC
community at large can all be proud of claiming as their student
publication.

The Publications Board is responsible for the smooth day-to-day
operations of any AMS Publications and is expressly not responsible
for the editorial content of AMS Publications.  The Board provides a
minimum standard for all AMS Publications in its Statement of
Principles, ensuring quality of journalism and professionalism.  The
Board is equipped with sufficient checks and balances to ensure that
neither the Board nor AMS Student Council can make arbitrary decisions
regarding Publications.

The idea of a Publications Board is not new.  The AMS had such a Board
from 1915 to the 1960's and the AMS published a variety of student
publications under the Board at that time.  In the 1960's, _The
Ubyssey_ changed to a collective structure, and the other publications
eventually disbanded.  The new _Ubyssey_ collective felt that the
existing Board was incompatible with their new structure, and it was
removed.  _The Ubyssey's_ collective structure was successful for many
years, but in the last few, the internal structure of a collective has
failed.

This decision was not made in haste.  Council's decision was made
after two years of careful deliberations regarding all aspects of _The
Ubyssey_, and how it could be a better service to students.  In May
and June, Council held two special meetings solely to discuss _The
Ubyssey_, and before Council voted on the final Publications Board
document, there were seven hours of open meetings held where concerned
Ubyssey staff, Council members and students could discuss the
Publications Board.  In response to the concerns raised by _The
Ubyssey_, changes were made to the Publications Board.  At every
stage, _The Ubyssey_ has been involved in the discussions regarding the
newspaper.  The AMS is disappointed that after countless hours spent
in meetings, and additional hours spent in one-on-one discussions,
that the Ubyssey Editors chose to respond to Council's decision in
such an inflammatory manner.

*** For further information or a copy of the Code of Procedure
    describing the Publications Board, please contact:

                                Janice Boyle
                             AMS Vice President
                           Office (604) 822-3092
                             Fax (604) 822-9019