Texas Student Publications

Board of Operating Trustees

April 27, 2001

Minutes

Voting members present: Sara Beechner, George Castillo, Craig Daniel, Dave Garlock, Don Heider, Natalie Mayrath, Natasha Solce, Senyo Tse.

Voting members absent: Stephen Little, Ariel Santschi, Doug Toney.

Non-voting members present: Jenny Hager, Matt Hammond, Jennie Kennedy, Kathy Lawrence, Rosa Madriz, Cecily Sailer, Stephen Silver, Ben Stroud.

Non-voting members absent: Margarita Arellano.

Professional staff present: Mary Felps, Beverly Fisher, John Foxworth, Evelyn Gardner, Jean Hogue, Dan Knight, Douglas Plummer, Jack Simons, Jerry Thompson.

Visitors present: Amanda Zamora, Michael Hoffman, Shawn Rosenzweig, John Economidy, David Woodruff, Eric Opiela, several Daily Texan student staff members.

The meeting was called to order at 3:10 p.m. by Natasha Solce, TSPBoard president.

I. Report of the Executive Committee.

Garlock reported the Executive Committee met earlier in the day and discussed the monthly financial report and recipients of the Julia Jeffress and M. Dolores Ebert Awards. Hogue discussed the financial report with the members of the Board.

MOTION NO. 1: On behalf of the Executive Committee, Garlock moved to accept the financial

report for March 2001. The motion passed.

Solce reported recipients were discussed for the Julia Jeffress and the M. Dolores Ebert Awards which will be announced at the TSPAwards Banquet scheduled for May 4.

II. New Business.

a. Cactus Yearbook editor appointment. Solce reported one student, Meredith Best, had submitted an application for Cactus Yearbook editor for the 2002 publication. Best did not meet requirement III-2 which stipulates applicants must have completed at least 60 hours of college work. Best had completed 59 hours of college work. Best addressed the members of the Board concerning her application and her plans for the 2002 Cactus Yearbook.

MOTION NO. 2: Castillo moved to waive the 60-hour requirement on the application for

Meredith Best. The motion passed.

MOTION NO. 3: Castillo moved to appoint Meredith Best editor of the 2002 Cactus Yearbook. The motion passed.

b. Texas Travesty editor appointment. Solce reported one student, Trevor Rosen, had submitted an application for

Texas Travesty editor for the 2001-02 academic year. Rosen addressed the members of the Board concerning his application and his plans for the year.

MOTION NO. 4: Tse moved to appoint Trevor Rosen editor of Texas Travesty. The motion

passed.

c. The Daily Texan summer 2001 managing editor appointment. Solce reported two students, Thaddeus DeJesus and David Sessions, had submitted applications for summer managing editor of The Daily Texan. Sessions met all qualifications for the position whereas DeJesus did not meet requirement V-10, “Have served at least once per week for nine weeks on the editorial staff of The Daily Texan during each of at least two semesters [or one semester and one 12-week summer session].

DeJesus and Sessions addressed the members of the Board concerning their respective applications and plans for the summer issues of The Daily Texan.

MOTION NO. 5: Castillo moved to waive requirement V-10 concerning the application of

Thaddeus DeJesus. The motion passed.

Kennedy suggested to Solce that discussion of the candidates be held among members of the Board only as a courtesy to the candidates. Solce requested, as a courtesy, all those who were not members of the Board to leave the meeting, but reminded all those in attendance that this course of action was offered as a courtesy, not an executive session. Discussion of the candidates followed. Several members of the Texan staff offered evaluations of the two applicants.

Following the discussion, a poll was taken among all voting members of the Board by confidential ballot. Sessions was appointed managing editor for the 2001 summer Texan.

MOTION NO. 6: Castillo moved to amend the Agenda in order to discuss item V-b as the

next item. The motion passed.

V. Old Business.

b. KOOP radio committee report. Castillo reviewed his written report concerning an agreement for tower rental between Texas Student Publications and KOOP Radio with the members of the Board. His report recommended a rental fee of $800 per month with a $33 per month penalty for each payment received late. Further, he recommended the agreement cover a four-year period. Hogue expressed doubt that UT administration would approve an agreement which includes a late payment penalty stipulation. Considerable discussion concerning Castillo’s recommendation followed.

MOTIONNO. 7: Castillo moved to approve an agreement between Texas Student Publications

and KOOP Radio for tower rental space of $800 per month, such agreement to be valid for a four-

year period. The motion passed.

II. New Business [Continued]

d. The Daily Texan fall 2001 managing editor appointment. Solce reported one student, Kristin Finan, had submitted an application for fall 2001 managing editor of The Daily Texan.

Finan addressed the members of the Board concerning her application and plans for the fall.

MOTION NO. 8: Castillo moved to appoint Kristin Finan managing editor of The Daily Texan

for the 2001 fall semester. The motion passed.

e. KVRX station manager appointment for 2001-02. Solce reported three students, Rosa Madriz, David Morris, and Zafar Shah, had submitted applications for KVRX station manager for 2001-02. Each applicant addressed the members of the Board concerning his or her application and plans for KVRX for the 2001-02 academic year.

MOTION NO. 9: Heider moved to temporarily adjourn the open meeting to discuss the applicants

in executive session. The motion passed.

Following executive session, Solce called the meeting back to order. A poll was taken among all present voting members of the Board by confidential ballot. Madriz was appointed station manager of KVRX for 2001-02.

f. KVR station manager appointment for 2001-02. Solce reported there were four students, Christel Bastida, Caroline Conner, Charles Sweatt, and Christopher Tolle, who had submitted applications for KVR station manager for 2001-02. Bastida, Conner, and Tolle addressed the members of the Board concerning his or her application and plans for KVR for the 2001-02 academic year. Sweatt did not attend the meeting.

MOTIONNO.10: Heider moved to temporarily adjourn the open meeting to discuss the

applicants in executive session. The motion passed.

Following executive session, Solce called the meeting back to order. A poll was taken among all present voting members of the Board by confidential ballot. Conner was appointed station manager of KVR for 2001-02.

III. Approval of Minutes, March 23, 2001, TSPBoard Meeting.

Solce entertained a motion to change the word “referendum” in section 2-b to “student poll” as a clarification of what the word meant. Discussion followed.

MOTION NO. 11: Beechner moved to add a sentence after the word “referendum” with Solce’s

words from the March 23, 2001, meeting tape on how she clarified the meaning of what she was

expressing. The motion passed.

MOTIONNO.12: Castillo moved to approve the Minutes of the March 23, 2001, TSPBoard

Meeting as amended by Solce. The motion passed.

IV. Monthly Reports.

a. Additions to written reports of editors and station managers. Stroud reported the Student Services Fee Committee has agreed to supply $2.00 for every $1.00 that Texas Travesty raises through the sale of advertising; Madriz reported several members of the KVRX staff won awards in Texas Intercollegiate Press Association competition, a total of $8,770 was raised as a result of the most recent pledge drive, and the new server accommodates more on-line listeners than the old server; Silver added members of his staff won awards in Texas Intercollegiate Press Association competition; Kennedy reported her staff won several awards in Texas Intercollegiate Press Association competition.

b. Additions to director’s written report. Beechner suggested student managers be included in any cost-cutting plans due to shortfalls in income. Castillo asked about the pressrun of The Daily Texan. Lawrence reported the current pressrun is 26,000 copies per day but she and Plummer are still concerned about the number of returns.

V. Old Business.

a. Update on move to Old Student Health Center. Lawrence said the current conversations indicate there may be some TSPoffices moved to the Old Student Health Center but there seems to be little possibility of all TSPentities occupying offices in the facility.

b. KOOP Radio committee report. This item was discussed earlier in the meeting.

c. Letter from TSPBoard president concerning elected editor issue. Solce passed the gavel to Castillo for the remainder of the meeting. Castillo said a list was compiled of all those who wished to speak to the subject and he requested speakers limit their remarks to three to five minutes per presentation.

Solce reviewed the content of her correspondence which had been previously distributed to the members of the Board. Further, she said she feels it irresponsible for members of the Board to act at this time. Solce also reviewed a timeline she urges the members of the Board to adopt in order to ensure sufficient student “voices are respectfully heard.” The suggested timeline includes:

1. Direct Kathy Lawrence to oversee the construction of a web site that informs the student body of the elected editor issue,

2. Include on the web site the date that the Board will vote on this issue and the e-mail address of the president of the Board, who will consolidate all input and put the input in the Board’s packet.

3. Direct Kathy Lawrence to contact past editors of known addresses and direct the Board members to inform would-be interested parties about this issue.

4. Adopt the timeline below on how the Board will function between now and the final vote,

5. Commit to a final vote on the elected editor issue to be held during September’s Board meeting.

MOTIONNO. 13: Solce moved to adopt the timeline as covered in her letter to the members

of the Board.

Lengthy discussion followed as guests expressed their opinions on the subject of electing the editor of The Daily Texan. Following comments from guests, individual members of the Board expressed their opinions on the subject.

Following further discussion, the question was called. Castillo entertained a request that a voice vote be taken and recorded in the Minutes. Results of the voice vote on MOTIONNO. 13 are recorded as follows: Mayrath, no; Daniel, no; Heider, no; Beechner, no; Tse, yes; Solce, yes. MOTIONNO. 13 failed.

MOTIONNO. 14: Solce moved to table the proposal concerning the subject of appointing the editor of

The Daily Texan submitted by Lawrence, as she was instructed to prepare, by members of the Board at

the March 23, 2001, TSP Board meeting.

Results of the voice vote on MOTIONNO. 14 were as follows: Mayrath, no; Daniel, no; Heider, yes; Beechner, yes; Tse, yes; Solce, yes. MOTIONNO. 14 passed.

MOTIONNO. 15: Heider moved to adjourn the meeting. The motion passed.