SECRETARY OF STATE/TEXAS REGISTER DIVISION
DATE OF SUBMISSION:
1/29/2007
NAME OF AGENCY:
The University of Texas at Austin
COMMITTEE:
Executive Committee of Board of Operating Trustees, Texas Student Publications (TSP) at The University of Texas at Austin
DATE OF MEETING:
02/09/2007
TIME OF MEETING:
3 PM
ROOM, BUILDING, & STREET LOCATION:
Campus Club, Room 203, 405 W. 25th Street
CITY:
Austin, Texas
IF EMERGENCY MEETING, REASON:
ORIGINAL MEETING TRD# (if applicable):
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION OBTAINED FROM:
Kathy Lawrence, 2500 Whitis Avenue, Austin, Texas 78712; Telephone: 512/471-1084; Fax: 512/232-5793; Email: kathyl@mail.utexas.edu
I. 2:00
p.m., Convene in Open Session for Meeting of the Executive Committee
A. Monthly Financial Report (Merry Tillman, Financial Director)
B. 1. Discussion and appropriate action regarding the proposed reorganization of Texas Student Media
a. Updates on the new Declaration of Trust and Trust Attachments
b. Discussion of possible 2002 TSP Handbook revisions
c. Discussion of the structure and uses of the Texas Student Publication Reserve Fund
II. 3:00
p.m., Recess and Convene in Open Session for the Texas Student Publications
Board of Operating
Trustees
Meeting
A. Approval of the January 19, 2007 TSP Board Minutes
B. Executive Committee Report (Rusty Todd, Committee Chair)
C. Discussion and appropriate action regarding
unfinished business
1. Discussion and appropriate action regarding the proposed reorganization of Texas Student Media.
a. Updates on the Declaration of Trust document and Trust Attachments
b. Proposed possible revisions to the 2002 TSP Handbook
c. Discussion of the structure and uses of the Texas Student Publication Reserve Fund
D. Discussion and appropriate action regarding
new business
1. Board approval of applicants for the TSP Board of Trustees and for Editor of The Daily Texan
a. presentations from applicants for editor of The Daily Texan; discussion and approval of TSP Board
b. presentations from applicants for the positions on the TSP Board of Trustees
1. College of Communication, Place 1; discussion and approval of TSP Board
2. College of Communication, Place 2 (unexpired term); discussion and approval of TSP Board
3. Student Member At-Large, Place 5; discussion and approval of TSP Board
4. Student Member At-Large, Place 6; discussion and approval of TSP Board
E. Adjournment
Persons interested in the meeting and desiring communication or other special accommodations should contact the Board Office at least two working days prior to the meeting. The Board Office may be contacted by phone at (512) 499-4402; by fax at (512) 499-4425; or by email at bor@utsystem.edu. The Board Office is open Monday through Friday from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., excluding national holidays. Every reasonable effort will be made to accommodate special needs. Requests may be delivered or mailed to: The Office of the Board of Regents, 201 West Seventh Street, Suite 820, Austin, Texas 78701-2981 or submitted electronically to bor@utsystem.edu.
CERTIFICATION: I certify that I have reviewed this document and that it conforms to all applicable Texas Register filing requirements.
__________________________________________
Art Martinez Date
Assistant Secretary to the Board
Board of Regents
The University of Texas System
512/499-4402
Texas Student Publications
Board of Operating Trustees
January 19, 2007
Voting members present: Brian Ferguson, Cindy T. Brummer, A.J. Bauer, Bill
Laird, Jef Richards, Brandon Chicotsky, Kendra Newton, Lindsay Meeks, Rusty
Todd, Urton Anderson
Voting
members absent: Bill Cornwell
Non-voting members
present: JoAnna Chin, Carlos Corral,
J.J. Hermes, Kathy Lawrence, Loren Seeger, Ely Cohn, David Strauss, Kathy Adams
Non-voting members absent: Jennifer Hammat, Kristen Jones, Brian Tschoepe
Professional staff
present: Richard Finnell, Wayne
Roche, Tim Serpas, Jack Simons, Merry Tillman, Dan Knight, Frank Serpas, Mary
Baird-Wilcock,
TSP Board President A.J.
Bauer called the meeting to order at 3:01 p.m.
I. Reports
The December minutes were
approved with a motion by Todd and a second by Meeks.
Todd reported from the
Executive Committee that TSP was expecting a loss of $25,000 for the year and
that they hoped to make this up with student fees from the University.
Strauss reported that the
Travesty planned to host two live events in the coming months. Seeger asked that he keep KVRX informed
so that they can coordinate their events.
Hermes raised the idea of
maintaining a sixteen page minimum for the Texan in the coming semester but was
asked to leave the discussion until later in the meeting.
II. Trust Revisions
Todd opened the discussion by
saying that the PDF dated 12 January 2007 was the most up-to-date version.
Hermes sought clarification
as to what liability would remain with TSP if all assets were assigned to the
Regents. Todd felt that the
distinction was obvious.
Ferguson insisted that unless
prior review was explicitly forbidden in the Trust Agreement, the Regents might
still force it upon TSP. Setting
out the way TSP would ensure responsibility in the Agreement would be the best
way to protect itself, he said.
Richards countered that enough progress was contained in the document to
be worthwhile including the removal of mention of prior review. Todd argued that approving the document
was necessary before the makeup of the Regents changed.
Ferguson moved to approve the
12 January 2007 draft and Meeks seconded the motion. Todd proposed a friendly amendment that the approval be
contingent on some pending annexes, which was accepted. The draft of the Trust Agreement was
then approved with only Ferguson voting in opposition.
III. New Business
Newton announced that she
would be leaving the Executive Committee due to time constraints and asked the
Board to find a replacement.
Chicotsky nominated Meeks to fill the position. With a second from Seeger, the choice
was approved.
Returning to HermesÕ page
count request, he made the case that small papers dissuade writers and editors
from considering and planning longer articles. Todd was opposed to the idea in the current budget situation
but encouraged Hermes and Adams to make their case to Lawrence on a case by case
basis when they felt there was enough news on a particular day to justify more
pages. Bauer asked them to track
how often they felt they needed more pages.
With a motion by Todd and a
second from Richards, the meeting was adjourned at 3:30 p.m.
TO: TSP Board of Operating Trustees
FR: Kathy Lawrence
DATE: February 2, 2007
RE: Monthly activities report
We continue to face serious financial and readership challenges, joining the rest of the college newspaper and commercial newspaper industry as we struggle for new answers in changing times.
Wayne RocheÕs month-end January figures show a shortfall so far this year of $114,065. While radio and television are running well ahead of budget goals, The Daily Texan and Texas Travesty are running far behind. Given the boardÕs directive not to end the year in the red this year, we are working on yet another round of cuts.
Just to recap, we have eliminated two positions so far this fiscal year, and we have cut expenses in other areas where possible. We are hopeful that a spring upturn in housing advertising – there are positive signs in front of us – coupled with new initiatives like Leasing Loot will help turn the ship. But we also are experiencing a 30 percent decline in campus advertising for January, something we had not expected.
The ice storm in January caused the loss of minimal revenue, IÕm pleased to report, but our circulation remains soft. We normally face smaller circulation in the spring semester, but currently our pressrun stands at about 21,000 to 24,000 per day, while returns are at 20 percent. Some of this can be attributed to semester changes in traffic patterns, but much of it is due to changing readership
At TSTV, the semester has started well. Ten programs are continuing, many of them with several years of production, and five new programs, several of which have long-term possibilities. There are some very good ideas that appear to thoughtfully tap into areas of student interest from information to pop culture. The station has become sort of a proving ground or laboratory for students' strategies for what might easily be future careers
.
The attendance at the TSTV spring orientation meeting continues to grow. The CMA auditorium was used this time as the station itself has become way too small, and it was about 90 percent full. Its elaborate audio/video facilities allowed for an impressive presentation produced by Carlos Corral and the staff.
Marketing for TV-Radio summer camps is under way with all registration information and materials available on the website, listings on several website guides, and budget planning for commercial advertising. The Advertising Department will be telemarketing for scholarship sponsors, for whom there is a demand from students in the Austin schools.
At KVRX, Adviser Mary Baird-Wilcock has been evaluating web redevelopment proposals from outside firms. It looks at present, however, that the two student webmasters may be able to complete the work needed at a far lesser cost. IÕm still hopeful that at some point weÕll be able to create a student-run web development team that will tackle such projetcts for all of TSM and perhaps other University departments.
Mary also conducted a non-commercial radio sales training seminar for the TSM student and professional staff. In attendance was new hire, student KVRX Account Executive: Matt Spurlock, a graduate student who also is a KVRX D.J., providing great training to get him started.
As for the Local Live CD/DVD compilation, the following businesses have expressed interest in helping underwrite costs: Bird's Barbershop ($500 level), AtoZ Media CD Duplication Services ($500 level), and El Arroyo ($250 cash/$250 trade for food at CD/DVD Release Party.) We've extended the deadline to February 15 to allow the TSM sales staff to continue selling more sponsorships, with the hope that this project can become more profitable than in the past.
Texas Travesty will come out with its first issue of the spring semester on February 19. Since Travesty turns 10 in 2008, we are hoping to begin work with the magazineÕs founders, Kevin and Brad Butler, as well as other alums, in planning an appropriate commemoration and perhaps reunion.
The Daily Texan has performed admirably through try-outs this semester. While there have been a few expected late nights, the staff seems to be coming together very well. Managing Editor Kathy Adams has planned a series of staff training seminars, and Editor J.J. Hermes hopes to bring in some speakers to provide discussion for the opinions staff as well.
February 1, 2007
Dearest board,
My last few board reports have taken on something of a serious tone, which, while I enjoy the occasional sporting bout of seriousness, can become a weight on my spirit if I let it go on for too long. So, in the hopes of perhaps starting some kind of tradition (or using as many commas as possible), IÕd like to actually present this board with a report: a statistical report.
The tireless Frank Serpas provides the Texan managing editor with a weekly update of how many newspapers are physically picked up every day, which I briefly stole for this report. They provide an informative snapshot as to how many newspapers are picked up every day, and how many go unread. Throws (bundles that get thrown onto the doorsteps of local businesses or fraternity houses) make tracking slightly imprecise, but the numbers are usually interesting.
For example, ignoring throws, something like 67 percent of the copies of The Daily Texan we printed during the first two weeks of school got picked up. We can also see trends, such as that during the second week, pickup progressively got better throughout the week: from 15,944 on Monday to 17,761 on Friday, the best day of the week (and the issue of the paper that is left on the racks for three days).
Yet itÕs hard to know trends in terms of what stories people were reading from these pickup logs, but we have new tools we can analyze: Readership on the Web.
For
example, during the first day of UTÕs ice storm, Jan. 16, Frank tallied 2,195
pickups — our Web site featured 19,250 article views. On Monday, Jan. 22,
compare our pickup of 15,944 to 6,501 story views. Friday, Jan. 26 featured
8,083 views, as compared to a pickup of 17,761.
Above
and beyond a total number of impressions, one of the most useful tools for the
newsroom can come from tracking the most popular stories on our Web site.
For
example, on Jan. 16, hereÕs a rundown of the top five most popular stories:
- Philosophy
professor, 64, dies in Switzerland (5457 views)
- Winter
weather batters students returning to UT (2704 views)
- New
dorm opens, features private restrooms, 585 beds (1203 views)
- Former
fraternity officers indicted (917 views)
- UT law
professors to argue before U.S. Supreme Court Wed. (673 views)
Interestingly, the ice storm was
not the No. 1 story, but a story we didnÕt even have on our front page (it ran
on 9B). Closer to my neck of the woods, our editorials for the day, on
President BushÕs troop surge in Iraq and the search for UTÕs new provost,
brought a slightly humiliating 167 and 196 views, respectively. We did beat the
Soduku, though, which tallied 98 views.
Web viewers certainly have
different habits, and our dominant element on the site is much bigger than the
other stories, so itÕs natural to expect some how often they were viewed on the
Web. The Friday, Jan. 26 issue provides an interesting example:
Play: Headline: Views:
1
Inn manager tells why he suspected Pitonyak 909
2
University looks at plans for Speedway (DOM) 1006
3
SG rally supports tax-free textbook bill in Senate 131
4
Center for Middle Easter Studies rejects partisan groups 382
5
Group counts homeless in effort to increase funding 86
Here are the results for the other
inside news stories: ÒWomen underrepresented in professorships despite high
grad rates, study shows,Ó 279 views; ÒLecture series focuses on Asian
Americans,Ó 270 views.
HereÕs a similar breakdown for the
Monday, Jan. 29 newspaper:
Play: Headline: Views:
1 Pitonyak
details history of drug use 1057
2 Austin
protests Iraq occupation (DOM) 747
3 Legislature
assigns old, new faces to committees 82
4 Rally
takes anti-abortion message to Capitol 194
5 Families
blaming site in cases of alleged sexual assault 468
If
we look at the inside news stories, here are the results:
Page/Play: Headline: Views:
6A / 1 Council
holds MLK celebration 37
6A / 2 Cancer
center opens location, celebrates 10 years 163
6A / 3 Austin
art lovers unite to discuss cultivation of localÉ 57
7A / 1 Former
Air Force enlistee shares her story, views 288
7A / 2 Coalition
protests death penaltyÉ 115
By
far, the most views that day came on a story that led in the sports section:
ÒClemens sheds light on decision,Ó which had 9299 views. The story by Ricky
Treon featured a great quote about ClemensÕ interest in returning from
retirement, and with the hindsight of page views, was something we should have
considered putting on the front page. IÕm hoping this can be a more useful tool
for analyzing what we play where.
WeÕll
keep playing around with how we can analyze this stuff, and, as always, feel
free to drop us any suggestions you may have. ThatÕs about all I have to
report.
Sincerely,
JJ Hermes
Dear TSP board members, Jan. 31, 2007
Despite an icy start, The Daily TexanÕs first three weeks of print have been quite successful this semester. The staff really pulled together during the ice storm to produce great content, overcoming both drastically shorter deadlines and other weather-related obstacles. Since The Welcome Back edition and the first regular edition printed, the Texan has received numerous compliments for how well our coverage served the UT community during the ice storm. Since that is our foremost goal, it is an honor to be recognized for achieving it.
Other highlights of the first three weeks include senior reporter Robert KleemanÕs coverage of the Colton Pitonyak trial. His well-written, in-depth stories effectively competed with, and in some cases rivaled, the Austin American-StatesmanÕs. We are also proud of our coverage of the Iraq war protests last weekend and last weekÕs State of the Union address.
Tryouts wrap up this week with orientation and training Friday, Feb. 2. Due to our recruiting efforts, which included posters, flyers, e-mails, class visits and posting hiring information on the Web site, we had an unprecedented number of tryouts in many departments this semester. This has provided us with many qualified students to choose from.
I expect a better-than-usual attendance for orientation, which will include RichardÕs libel rundown – an essential part of training staff and protecting the Texan, especially as we strive to eliminate prior review. Attendance will be taken at the event, and any missing staff members will be required to attend a make-up session. FridayÕs orientation will also be coupled with some Òcrash-courseÓ training in Texan basics (such as news writing).
JJ and I will also host the first of our voluntary, weekly staff meeting to hand out accolades, critique the paper and communicate as a staff. Saturday, all editors, senior writers and copy editors will be attending a fact-checking workshop, followed by an editing and copy editing workshop. We also have a design workshop hosted by Amy Zerba scheduled for Feb. 17. More training will be scheduled in the weeks to come, hosted by both Texan staff members and journalism professionals.
Between the last board meeting Jan. 19 and Feb. 1, The Daily Texan had four 12-page and four 16-page papers, one of which had to be bumped up from 12 pages to accommodate the number of stories and art elements. Most papers had little or no wire stories on news pages – on Jan. 31 there were three AP stories on news pages and four of the other papers included a limited number of AP briefs.
As the momentum for the semester gets rolling, we will be begin making improvements to the Web site, striving to attract more site traffic and provide additional features for students. We will also be looking at how best to cover important issues, such as creating a ÒCapitol NotebookÓ feature for the Texas Legislature.
With such an experienced, enthusiastic and eager staff, I am excited to see what the Texan will achieve this semester. WeÕre off to a great start.
Sincerely,
Kathy Marie Adams
Managing Editor
The Daily Texan
To: Texas Student Publications
Board of Operating Trustees
From: JoAnna Chin, Editor-in-Chief of Cactus yearbook
Date: January 31, 2007
Re: Board meeting update for Cactus yearbook
Over the winter break, the staff Òbroke down barriersÓ
in our office by removing some of the temporary walls, allow more visibility in
the room. Also, weÕve recruited more staff members, bringing our staff to a
total of about 20 writers and we are working to increase our photographer staff
to about the same size.
Marketing Efforts
Our new marketing manager has been phenomenal in
pursuing multiple venues for increasing awareness and book sales. In just the
first few weeks of the spring semester, we have tabled in the West Mall,
chalked the sidewalks around the entire campus with ÒRemember these steps
– www.cactusyearbook.comÓ and
planned a new flyer campaign – with only 4 people on the committee. In
addition, the VP of Marketing at the University Co-op, Brian Jewell, has agreed
to support us in multiple ways including placing an order link on their website
and giving us space in the Co-op Outlet for a display next to the graduation
merchandise (diploma frames, invitations, regalia, etc).
We have also been granted $2,500 from the University
Co-op to fund a Book Preview Party, which will be sometime in March (date is
yet to be determined). The event will be open to the entire campus,
specifically inviting student leaders, distinguished alumni and supporters of
the Cactus.
Content
We are slowly but steadily churning out pages to
Walsworth, our printer. As the proofs come in, I am more and more confident
that this yearÕs book will be unlike any other in terms of coverage and design.
As the pages are finalized, we have plans to preview some spreads on our
website and on posters around campus to show students (and all passersby) that
the Cactus yearbook is making strides to separate itself from the general
connotation of being a Ôhigh school yearbook.Õ
We are still 38 pages short of filling in our entire
ladder – these pages are being held for student organizations until the
end of February, when they will be used for group photos or other areas of
coverage.
As you may know, we are including a DVD supplement to
this yearÕs book. The supplement will include student portraits (which will not
be printed in the book) and we are planning to accept entries from students to
submit their own videos. While the process and terms of this contest have not
be determined, I believe that it will be a great way to reach out to the
community as well as expand the coverage of our publication.
Cactus Goodfellows and Outstanding Students
The annual award nomination and application forms are
now available and due back by March 2nd. All students are eligible
and award recipients are selected on the basis of their community involvement
and leadership contributions. In addition to searching for qualified
applicants, assistant editor Jenny Ung is looking for interested faculty and
students to serve on the selection committee. If you are interested, please
contact her at AUng@mail.utexas.edu.
As always, please feel free to contact me with any
questions or comments – joannachin@mail.utexas.edu
or (512) 471-9190.
TSP Board Meeting
February 9, 2007
KVRX 91.7 FM
Loren Seeger
- KVRX has narrowed down the possible candidates for the website design position. We hope to choose a company this month. .
- We are currently planning the annual KVRX ÒCouple SkateÓ ValentineÕs Day Benefit at Skateworld on February 10th from 10pm-2am. Bands include Sydney Confirm, Corto Maltese, and The Burning Hotels. DJs from KVRX and Backspin Records will perform between sets. The cost is $7 per person, with $2 for KVRX. After 100 people attend, it will switch to $5 for KVRX. We have flyers and are submitting ads to the Texan and Chronicle.
- We are
still collecting sponsorships for Local Live 11. So far, we have BirdÕs Barber Shop and El Arroyo as top
contributors.
- KVRX Spring Open House and first meeting were successful. Hopefully we can recruit more volunteers throughout the semester.
- We are currently sponsoring a SXSW showcase dayshow on Thursday, March 15 at SpiderHouse with Austin Sound and other local organizations. We will have an afternoon dayshow at BellaBlue Boutique and Gallery on South 1st. On Friday, March 16, Independence Brewery is letting us use their warehouse to host a showcase. We want to make this an interactive event for non-profits to promote community events. KVRX is contacting people to be sponsors, and Austin Indy Media has agreed to help.
2500 Whitis Avenue (512)
471-7899 Phone
Austin, Texas 78713 (512)
232-5793 Fax
Antenna
9 Dorms 15 Time Warner 16
Official Student Media of the University of Texas at
Austin
Thursday, February 1, 2007
To the TSP Board,
Our
spring volunteer meeting started off with a BANG! Since the organization continues to grow, we decided to have
our volunteer meeting in the CMA Auditorium 2.320. The auditorium was about 90% full and we were very pleased
with the turnout. For this
semester, we have ten returning shows and five brand new shows for students to
choose from. Students who first
volunteered in the fall have created a majority of the new shows. It is amazing to see so many students
rising to the challenge.
Our
Kids Camp / High School Workshop projects are all underway. Wayne Roche, Dan Knight, Lisa
Benhayoun, and myself have begun creating and updating media for our Kids Camp
and High School Workshops. All
camp/workshop applications on our website have been updated with the proper
information and are downloadable via PDF for anyone interested in signing
up. I have even taken the liberty
to put a majority of the kids own production works from last year online. With this, parents can get a better
insight as too what our camps/workshops offer. As for this weekend, Dan Knight, Sandy Salinas, and myself
will be attending the Third Annual Summer Enrichment Fair in Round Rock to
promote our camps and workshops.
We will also be advertising in the Austin Chronicle and Austin-Statesman
in their upcoming camp guides.
Our
production department is also doing well.
We are currently working on two projects: American Society for Quality
commercials and the French Fry Eating Championship, which took place last
weekend at BikiniÕs Bar and Grill.
We are hoping to bring more productions in this semester with the help
of the sales staff and Daily Texan Ads.
Finally,
our Live Sports dates have been confirmed for womenÕs softball. The dates are: March 22nd
and April 7th & 18th. . We would like to invite you all to come out to the softball
games on these dates or watch Time Warner Cable Ch. 77 for TSTVÕs coverage of
womenÕs softball.
Carlos Corral
Texas Student Television
Station Manager 2006-2007
512.471.7899
Texas Travesty
February Board Report
February 2, 2007
Dear TSP Board,
In an effort to improve the
TravestyÕs revenue, weÕve delayed the first issue by just over a week. It should also improve staff
participation by not forcing issue work to compete for attention with the Super
Bowl.
The staff has also undergone
some changes. In the last week,
weÕve accepted three new members.
Since the last report, two existing staff members resigned because of
other conflicting commitments.
After production for this issue is complete, we have several more applicants to interview.
Sincerely,
David Strauss
Editor-in-Chief