NOTICE OF OPEN MEETING
FOR SUBMISSION TO
SECRETARY OF STATE/TEXAS REGISTER DIVISION

 

DATE OF SUBMISSION:  October 8, 2007

 

NAME OF AGENCY:  The University of Texas System

 

BOARD:  Texas Student Media Board of Operating Trustees

 

COMMITTEE: 

 

DATE OF MEETING:  October 19, 2007

 

TIME OF MEETING:  2:30 p.m.

 

ROOM, BUILDING, & STREET LOCATION:  Campus Club, 405 W. 25th Street, Room 203

 

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

 

 

COMPLETE AGENDA (single space):

 

I. 2:30 p.m.: Convene in open session for the Meeting of the Executive Committee of the Texas Student Media Board of Operating Trustees

A. TSM Monthly Financial Report, Merry Tillman, Assistant Director of Business

II. 3:00 p.m.: Recess and convene in open session for the Texas Student Media Board of Trustees Meeting

A. Update on the Declaration of Trust issues for Texas Student Media, Kathy Lawrence, Director of TSM

B. Discussion and appropriate action regarding the report to the UT Board of Regents and the Dean of the College of Communication

C. Appointment of a student to the TSM Executive Committee

D. Discussion and appropriate action regarding the creation of other standing committees on the Board

E. Reports from the TSM Director and the Student Managers

F. Monthly Financial Reports, Merry Tillman, Assistant Director of Business

G. Discussion and appropriate action regarding the profile of the Cactus Yearbook, it’s finances, demographics, market and marketing changes, prognosis for future years

III.  Adjournment

 

 

Meetings of the U. T. System Board of Regents are open to the public except for any posted executive session held in compliance with the Texas Open Meetings Act.  Persons interested in committee and/or Board meetings and desiring communication or other special accommodations should contact the Board Office at least two working days prior to the meeting.  The Board Office is open Monday through Friday from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., excluding holidays and contact information follows:  phone (512) 499-4402; fax (512) 499-4425; email bor@utsystem.edu; 201 West Seventh Street, Suite 820, Austin, Texas 78701-2981.

 

CERTIFICATION:  I certify that I have reviewed this document and that it conforms to all applicable Texas Register filing requirements.

 

 

 

________________________________

Francie A. Frederick

General Counsel to the Board of Regents

The University of Texas System

512/499-4402

 

 

 

_______________________

Date


 

 

 

 

 

TO:  TSM Board of Operating Trustees

 

FR:  Kathy Lawrence

 

DATE:  October 5, 2007

 

RE:  Reports to Board of Regents

 

 

The new Declaration of Trust requires that within 90 days of the close of each fiscal year, we report to the Board of Regents two things:

 

     1) That we have evaluated the controls and procedures we have in place to ensure that student media are operating as outlined in the Trust, and

 

     2) That we have provided an updated balance sheet of our assets and liabilities.

 

Attached to this memo is a copy of the Student Media and Advising policy you adopted last spring as the Trust was being implemented. The policy was designed to ensure compliance with item 1) above. On behalf of the TSM advising staff I am indicating that the training and advising measures outlined are in place and working effectively.

 

Also attached to this memo is a 2006-2007 end-of-year balance sheet, reflecting current student media assets and liabilities. For comparison purposes, I also am including the balance sheet submitted to Regents last year that reflects our balance sheet at the end of December 2006.

 

With your concurrence, these reports will be forwarded as required through the Division of Student Affairs to the UT Board of Regents.

 

 

 


 

 

 

Student Media and Advising

 

The purpose of this policy is to outline the role of the adviser in the various student ventures that comprise Texas Student Media. Generally, according to the Declaration of Trust, the TSM Board of Operating Trustees will employ advisers to train and counsel students on the practices that will keep their media out of legal difficulties involving, libel, invasion of privacy and copyright violation, as well as offering sound pedagogy. The specific paragraphs in the Trust addressed by this policy include:

 

Paragraph 1.4 (p) states:  Media Advisor” shall mean an employee of the University or the Board of Operating Trustees, or an or independent contractor who reports to the Board of Operating Trustees, which employee or independent contractor shall have substantial training and experience in the area of operating print, broadcast and electronic media in compliance with Applicable Laws.

And Paragraph 2.2 (b) states: The controls and procedures established and maintained by the Board of Operating Trustees pursuant to this Paragraph shall provide, without limitation, for (1) the regular training of all employees, editors, managers, editorial workers and staff members of the Student Media by a Media Advisor and (2) the timely consultation by the Media Advisor with the employees, editors, managers, editorial workers and staff members of the Student Media, in each case, to ensure that the Student Media are operated in a manner consistent with the Public Purpose and Applicable Laws.  The parties to this Declaration of Trust intend that these controls and procedures be designed to provide the employees, editors, managers, editorial workers and staff members of the Student Media with training and consultation resources similar to those training and consultation resources available to commercial media operations.  The Board of Operating Trustees shall establish the initial controls and procedures required by this Paragraph within 90 days following the Effective Date.

This will be accomplished at Texas Student Media by employing advisers in the following areas:

The Daily Texan will have available a media professional with solid writing, reporting, editing and design credentials able to train, critique and guide students in the production of a daily newspaper. The individual is expected to participate with the student editors in the planning of each semester’s staff training, as well as ongoing training throughout the semester. In addition, the adviser must be well schooled in media law and be able to provide all staff members with a media law primer short course at the beginning of each semester, as well as more in depth training for student managers. This adviser also will work with the news staffs of radio, television, Texas Travesty and yearbook to ensure that those students understand media law as it applies to their media. This individual will be responsible for developing and administering the media law exam given to candidates for Texan editor and managing editor, Texas Travesty editor and Cactus editor, as well as developing libel, invasion of privacy and copyright violation questions for the exams administered to the radio and television station manager candidates. This adviser is available to review any and all stories before publication at the request of student editors, station managers and news directors. The adviser has no authority to restrain any story from publication or broadcast as such authority rests solely with the student editors and/or managers. The TSM photo adviser also will provide specific training to the photo staff in areas of media law and ethics and will be available to provide advice in specific situations.

Texas Travesty will rely on the Texan adviser for an annual fall media law workshop and will seek advice from this adviser when questions arise regarding content. At the request of editor, the adviser may be asked to read over each issue of the magazine before publication to call attention to possible legal issues surrounding satire or other materials.. The Texan adviser also will prepare the media law exam given to candidates for Travesty editor each spring. The TSM photo adviser also will be available to give advice about the use of photos in satirical publications and to provide advice in specific situations.

Cactus yearbook will rely, as well, on the Texan adviser for an annual fall media law workshop. The director of student media or the director’s designee also will serve in an advising role for the Cactus, assisting with day-to-day questions, as well as long-range planning. The adviser and yearbook assistant will ensure the staff undergoes overall training each fall in modern yearbook practices and marketing. The adviser will be available at any time students have questions about stories or other issues and will review stories and photos upon request. The TSM photo adviser will train the yearbook photo staff, providing training about media law and ethics in the photo field. The photo adviser also will be available to provide advice in specific situations.

TSTV will rely on the expertise of a television professional with significant commercial television experience. The 32-hour-per-week adviser, working with the student station manager, will supervise all aspects of staff training and will ensure that appropriate staff understand thoroughly all FCC regulations applying to the operation of TSTV.  In addition, the TSTV adviser will arrange for the Texan adviser to present an annual media law workshop for the news and sports staff. The TSTV adviser also will develop the media law exam administered to candidates for station manager every spring, ensuring that the exam include FCC regulations, as well as copyright, invasion of privacy, libel and decency provisions. The adviser will be available at any time to assist students with questions regarding sound practices and media law and can preview programs before airing upon the request of the station manager.

KVRX will employ an adviser 20 hours per week who has significant radio experience in either a public radio or commercial radio setting. The adviser will work with the student station manager on all aspects of staff training, including FCC regulations, as well as other aspects of media law. The adviser also will arrange for the Texan adviser to present an annual media law workshop for the news and sports staff. The adviser will be available via phone and email when not present in person to advise students on legal issues or other concerns. The adviser also will be available to preview programs as requested by the student station manager before airing.

 

 


 

Texas Student Media Accounts

(other than operating budget)

 

 

 

 

 

 

Beginning Balance    Sep 07

Ending Balance    Sep 07

 

 

 

 

14-0632-1251

TSP Faculty Staff Directory

 $-  

 $2,767.00

 

 

 

 

30-6267-4593

KVRX Radio Gifts

 $30,384.47

 $30,877.60

30-6267-4551

KVRX Radio Expense

 

 -  

 

Balance

 $30,384.47

 $30,877.60

 

 

 

 

30-6267-4693

TSP-Var. Donors, Var. Pur. Gifts

 $13,353.29

 $13,353.29

30-6267-4694

TSP-Var. Donors, Var. Pur. Inv Inc

 1,098.06

 1,098.06

30-6267-4670

TSP-Var. Donors, Var. Pur. Sch/Fellow.

 -  

30-6267-4656

TSP-Var. Donors, Var. Pur. Misc. Other

 

 -  

 

Balance

 $14,451.35

 $14,451.35

 

 

 

 

30-6267-4793

TSTV Gift Account Income

 $27.17

 $27.17

30-6267-4751

TSTV Gift Account Expense

 -  

 -  

 

Balance

 $27.17

 $27.17

 

 

 

 

41-0619-0496

Daily Texan Contest Account Income

 $-  

 $-  

41-0619-0451

Daily Texan Contest Account Expense

 -  

 -  

 

Balance

 $-  

 $-  

 

 

 

 

29-3290-7099

TSP Operations Reserve

 $34,943.48

 $34,943.48

36-0800-7007

TSP Allotment-Allocated for Budget

 717,916.27

 717,916.27

 

Balance

 $752,859.75

 $752,859.75

 


 

Texas Student Publications

 

Summary

 

 

 

 

 

% of FY = 8.33%

 

 Budget

Actual

Actual

Actual to Budget

 

07/08

through Sep 06

through Sep 07

% through Sep 07

ESTIMATED INCOME

 

 

 

 

Student Services Fee (Required)

500,014

34,985

41,668

8%

Other Income

2,717,507

422,642

418,358

15%

Total Estimated Income

3,217,521

457,627

460,026

14%

 

 

 

 

 

BUDGETED EXPENSES

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Admin & Prof Salaries

408,919

31,160

33,751

8%

 

 

 

 

 

Classified Personnel Salaries

526,618

45,199

43,835

8%

 

 

 

 

 

Wages

818,382

67,558

69,134

8%

 

 

 

 

 

Fringe Benefits

354,936

28,604

29,552

8%