The ASMSU Senate voted last Thursday to move ahead with a measure that paves the way for the formation of a Publication Board to oversee the Exponent’s operation, shifting control of the paper’s budget away from student government. While largely administrative, the decision represents the single most important step taken in recent years to protect the publication’s freedom of press and provide for our long-term fiscal stability.
By passing resolution 2012-R-3, senators gave formal permission for the establishment of a Publication Board composed of ASMSU representatives and media professionals with the expertise to advise the Exponent’s operations. Upon revision of ASMSU’s bylaws and approval by the Montana Board of Regents to separate the publication’s subsidy from ASMSU’s general activity fee, the senate will yield control of the Exponent’s operating budget to that board.
By doing so, we can address the long-standing conflict of interest created by ASMSU’s control over the Exponent’s operating budget — a tricky system to reconcile with our mission as student media to report, critically at times, on the senate’s decisions. While we have been fortunate in recent years to avoid controversy, the potential for cuts to the Exponent’s budget to serve as de facto censorship, real or perceived, has represented a significant liability for both our student government and student press.
The shift also gives the Exponent the ability to better manage our finances as we navigate the difficult transition from print to electronic media. Between the whims of the economy and turnover in student staff, we’ve struggled at times in recent years to bring in sufficient print advertising revenue to support our operations.
However, by setting a consistent funding level for the Exponent’s subsidy and involving professionals in our budgeting decisions, we have the opportunity to approach our financial planning on a longer-term basis better suited to the reality of the media industry. While that isn’t a silver bullet, it is a necessary step towards giving our organization the capacity to respond to our challenges successfully.
To their credit, senators have voluntarily elected to give up much of their power over this publication by supporting this measure. Given the extent to which they take their responsibility with managing student funds quite seriously, that represents a profound vote of confidence in the Exponent — and places no small burden on our staff, myself and those who follow me as editor-in-chief, in particular.
Those senators who helped the measure along in various capacities, particularly Sen. Lana Lake, have my sincere thanks for their work. The continued support and advice of ASMSU President Blake Bjornson has also been essential, as has the assistance of Student Regent Joseph Thiel.
I would add that the concerns voiced in opposition to the measure — the sustainability of a yet-to-be-established board in overseeing a student-led committee and the need for a contingency plan in the event of a future budget crisis — are absolutely legitimate. As we work with senators to rewrite the Exponent’s bylaws, we must address both.
That work, like much of student government’s, doesn’t necessarily involve clear-cut answers. But it is nonetheless necessary if we want to ensure our campus has the student newspaper it deserves five or ten years down the line.
