Revised:
4/20/2005
Student Media Policies and Procedures UPPS No. 02.04.01
Issue No. 3
Effective Date: 07/12/2004
Review: April 1 E4Y
01. POLICY
STATEMENTS
01.01 We are committed
to maintaining an extremely high standard of education in service to the public
and private sectors, including those communication industries that provide
employment opportunities for our students. This UPPS assures that participation
in the operation of student media facilitates the development of appropriate
skills through established and supervised laboratory procedures and to assist
campus organizations, staff, and faculty in working effectively with student
media.
01.02 We are
committed to cultivating relationships with external constituencies --
including alumni, private-sector entities and organizations, institutions of
higher learning and government -- through advisory boards, conferences,
individual and institutional memberships, public lectures and dissemination of
information about the institution.
*01.03 This UPPS
establishes separate advisory committees for The University Star and KTSW-FM in the
School of Journalism and Mass Communication whose responsibility will be to provide
guidance in the overall operation of student media outlets and to assist in
selection of student executives of those respective outlets.
01.04 These
procedures, which also extend to any online services provided by these student
media outlets, are designed to assure that Texas State’s student media maintain
the highest possible standards of quality, service, ethics, and legality in
accordance with recognized professional guidelines while simultaneously
fulfilling their obligations as educational vehicles for Mass Communication
students and as informational vehicles for the University community.
01.05 The UPPS
also assures student staff members and advisors will enjoy the freedoms of
press and speech without prior restraint as guaranteed by the First Amendment
to the Constitution of the United States and the Courts. Student media will
provide a channel for various publics to provide feedback.
02. DEFINITIONS
*02.01 The
School of Journalism and Mass Communication's student media outlets include The
University Star and KTSW-FM radio, along with their respective services. The
University Star is a designated public forum and its student staff members
decide and are responsible for news, advertising, and editorial content.
KTSW-FM radio is a designated limited public forum since the University
reserves the right to establish and enforce policies regarding the station’s
music programming, news, advertising, and editorial content. The station’s
managers and directors have authority but the station’s general manager and
faculty advisor may enforce university and station policy as they pertain to
the station’s operation.
02.02 Texas
State University-San Marcos is the publisher of student print medium. The
publisher provides financial support to student editors who retain control of
content. The Board of Regents, Texas State University System, is the licensee
for KTSW-FM.
02.03 The
publisher's representative for print medium is the Director of Student
Publications; the chief administrative officer of KTSW-FM is the General
Manager/faculty advisor. These positions are the official advising positions
for student media. Underwriting refers to contributions made to broadcast
stations in exchange for broadcast announcements or promotional activities.
03. PROCEDURE
FOR STUDENT MEDIA ADVISORY COMMITTEE
03.01 The
University Star and KTSW-FM will have separate student media advisory
committees. These advisory committees will include:
*a. The
appropriate student media sequence coordinator along with another department
faculty member appointed by the Chair of the School of Journalism and Mass
Communication.
b. The Dean
of the College of Fine Arts and Communication or his or her representative.
c. KTSW-FM General
Manager and the Director of Student Publications
d. One
undergraduate student, appointed by the Vice President for Student Affairs.
e. Up to 5
professional media members in the appropriate media field.
03.02 The
Student Media Advisory Committee will have the following authority and
responsibilities:
a.
Review and make
recommendations regarding the operations of student media outlets.
b.
Maintain an active
interest and assist in making and implementing decisions in matters of
educational programs and personnel evaluation.
*c. Meet at least one time during each long semester and at such
other times as deemed necessary by the department Chair of the School of
Journalism and Mass Communication.
d.
Interview finalists for
and make appointments to the chief student executive positions of student
media, through the full committee or through subordinates for print and
broadcast media.
e.
Review and recommend
policies pertaining to news, advertising, underwriting, production, recruitment
and training, and other routine operations based on annual reports presented by
the student staff members, General Manager/faculty advisor and the Director of
Student Publications.
f.
Review and recommend
resolution of complaints that have not been resolved by chief student executives
and faculty advisors. Complaints will follow the university’s
normal appeal process. The nature of any complaint will determine
the appropriate appeal process.
*g. Make recommendations to the School of Journalism and Mass
Communication faculty on matters pertaining to academic credit for student
media work and the integration of academic curriculum into student media.
h.
Make recommendations to
faculty advisors and the department pertaining to policies regarding
recruitment and training.
i.
Assist, where and when
appropriate, in planning to keep student media and publication’s equipment
up-to-date and secure.
04. PROCEDURES
FOR STUDENT MEDIA PARTICIPATION AND RESPONSIBILITIES
04.01 Participation
in the student media is open to any qualified student at Texas State. Staff
members may include students who are paid part-time employees, students who are
enrolled in courses requiring participation in the media outlets and student
volunteers.
04.02 The duly
appointed student chief executives of student media outlets are responsible for
directing their staffs toward the goal of excellence under the guidance of
industry ethical standards.
04.03 These
student executives assume the primary staff leadership role in student media
efforts to enlighten, educate, inform, and entertain their audiences --
students, faculty, staff, and administration of Texas State along with readers
and listeners in the application of various circulation and Federal
Communications Commissions (FCC) license standards, according to student media
operations.
05. PROCEDURES
FOR ACCOUNTABILITY, HIRING AND REVIEW OF ADVISORS
*05.01 All
student media advisors are faculty members in the School of Journalism and Mass
Communication and all report through the normal administrative lines of
accountability of the department, college, and University.
*05.02 The
Department Personnel Committee and Chair of the School of Journalism and Mass
Communication are responsible for the appointment, supervision, and evaluation
of faculty advisors according to policies and procedures established by the
department, college, and University.
06. PROCEDURES
FOR GENERAL OPERATIONS OF STUDENT PUBLICATIONS
06.01 In their
operations, student publications will strive to ensure that:
a.
Basic principles of integrity,
responsibility, fairness, and accuracy are met, as well as the principles in
the Code of Ethics of the Society of Professional Journalism, Sigma Delta Chi
and College Media Advisors and Association Of College Press.
b.
All audiences are
informed, educated, enlightened, and entertained by journalistic methods
consistent with professional practices.
c.
News coverage is as
fair and comprehensive as possible.
d.
Students involved in
the publications are given the opportunity to develop skills of communication
and to express opinions through the various laboratory functions.
e.
The ideals of academic
excellence are kept in mind and excellence in writing and reporting is
stressed.
f.
Students are taught to
recognize and avoid publishing material that is obscene, defamatory or libelous.
07. PROCEDURES
FOR GENERAL OPERATIONS OF KTSW-FM RADIO
07.01 In their
operations, KTSW-FM will strive to ensure that KTSW-FM:
*a. Serves
as an academic laboratory for students in the School of Journalism and Mass
Communication, providing an outlet for the development and dissemination of
programming consistent with accepted professional practices and promotional and
underwriting activities used to support radio station operations.
b.
Operates in the public
interest, convenience and necessity, meeting the needs of the determined target
audience and the community of license. Because the licensee is held responsible
for programming on the radio station, Texas State may take such steps as it
deems necessary to reserve KTSW-FM for its intended purpose. Such steps
will include:
*1) conducting
a meeting with the Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs, the Dean of
the College Of Fine Arts and Communication, the Chairperson from the School of
Journalism and Mass Communication, the School of Journalism and Mass
Communication electronic media sequence coordinator, and the KTSW-FM General
Manager to discuss the issue at hand.
2)
Receiving feedback from
administrative personnel to aid in developing a strategy to resolve the issue
at hand.
3)
The KTSW-FM General
Manager is responsible for implementing the strategy arrived at by stated
parties to resolve the issue at hand.
4)
The KTSW-FM General
Manager is responsible for implementing action in accordance with FCC rules and
regulations.
c. All
student administrators and staff of KTSW-FM accept their responsibilities as
citizens and members of the University community, to exercise with diligence
the trust placed in them and to respect the rights of others. Mutual
acceptance and commitment to these obligations will provide an environment
conducive to learning, creativity, and development of community support.
07.02 All
students, administrators and staff will adhere to Federal Communication
Commission guidelines as well as local, state and federal laws.
07.03 KTSW-FM
will not broadcast defamatory or obscene material at any time. To be obscene,
the program content must meet all three of the following guidelines:
a. An
average person, applying contemporary community standards, must find that the
material, as a whole, appeals to the prurient interest,
b. The
material must depict or describe, in a patently offensive way, sexual conduct
specifically defined by applicable State law; and,
c. The
material, taken as a whole, must lack serious literary, artistic, political or
scientific value.
07.04 KTSW-FM
will not broadcast material that the FCC defines as indecent. The FCC defines broadcast indecency as
"language that depicts or describes, in terms patently offensive as
measured by contemporary community standards for the broadcast medium, sexual
or excretory activities or organs." In addition, Texas State may prohibit
programming that solicits or promotes unlawful conduct.
07.05 Each
July, the KTSW-FM General Manager will forward to the Provost and Vice
President for Academic Affairs and the University Attorney the name of the
communications law firm in Washington, D.C. being used for assistance in
filings and advice on regulatory matters. This notification will include the
hourly rates for the counsel an estimate of charges for the next fiscal year.
The General Manager will notify the University Attorney and the Provost and
Vice President for Academic Affairs prior to any change to another
communication’s law firm.
07.06 FCC
regulations require the filing of periodic reports about membership to the Board of
Regents, licensee of KTSW-FM. To expedite this process, Media Relations and Publications
will provide to the KTSW-FM General Manager:
a. Any
changes in the membership of the board
b. The
board title of each board member
c. The
names and addresses of new members
d. The
occupation of new members
e. Any
ownership interest of one percent or more in any other broadcast station held
by a board member
07.07 Daily operating procedures for KTSW-FM will be
maintained by the General Manager in the KTSW-FM Student Operations Manual in
accordance with the policies and procedures outlined in this UPPS. The manual
will be made available to each KTSW-FM student staff member through
distribution of printed copies or on-line access of the electronic version.
08. PROCEDURES
FOR DISCIPLINARY ACTION OF STUDENT MEDIA STAFF
08.01 In
performing their duties, student staff members of media outlets are expected to
follow local, state and federal law as well as rules of the department,
college, and University. A student who fails to follow applicable laws or rules
is subject to disciplinary action. Disciplinary action from the Director of
Student Publications or the KTSW-FM Station
Manager includes warning, suspension, and permanent suspension from the
student media outlet.
08.02 Student
media staff members, who feel they have been wrongly disciplined, may appeal
that action by written notice submitted to the Director of Student Publications
or the KTSW-FM General
Manager within 7 days of the action taken. The appeal will be heard according
to internal policies established by each media outlet. Claimants may appeal
those decisions by following the University’s appeal process.
09. PROCEDURES FOR UNDERWRITING BY STUDENT ELECTRONIC MEDIA
09.01 To
provide students experience in broadcast sales and to provide supplemental
funding, KTSW-FM
may seek underwriting donations for program support and promotion from
local businesses or other potential donors.
09.02 Student
underwriting representatives of KTSW-FM may accept only checks from station
underwriters. Checks will be receipted in the University Cashiers Office, first
floor, J.C. Kellam Building, the same day or not later than the close of
business on the next working day. (See UPPS No.
03.01.05). Student underwriting representatives may sign underwriting
agreements on behalf of electronic media outlets.
09.03 Compensation
for student underwriting representatives of KTSW-FM may be based
on a commission, in accordance with standard practices used in the broadcast industry;
may be based on an hourly wage; or may be based on a combination of the two
systems.
09.04 KTSW-FM will maintain
an underwriting agreements’ form (Attachment
I) for use in scheduling underwriting acknowledgment spots and promotional
events. The forms will include the name, address and telephone number of the
underwriter, the price of the underwriting/promotion and directions for
scheduling the underwriting/promotion.
09.05 KTSW-FM will maintain
a record of underwriting donations including the name, address and telephone
number of the underwriter and the amount of the underwriting donation. The
outlets will also maintain a record of the underwriting announcements aired to
acknowledge the underwriting donation.
09.06 When
student underwriting representatives are paid by commission, they will report
the commissions to the KTSW-FM General Manager/faculty advisor on a sales
commission worksheet (Attachment
II). The sales commission worksheet will show the rate of commission. The
amount of the commission due will be submitted to the university payroll office
on a standard time sheet, which will include the name and social security
number of the student recipient, total sales, and the amount of the commission
to be paid. Due dates will be the same as those listed for student hourly
employees.
10. REVIEWERS OF THIS UPPS
*10.01 Reviewers
of this UPPS include the following:
Position Date
Dr. Bruce Smith, Chair April 1 E4Y
School of Journalism and Mass
Communication
Mr. Bob Bajackson, Director April 1 E4Y
Student Publications
Mr. Dan Schumacher April
1 E4Y
KTSW-FM General Manager
*11. CERTIFICATION STATEMENT
This
UPPS has been approved by the following individuals in their official
capacities and represents Texas State policy and procedure from the date of
this document until superseded.
Dr.
Bruce Smith, Chair, School of Journalism and Mass Communication; senior
reviewer of this UPPS
Dr.
Richard Cheatham, Dean, College of Fine Arts and Communication
Dr.
Perry Moore, Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs
Dr.
Denise Trauth, President