Courtesy of WU Photo ServicesWhen Ben Cannon began his term as editor in chief of Student Life in the fall of 1998, he was overwhelmed. Without a journalism program at Washington University, much guidance from professional journalists, or advice from the administration, there were few places he could seek counsel.
However, within months of his graduation in 1999, Student Life became incorporated, and all that changed. The newly independent newspaper created its own parent company, Washington University Student Media, Inc. (WUSMI), and gave a new board of directors the power to govern the organization.
Since its creation in the fall of 1999, WUSMI has selected three years of editors in chief and provided advice to the student staff.
Conception
While Student Life has always been independent, finances kept the newspaper bound, sometimes uncomfortably, to the university before 1999.
“We were at the behest of the university,” said Mitch Margo, co-editor in chief from 1976-1977 and current WUSMI president. “We used their space, we took money from student funding, but I believe the university wanted us to be as far away from them as we could.”
Laura Meckler, editor in chief from 1989-1990 and current board member, said that despite its independence, some were oblivious to the newspaper’s operations.
“Even as editor, I didn’t have any sense at all of how our finances really worked-did we pay rent for our space, did we get money from the university, how do we exist?”
There were other problems, too. The newspaper was without long-term direction, and as editors came and went annually, quality and coverage were inconsistent. Without a journalism department at WU, there were few places to turn for guidance.
Jill Carnaghi, assistant vice chancellor for students and another member of the WUSMI Board, stated that it was “incredibly tricky” if someone in the administration tried to provide guidance to the newspaper because it could be viewed as an impingement of freedom of the press. There was also concern over who could or would be sued if the newspaper were to print something libelous.
When Andrew O’Dell, Student Life’s current general manager, was hired in 1997, he proposed the concept of incorporation. His input about the newspaper, which had fallen into debt from poor business management, sparked discussions with Carnaghi about the newspaper’s options. The ideas came to fruition during the summer of 1999, when Cannon and Vice Chancellor for Students James McLeod worked with administrators and lawyers to negotiate the creation of WUSMI.
Initially, some were cautious about giving the newspaper’s power to the WUSMI Board. Some felt the board might be too controlling editorially and managerially, especially since one of the board’s primary responsibilities is to choose the editors in chief.
“There was a period of time that the students were very wary of us, with good right. Here we were, outsiders, coming in with the university’s approval,” said Margo.
O’Dell said having Cannon, a former editor in chief, create and serve on the board “helped dispel those thoughts.”
Carnaghi added that the university didn’t profit from relinquishing control over Student Life except that the change provided aspiring journalists with a more organized outlet for their talents.
“What we as an institution wanted was to provide students the best co-curricular opportunities possible when it comes to the student newspaper,” she said.
The university actually lost a great deal of money in the creation process, pardoning approximately $300,000 of Student Life’s accumulated debt, according to O’Dell.
The birth of the board
During the summer of 1999, the steering committee identified its first potential board member: Greg Freeman, Student Life’s co-editor in chief from 1976-1977 and an experienced writer for the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Freeman agreed, and he and Cannon recruited other students, alumni, professionals, and administrators to join.
The board first met and signed its bylaws in the fall of 1999. Its duties, as set forth by the bylaws, included approval of the annual budget, selection of the editor in chief and general manager, approval of long-term business plans, and oversight of investments and fundraising-but Cannon was hoping for something greater.
“From the start, we envisioned a board that would do substantially more than that,” said Cannon. “We thought about the Board as acting essentially as the newspaper’s publisher… meaning that they kind of owned and operated the newspaper.”
One of the board’s first duties was to appoint an editor in chief in the spring of 2000. They interviewed and selected Brian Hamman.
“I certainly felt comfortable that with the assistance of the past editor in chief, we could make a good decision and the right decision [about Hamman],” said Margo.
Though the board has final say over editorship, the staff also holds interviews and provides the board a recommendation.
“The opinion of the [outgoing] editor in chief and the staff is of paramount importance to us,” said Margo, “but what we’re able to do… is take the emotion, the friendship, the camaraderie out of it and pick the person who will do the best job.”
Growing up
The board enacted a number of changes in the next three years, including hiring salon.com contributor King Kaufman as an editorial consultant, increasing the organization of the business side, and creating a greater sense of professionalism within the staff.
Student Life’s role within the university is more clearly defined today. While WU still covers Student Life’s annual publisher’s fee of $50,000, Student Life pays $15,000 to lease its office space in the Women’s Building and agrees to provide the university with media coverage of the campus and newspaper distribution. Student Life buys its own libel insurance and receives no Student Union funding.
The board has no say over editorial content of the newspaper, though it can offer suggestions after publishing. This advice, Meckler said, is “guidance without interference.”
Taylor Upchurch, co-editor in chief from 2001-2002, said, “Having the board around was a terrific idea from the start, and it’s meant nothing but good things for the development of the newspaper.”
As a long-term goal, board members are considering including more media organizations in WUSMI. When incorporation was first discussed, the umbrella concept was appealing-and still is to some-because it would allow shared space and resources, and useful opportunities for collaboration. Organizations such as KWUR, WUTV, and The Hatchet could potentially be included, though Carnaghi and O’Dell said unions are unlikely now because these groups are not self-sufficient like Student Life.
For now, the board is considering a more pressing matter: the death of board member Freeman in December leaves his seat available, and several other seats are vacant as well.