Student
Media Policies and Procedures UPPS
No. 02.04.01
Issue
No. 4
Effective
Date: 10/09/2009
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 student media facilitates the development of
appropriate skills through established and supervised laboratory procedures and
assists 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 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.
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. PROCEDURES
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 school
faculty member appointed by the director 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 five 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 director 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 and the
director of Student Publications.
f.
Review and recommend resolution of complaints
that the chief student executives and faculty advisors have not resolved. 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 school 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
Communication Commission’s (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 school, college, and university.
05.02 The
school Personnel Committee and director 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 school,
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, 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 director of 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 Obscene
content is determined when the content meets 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. assisting with filings and advice on regulatory
matters. This notification will include the hourly rates for the counsel and an
estimator 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 communications 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, University
News Services 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 The general
manager will maintain KTSW-FM daily operating procedures in the KTSW-FM Student
Operations Manual, in accordance with policies and procedures outlined in this
UPPS. Each KTSW-FM student staff member will receive this manual either in
printed or electronic form.
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 laws as well as rules of the school, 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 general manager includes warning,
suspension, and permanent suspension from the student media outlet.
08.02 Student
media staff members, who feel wrongly disciplined, may appeal that action by
written notice to the director of Student Publications or the KTSW-FM general
manager within seven days of the action taken. Each media outlet has
established internal policies for hearing these appeals. Claimants may appeal those decisions
by following the university’s appeal process (see UPPS No. 07.10.06,
Procedures for Responding to Student Complaints).
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 Office of Student Business
Services, 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, University Income Recognition and
Associated Cash-Handling Procedures). Student underwriting representatives may
sign underwriting agreements on behalf of electronic media outlets.
09.03 Student
underwriting representatives of KTSW-FM may receive compensation based on a commission,
according to broadcast industry standard practices. Alternatively,
representatives may receive hourly compensation or compensation based on a
combination of the two systems.
09.04 KTSW-FM
will maintain an Underwriting Agreement Form (Attachment I) for use in scheduling underwriting
acknowledgment spots and promotional events. The form will include the name,
address and telephone number of the underwriter, the price of the underwriting
or promotion and directions for scheduling the underwriting or 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 on a Sales Commission Worksheet (Attachment
II). The
Sales Commission Worksheet will show the commission rate. The representative
will submit the amount of commission due to the university Payroll Office, by
the same due date as that for student hourly employees, on a standard
commission form and include the name and student ID number of the student
recipient, total sales, and the amount of commission paid.
10. REVIEWERS OF THIS UPPS
10.01 Reviewers
of this UPPS include the following:
Position Date
Director, School of Journalism and
Mass April 1 E4Y
Communication
Director, Student Publications April 1 E4Y
KTSW-FM General Manager April 1 E4Y
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.
Director,
School of Journalism and Mass Communication; senior reviewer of this UPPS
Dean,
College of Fine Arts and Communication
Provost
and Vice President for Academic Affairs
President