Dear USM Community:
This past Friday the USM Student Senate voted to pass a referendum question on to the USM Student Body. The question asks whether the USM Student Communications Board (SCB) should be discharged as a student group. A student referendum and 2/3 vote of the USM Student Senate is one way to accomplish this. What this actually means is a bit complicated but the implications are quite serious to both The Free Press and WMPG. As the WMPG Station Manager, I am in a unique position to comment on this.
The SCB was created to ensure the First Amendment Rights of both groups. Each group is currently protected by the SCB as it acts as a buffer between them and the USM Student Senate.
This buffer has allowed both WMPG and The Free Press to operate without fear of immediate reprisal from the USM Student Senate for any broadcast or printed story. This allows The Free Press to operate without fear of any actual or implied pressure about what it may or may not report on the Senate.
As for WMPG, this buffer has allowed the radio station to operate without the pressure to change its programming to please each year’s new group of USM Student Senators. Without this buffer the USM Student Senate could close down WMPG or The Free Press for any reason, period. I would be the first to admit that this is not very likely to happen.
The problem is that without the SCB the opportunity is there. The SCB protects all three groups from the appearance that they are being pressured and influenced in a harmful way
The SCB is also charged with distributing 30 percent of the Student Activity Fees to the groups. This has allowed both WMPG and The Free Press to operate with stable budgets and plan for the long term instead of year to year.
This has led to realistic budgets being presented, with a fixed amount that can not be increased or decreased. The budgets are debated at the SCB where there’s a healthy mix of USM Students, USM Student Senate, Media Professionals, USM Administration, Free Press and WMPG Representatives. Before the SCB was created, our budgets were frequently debated in length and judged by how much a particular Senator’s favorite music was or wasn’t broadcast.
On a positive note, the Senate did raise a number of issues to the SCB about how it operates and was instrumental in working with them in restructuring its operations.
We are all hoping these new systems can be implemented and all groups can again operate in harmony. If this election can increase student awareness about the SCB, then this referendum might well be worth it.
The election is scheduled for April 9 and 10. I urge all students to vote. The outcome could change your radio station and newspaper dramatically.
Jim Rand
WMPG Station Manager