Media Commission Guidelines

Membership

1. The Media Commission shall consist of:
   1. Four students:
      1. Two students appointed by vote of the Council of Clubs. If the Council of Clubs does not appoint students, or if the students fail to appear at meetings, then the Dean of the Arts Division and the Dean of the Language, Literature, and Communication Division shall each appoint one student from their areas.
      2. One student appointed by the Editor of the Torch.
      3. One student appointed by the Editor of Denali.
      4. All student members should be willing and interested in serving a one-year term.
   2. Three LCC staff members:
      1. The Media Commission Chair solicits faculty, staff, and student membership by contacting the appropriate associations, Deans, councils, and Editors of the Torch and Denali during the fall term.
      2. Two faculty members are appointed by the president of the Faculty Union.
      3. One classified staff member is appointed by the Executive Council of the Employees Federation.
      4. Staff members should be willing to serve and will be chosen for one- or two-year terms specified at the time of appointment. If either group is not able to fill that vacancy, the other group will be asked to fill the vacancy.
   3. Permanent members:
      1. Dean, Language Literature and Communications Division
      2. Dean, Division of the Arts
      3. Editor, Denali
      4. Editor, the Torch
      5. Adviser(s) of Denali (if this role is filled)
      6. Adviser(s) of the Torch.
2. A Chair will be elected from the membership of the Media Commission for a one-year term. The Chair may vote on all matters before the Commission. The Chair may serve for up to two consecutive terms.
3. Commission meetings are open for attendance by any interested person. However, at the request of a majority of Commission members, the Chair may close meetings during Editor selection proceedings, and sessions dealing with personnel matters.
4. Dismissal from the Lane Media Commission: Two consecutive absences, without prior notice, from regular meetings shall be considered an automatic resignation from the Commission unless voted otherwise by the Media Commission at the next regularly scheduled meeting.

Meetings and Voting

1. A special meeting shall be called during the spring term for the purpose of arranging to select the following year's Editors for the Torch and Denali. Meetings may also be called at any time when a majority of the members call for a meeting or when the Chair is notified of pending business for the Commission to consider.
2. The quorum required for an official meeting of the Media Commission is a majority of the membership listed above, that is, one more than half the membership. A decisive vote will be a majority of those members present at the official meeting.
3. The Chair of the Media Commission shall call a meeting when any specific, written complaint or appeal is received.

Responsibilities of the LCC Media Commission

1. The Lane Community College Board of Education
   1. Student publications are recognized by the Lane Community College Board of Education which holds final authority and responsibility for them. The responsibility for developing, administering, and reviewing policies for the operation of student publications is delegated by the LCC Board of Education to the LCC Media Commission. Student publications include: (1) the student newspaper, the Torch, (2) the student literary arts publication, Denali, and (3) related media.
   2. The Media Commission (as well as the LCC President and the LCC Board of Education) shall not be involved in the day-to-day decisions and operations of the student media.
2. The Lane Community College Media Commission
   1. The Media Commission, as the primary agent of the LCC Board of Education for student publications, is responsible for developing policies which direct the operations of LCC student media, subject to board approval. The Media Commission shall also serve as an appeal and review board if questions of adherence to Media Commission Policies or the Oregon Code of Journalistic Ethics arise.
   2. The Media Commission determines if any other college-aided, regularly published student work falls under the auspices of the Commission.
3. Advisers and Division Deans
   1. The Dean of the Arts Division supervises the instructional aspects of journalism, graphic design, desktop publishing, and photography courses, and coordinates with the Torch Advisers on matters of instruction.
   2. The Dean of the Arts Division is the immediate supervisor of the Torch Advisers in matters pertaining to budget planning as well as personnel and college operating policy.
   3. The Dean of the Language, Literature, and Communication Division supervises any Denali Advisers in matters pertaining to budget planning as well as personnel and college operating policy.
   4. The Vice President of Academic and Student Affairs, or their designee, is the Chief Academic Officer over Student Publications in terms of college budget, policy, operations, and legal matters, including contracts and issues of libel or slander. The Vice President authorizes the functions of the Deans of the Arts and LLC and the Student Publication Advisers, who report to the Deans, as detailed in this document. (Amended Spring, 2015)
   5. The Deans and the Advisers are available to serve as liaisons between the Media Commission and the student staff. However, the Deans and Advisers are not to be held responsible for the content of student publications.
4. Selection of Content
   1. Responsibility for selection of the content of the student media and the adherence to Media Commission policies is in the hands of student Editors, Managers, and their staff. Student staff members are expected to adhere to appropriate standards for ethical and professional work. The Torch staff members are expected to adhere to standards of journalistic ethics as expressed in the Oregon Code of Ethics for Journalism.
   2. In all cases, the Torch and Denali Editors make final decisions about the content of their respective publications, but shall attempt to provide ample time during the editing processes for their Advisers to read and comment on the material--about the content, medium, structure, grammar, and word choice, as well as any legal and/or ethical ramifications involved in publishing the material.
   3. In the instance of Torch material, staff or personal opinion shall be clearly marked by some designation such as "Editorial" or "Letter to the Editor" and separated from objective news material. The staff shall make every effort to verify the accuracy of their information, to attribute information and opinion to the proper sources, and to present in news articles both sides of controversial matters. If errors occur, corrections or retractions shall be published as soon as possible with space of equal or greater importance in accordance with state law.

Review and Appeal Procedures

1. The Media Commission may, at the written request of any party including Media Commission members, initiate a review of the actions of the student staff, Advisers, Deans, or the Vice President of Academic and Student Affairs to ensure Media Commission policies are followed and duties necessary to publication are performed capably. Findings of such a review will be transmitted in written form to the members of the Media Commission, the complainant, and the person or persons whose actions are reviewed.These review findings will be transmitted to the LCC President and the LCC Board of Education at their request or upon vote of the Commission.
2. If violations of Media Commission policy occur, or if necessary functions are not performed capably, and these situations remain uncorrected after transmission of the Media Commission findings to the party involved, the Media Commission shall take the following steps to remedy the situation:
   1. The Media Commission may remove Editors directly appointed by the Commission from their positions.
   2. Criticism and evaluation of a staff member or members not directly appointed by the Commission are under the direction of said member(s)'s Editor; the Media Commission shall not, on its own initiative, call before it any individual staff member(s) without prior consultation with the Editor.
   3. Requests to staff members for appearances before the Commission will only be made by the Editor.
   4. Similarly, should questions arise concerning the actions of the Advisers, the Deans of the appropriate division or the Vice President of Academic and Student Affairs will be contacted.
3. The review and appeal policies are not intended primarily to settle matters of personality conflict, but should such conflict interfere with the operations of the student media, the matter should be referred to the Media Commission.

Financing of the Media

1. Financing for the operation of the Torch will be provided by the college general fund, advertising revenue, and a portion of student fees. Amounts budgeted for each school year will be determined during the previous spring in discussions among the Torch Editor, Dean of the Arts, and Advisers.
2. Denali receives funding through the annual budgeting process from the college general fund, and from a portion of student body fees. Denali may also receive revenue from the sale of advertising and from other activities in keeping with the college's policies.

Newspaper Staff

1. Staff Personnel
   1. Torch Editor
      1. Selection Process: The Editor of the Torch will be appointed by the Media Commission during spring term and will serve fall, winter, and spring terms of the following academic year. The Editor should have journalistic ability, training, and experience. It is preferred that she/he have previous service on a high school, college, or professional newspaper in such capacities as will give her/him an adequate understanding of the operations of a newspaper. The Editor must be capable of organizing and directing a staff and of relating well to other people. The applicant for Editor must have completed at least six LCC credit hours on the main campus within 12 months prior to his/her application for the Editor's position.
      2. Editor Qualifications: At the time of application for Editor, 2.75 cumulative Grade Point Average is preferred. He/she must maintain a minimum 2.00 GPA each term during his/her editorship. The Editor must enroll in and complete a class of at least three credits at LCC each term during which he/she serves as Editor. If his/her cumulative GPA drops below 2.00, her/his standing as Editor will be reviewed by the Media Commission.
      3. The Editor is responsible for selecting other staff members and assigning their duties and has the authority for reorganizing the staff and removing members from staff positions if they are not performing their duties.
      4. Under the Dean of the Arts, the Torch Editor is responsible for operating within limitations of the newspaper budget.
      5. The Editor is responsible for the formation of an Editorial Board.
      6. The Editor shall prepare written standards and policies for publishing material readers submit for publication. The Editor will determine if the materials are suitable for inclusion in the Torch.
   2. Staff members will be drawn from journalism classes and laboratories, and from students interested in the newspaper who are not enrolled in journalism classes. At the beginning of each term, the Editor shall circulate a listing of each member's duties to staff members based upon evaluation of the needs of the paper and the abilities of personnel available.
   3. An Editorial Board shall consist of major staff members. The Editorial Board may assist the Editor with the development of Editorial positions, and with newspaper content, advertising, operating policy, and personnel issues. The Editor shall consider the board's advice and recommendations when preparing editorials and making decisions.
   4. The Editor shall select and work with an Associate Editor who shall assist the Editor in his/her duties, as specified in a job description.
2. The Torch Editor and Advisers shall inform the Media Commission within two weeks in the event that a vacancy occurs in the editorship. The Associate Editor shall assume the duties of the Editor in the interim. The Media Commission shall then act promptly to appoint the Associate Editor to the editorship. If the Associate Editor is unable or unwilling to accept the position, the Media Commission will recruit and appoint a suitable replacement from the Torch staff. If no staff member is interested, or the Commission determines none would be suitable to serve as Editor, the Commission will recruit and select an appointment from the LCC student population.
3. Advisers
   1. Advisers for the Torch are selected jointly by the Torch Editor and the Dean of the Arts.
   2. The Advisers serve as liaisons between the newspaper staff and the journalism program and will utilize efforts of the newspaper by journalism students for instructional purposes in news writing, newspaper production, and other aspects of producing a school newspaper.
   3. The Vice President of Academic and Student Affairs may serve in an advisory capacity to the staff of the Torch.

Denali Staff

1. Staff Personnel
   1. Denali Editor
      1. Selection Process: The Editor of Denali will be appointed through a competitive process overseen by the Media Commission during spring term and will serve fall, winter, and spring terms of the following academic year. If there are no applicants in spring term, a search process will begin early fall term. The applicant for Editor must have completed at least six LCC credit hours on the main campus within 12 months prior to his/her application for the Editor's position.
      2. Editor Qualifications: The Editor qualifies for the competitive position by demonstrating writing and editing skills as well as demonstrating appreciation for esthetics and the interaction between graphics and text. The Editor must be capable of managing a fixed budget, publication timelines, and technical aspects of the magazine's publication. The Editor may elect to work with a staff of one or several students, depending on budget, and is responsible for organizing and directing their work in a collaborative fashion.
      3. Student Enrollment and GPA: At the time of application, the Editor should hold a 2.75 cumulative GPA and have completed at least one term at Lane. Community College. Some flexibility in GPA is possible with accompanying explanation. The Editor must enroll in and complete a class of at least three credits at Lane CC each term while serving as Editor. If the cumulative GPA drops below 2.0, the Editor's standing will be reviewed by the Media Commission.
      4. The LLC Office is responsible for budget operations (authorization, pay periods, etc.), but the fixed budget is given to the Editor who plans the publication and staff expenses, and works responsibly within the budget constraints.
      5. The Denali Editor has final responsibility for the selection and publication of materials in Denali, although consultation with staff and faculty with relevant expertise is encouraged.
2. The Denali Editor and Adviser(s) shall inform the Media Commission within two weeks in the event that a vacancy occurs in the editorship. The Media Commission will promptly fill the vacant position by selecting a current member of the Denali staff. If there are no willing or reasonable replacements on staff, the Media Commission will promptly recruit and select an appointment from the LCC student population.
3. Adviser(s)
   1. Adviser(s) for Denali may be selected by the Language, Literature, and Communications Division Dean. The Adviser(s) serve as a liaison between the publication and the art, literary, and photography instruction in various departments.

Revision

1. Amendments, revisions, or additions to this policy shall be submitted in writing to the Chair of the Commission, acted upon in two consecutive meetings of the Media Commission (first, discussion; second, action) with a majority vote required for passage, and submitted for publication in the same manner as the original document: on Lane CC's website and under COPPS.