Board of Visitors minutes :: March 26, 1976 :: University of Virginia Library

The following resolution was adopted:
RESOLVED by the Rector and Visitors of the University of Virginia that its actions on June 14, 1958 with respect to the Board of Directors of the Cavalier Daily be rescinded, and that a Media Board of Directors be, and hereby is, established and charged with the authority and responsibility, under the President, for supervision of all student operated publications and electronic media supported by student fees or by other University funds or by provision of office space or equipment, and that have University-wide distribution or audiences, including the Cavalier Daily, The Declaration, Corks and Curls, WTJU, and WUVA; that the title of such Media Board and its mailing address be carried on the masthead of the student publications responsible to it and be noted appropriately by the student electronic media; and that the Media Board shall operate under the guidelines which follow.

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Guidelines for the Media Board of Directors

I. Jurisdiction

The Media Board of Directors shall supervise and oversee the operations of all student-operated publications and broadcast media of University-wide distribution or audiences which are either:
(a) supported by mandatory student fees, or
(b) supported by student fees or by other University funds or by provision of office space or equipment.

II. Purpose

The purpose of the Media Board of Directors shall be to promote the highest standards of journalism in the operation of student publications and broadcast media under its supervision, to guarantee their freedom and independence, and to insure that those publications are responsive to the concerns of the University community.

The Media Board of Directors shall insure that the student media abide by a code of journalistic ethics and responsibilities and carry out their functions in a manner consistent with the aims and objectives of the University. The Media Board of Directors shall above all require that the media organizations provide outlets for news and opinion in a spirit of fairness, decency and truthfulness.

III. Authority

In addition to the powers necessary to fulfill its purposes, the Media Board shall have the authority to solicit and receive complaints, to make such investigations as may be necessary, to conduct hearings to determine the validity of complaints, to make determinations as to what, if any, corrective action is required, and to implement such corrective action.

In the implementation of corrective action the Media Board may establish general policies; it shall not engage in censorship (i.e., prior restraint), and it shall not order the publication or broadcast of specific information except:

(1) in the case of public censure,
(2) as may be necessary to correct factual errors in previously published or broadcast information, and
(3) notices of public meetings of the Media Board.

In the enforcement of its directives the Media Board shall be limited to the following actions against the officers and members of the managing boards of student media organizations under its supervision:

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(1) Private censure and public censure published by all student news media, both actions determined by a majority vote of the membership of the Media Board;
(2) Removal from position, determined by a vote of six of the seven members of the Media Board.

IV. Meetings and Reports

Regular meetings of the Media Board shall be held not less than once during each month of the academic year. To qualify as a regular meeting, a majority of the members shall be present. A vote of a majority of the members present shall be sufficient to decide any matter other than the challenge of a member and the censure or removal of an officer or member of the managing board of a student news media organization.

The Media Board of Directors shall submit to the President written reports of its activities at the end of each regular session semester. As a separate section of the report, the Media Board shall include a summary of its periodic inspection and review of student operated radio stations. It shall make other reports as necessary.

V. Constitution and By-Laws

The Media Board shall adopt a constitution and by-laws consistent with this directive and the requirements of due process. Such by-laws shall include a reasonable code of ethics and responsibilities. The Media Board shall solicit the views of all student media organizations and other interested individuals in promulgating that code.

VI. Membership and Organization

The Media Board shall be composed of seven students appointed by the presidents of the several Schools of the University. Present media staff are to be excluded from appointment. The term of appointment will be for two years, with terms being staggered so that three members end their term one year and four the next, and with the largest School, the College of Arts and Sciences, always represented. A chairman shall be chosen by the Media Board from among the members who have served one year.

Each of the members shall be appointed no later than the fall of their next to last school year before graduation. Vacancies shall be filled by the presidents of the various Schools on a rotating basis, the rotation being based upon an alphabetical listing of the Schools. Vacancies in the unexpired term of any School shall be filled within thirty days through appointment by the president representing that School. The appointment schedule beginning the fall of 1976 shall be as follows:

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Architecture - initial one year term, 1976-77
College of Arts & Sciences - (always represented) initial one year term, 1976-77; two year terms thereafter, 1977-79, 1979-81, etc.
Commerce - initial one year term, 1976-77
Education - initial one year term, 1976-77
Engineering and Applied Sciences - two year term, 1976-78
Graduate Arts and Sciences - two year term, 1976-78
Graduate School of Business Administration - two year term, 1976-78
Law - 1977-79 two year term
Medicine - 1977-79 two year term
Nursing - 1977-79 two year term

If, prior to the consideration of any adjudicative matter, a challenge is made that one or more members of the Media Board should be excused because of conflicts in interest, the challenge shall be decided upon by a majority vote of the unchallenged members of the Media Board, and, when required, substitute members shall be selected by a majority vote; provided that if a majority of the members are challenged, the Student Activities Committee shall act upon the challenge and, if upheld, it shall select substitute members.

The Media Board of Directors may at its discretion elect to have a consultant or advisor from the faculty or staff of the University who should be selected in consultation with the Vice President for Student Affairs, and who would serve ex officio and with no vote.