Colorado State University Committee Seeks Public Comment on Possible Changes to Student Media

Public comment on a proposal to move the current student media organization at Colorado State University to a non-profit organization is being sought by a committee charged with reviewing possible revisions to the current structure.

The committee is offering an opportunity for public comment and encourages students, university faculty and community members to comment on the current proposal being considered. The proposal was submitted by the student media organization during the committee’s April 10 meeting.  

During a meeting from 4-6 p.m. Thursday, April 24 in D.C. bottoms at the Durrell Center on campus, the committee will review written public comments and will hear comments at 4 p.m. from interested people in attendance. Following public comment, the committee will move into closed session to determine specific recommendations.

Once the committee determines its recommendations, those recommendations will be taken forward by committee chair Blanche Hughes, vice president for Student Affairs, to university President Larry Penley for further deliberation. Penley will review the information and potentially make a recommendation to the Board of Governors of the Colorado State University System.

The proposal and background information that will be considered by the committee, such as information about four common structures for student media at universities across the nation, is available for review at www.studentaffairs.colostate.edu under the "Collegian Advisory Committee" link on the left side of the page. Public comment also is welcome and available through the site and should be completed by 6 p.m. April 23 for consideration during the April 24 meeting.

The committee, charged with looking specifically at the Rocky Mountain Collegian, was formed earlier in the semester by Hughes and is made up of students, faculty, staff and community members. Penley asked Hughes to appoint a committee to review proposals submitted to the university regarding the Collegian. The committee was formed after the Fort Collins Coloradoan approached the university to discuss a partnership with the student paper.

After a public call for proposals on March 17, the committee received one proposal for review. That proposal was presented to the committee on April 10 by a student media representative.

The committee asked for proposals that could meet 17 specific criteria that support Penley’s request and include a specific description of how proposed changes would enhance services to students; the role of students in the propose structure, including information about who serves as editors; how salaries for students and professional staff will be addressed; the frequency, distribution, copy count and printing details for issues; how the paper’s relationship with other student media would be affected; and how services to the campus community would be enhanced.

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