If you have kept up with my personal life outside of this blog, you know I have been trying to start a student newspaper on my university campus for almost a full year now. In today’s age, it is kind of rare for there to not be a newspaper at a public university. In the town I live in, there are a lot of… old school values that are still instilled in the university and how it is run. And that’s fine. Until the old school values do not allow for students to get hands-on experience in their future fields and makes the students feel like their voice is less important than making the university look good.
Here’s a little backstory: Two years ago, a professor was hired with the understanding that they would help start a student newspaper and advance the Communications department. This included starting a radio station, opening up studio space, give students broadcasting experience, and a newspaper. With that mutual understanding between administration and the professor, they started a small eight week class that would work to create a proposal and prototype that would be later submitted for approval to the school board. The class created the proposal, finished the prototype, and awaited the word on if we were to become a proper, school-endorsed student newspaper. Weeks went by and no word came back to us. We later found out our approval had not ever been submitted to the board. So we decided to continue pursuing the paper on our own. I was appointed the Editor-in-Chief and gathered what few staff members we had left. We tried to publish pieces online to our website and create relevant and timely pieces that looked good for the university, but not shying away from the reality of life on campus. Shortly after my staff started to work to schedule interviews, it came to light that gag orders were sent out to staff and Residence Life workers through the Residence Life office. They were told there was no “student newspaper on campus.” All of our work came to a quick and aggressive stop. My assistant editor and I had a meeting with the Dean of Students a few weeks later after I received a phone call on my personal cell phone, and during the meeting they informed us that we were not allowed to use any of the images of the school or even the mascot and asked us to be sure to inform anyone and everyone we talked to that we were completely independent from the university. We complied and removed the logos that would be associated with the school and took all of the signifying features of the university off of our website and social media sites that fell under Copyright law. Students in the staff worked to create our own logo and push for compromise with administration. We were told by the Dean that they would ask the upper administration what the concerns where and come back to us to encourage efforts to move forward together. We waited, once again, with no reply. Things have not been able to progress further since this meeting. So to say I feel a bit defeated is an understatement. I am even more aggravated that my efforts to further my education and job experience has done nothing but cause people to see me as someone who likes to cause trouble. I requested an interview recently in regard to the university giving a few students money they weren’t supposed to get back as a refund and the university making them pay back all of the money that was dispersed. Despite this being a university error. I was informed that the person I contacted was “not allowed” to be interviewed for the paper according to their bosses (who are responsible for multiple grievances of mine that are separate from the newspaper). My problem is not the person refusing an interview,-- they have a right to do that-- my problem is the administration using every trick in the book to keep a student newspaper from properly developing, and silencing students. They wonder why they have a low retention rate and why, when administration makes a grand gesture like building a building but not telling anyone what’s being put in it and students find out they’re paying for it, students get mad. When there is mold and bed bugs in the residence halls, ants in the bathrooms, and buildings that can’t even be used for classes without someone reacting to the poor conditions, you shouldn’t be surprised when students find out they’re paying money for a building they didn’t even need. I could not care less about the Chick-Fil-A that is supposed to be installed in the building. It’s not about that, it’s about a lack of communication and a large amount of secrecy that is upheld from students. Not even professors or staff know what the rest of the two story building will be filled with. There is no transparency or explanation outside of fluff stories to make the university look good to students or faculty. Even during a minor scandal where the chancellor posed in front of a spirit wall during Homecoming week that had sexually insensitive comments, the apology email was only sent out to students. There is no trust between student and administration, because the only type of communication that is happening does not allow for feedback from student to administrator. And I say that in every survey, every meeting, and every conversation I have with people who are concerned for this university. But no one listens. I want this university to succeed, and I think that this school is a great opportunity for people who need to take their first step out of high school. But UAM, your purpose is to prepare students for their future careers. And you do that for people who are majoring in agriculture, music, nursing, and education. But anyone else who doesn’t follow the status quo within those departments gets pushed to the back burner and deemed a troublemaker for efforts to better their college experience and further their careers. So long story short, I will not be backing down. I will not let your silencing continue. I will not let you quiet the voice of the students, so long as I attend this university. I didn’t want to be the bad guy, but I feel like I have to be. So I’ll leave you with this, UAM: “The sound of tireless voices is the price we pay to hear the music of our own opinions.” -Adldai E. Stevenson To see our independent student newspaper, check out our website at green-gazette.com or our social links below. If you’re interested in writing, designing, managing, or even leading the newspaper, contact the staff at [email protected].
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AuthorGabrielle Willingham is a young Arkansan woman who sees the importance of simultaneous cynicism and optimism. Gabrielle is currently working on a MA in Communication with a focus in gender studies and political science. Archives
January 2021
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