Present: Gus Burkett (CASE), Kelly Byrne (Maine Campus), Joe Carr (University Relations), Andrea Gifford (Student Affairs), Greg McManus (Communication and Journalism), Eryk Salvaggio (Maine Campus), Kenda Scheele (chair, Student Affairs), and Heather Steeves (Maine Campus).

The meeting began at 3:30 p.m. in Room 315 Memorial Union. The Maine Campus distributed its handbook to the board and then gave the group a very informative presentation about the history, practices and operation of the Maine Campus. Kelly Byrne indicated that the Maine Campus is audited annually. The board requested a copy of the most recent audit and Kelly agreed to provide copies to the board. The board also heard from the Maine Campus about its web site. The Maine Campus asked the board to adopt a statement affirming the editorial independence of the Maine Campus. The proposed statement was: Student media are the designated public forums, and free from censorship and advance approval of content. Because content and funding are unrelated, and because the role of advisor does not include advance review of content, student media are free to develop editorial polices and news coverage with the understanding that students and student organizations speak only for themselves. Administrators, faculty, staff and other agents shall not consider the student media’s content when making decisions regarding the media’s funding or faculty advisor. The board affirmed that its role was only to provide fiscal oversight and guidance/advice as requested. The board then went on to discuss the benefits of drafting a statement of purpose. Joe Carr agreed to draft this for review by the board.

The meeting adjourned at 4:45 p.m.

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