view counter
E-mail: Password:
Forgot your password?
Search our site:
Home » Content

Western Oregon Action

CMA board issues censure

of a west coast university

TO DOWNLOAD A COPY OF THE LETTER TO WESTERN OREGON, CLICK HERE.

College Media Advisers announces that it has censured Western Oregon University for its handling of the case of the former student newspaper adviser at the school.

The board of directors of College Media Advisers voted the censure following a lengthy investigation by CMA into the August 2007 firing of Susan Wickstrom, adviser of the Western Oregon Journal.

Wickstrom’s firing followed the June 2007 Journal publication of a story concerning a university computer security breach. A file containing the names, Social Security numbers, grade point averages and other sensitive information of former students was discovered by student journalist Blair Loving in a public area of the university computer system. He opened the file thinking it was information about the College of Education.

Wickstrom’s contract was not renewed in August 2007 because university officials felt she mishandled a copy of the file.

The letter of censure, sent to WOU President John Minahan, raises concerns about the way the university handled Wickstrom’s case. In addition, CMA is concerned that the present academic and student affairs environments are not conducive to healthy journalism and student media programs at WOU.

Specific concerns raised in the letter of censure include the following:

  • The search by university officials of the student newspaper newsroom without notifying the students or the adviser.
  • The university blaming the newspaper staff and its adviser for exposing the security lapse on its computers.
  • The handling by university officials of the security investigation and Wickstrom’s case, both of which indicate a lack of understanding of the basic philosophy, principles and ethics that guide CMA advisers.

CMA has been working with WOU for more than a year, offering to assist administrators in establishing policy that would respect student journalists’ First Amendment rights and protect them and their adviser from unfair action.

That offer was first made in a January 2008 letter to Dr. Gary Dukes, WOU vice president for student affairs. In it, CMA President Ken Rosenauer asked Dukes to work with CMA in resolving the security breach case by inviting a CMA team to campus to do the following:

  • Work with administrators in developing governing documents for student media and to explore further the circumstances that led to Ms. Wickstrom’s dismissal.
  • Help to develop a set of written guidelines for the performance of the adviser’s duties that will in the future protect advisers who follow the CMA Code of Ethics;
  • Encourage reconsideration of Ms. Wickstrom’s dismissal as newspaper adviser.

In April 2008 a report from a WOU Ad-hoc Committee on Free Press, found the following:

  • There have been no violations of First Amendment rights of free speech and free press. The committee believes that the student accusations of First Amendment violations were made recklessly.
  • It is “equally clear that in some instances the university administration responded ineptly and in a heavy-handed manner. In short, there is a dysfunctional relationship between the student newspaper and the college administration.”
  • Form a Media Board to oversee student media operations. The committee wrote, “If there are problems with its structure, the board’s bylaws have specific procedures for considering and adopting changes. That is the proper forum for discussion of problems with the board’s structure and composition. It is not the place of the vice president for student affairs to unilaterally write new rules and send them to the president. Doing so gives the appearance of violating proper procedures, even if such ideas were simply ‘proposals.’ In addition, the affected students should be treated with respect, given clear and correct information, and not misinformed and manipulated. They deserve answers about issues of importance to them, not hedging and stonewalling, which is what they appear to have received from their own vice president for student affairs.”

In June 2008, CMA sent a formal letter of concern to Minahan, offering the assistance of CMA adviser advocate Mark Witherspoon of Iowa State University to help develop the new student media governance documents and guidelines that would create a healthy environment for the WOU student media program.

The university president initially seemed to be receptive to the offer. However, after a series of delays and lack of communication, Minahan refused to cooperate with Witherspoon or any other CMA representative.

Ms. Wickstrom, who has made clear in the interim that she is not interested in getting her WOU adviser job back, was honored last summer by the Oregon and Southwest Washingon chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists with its First Freedom Award, in recognition of her exemplary service to the First Amendment.

The CMA Adviser Advocacy Program, established in 1998, is designed to help mediate issues that may arise when advisers are punished in the performance of their duties and while following CMA standards. Since inception of the program, the CMA board of directors has censured seven schools, six of which remain in effect. Letters of concern have been sent to three other schools.

Attached:
CMA letter to Dr. John Minahan, president of Western Oregon University, dated Jan. 12, 2009

For additional background, go online to the following:


XML
view counter