AGENDA

Tuesday, April 12, 2011 • 7 p.m.
Student Senate Chambers, Witherspoon 201

CALL TO ORDER

• Appointment of a secretary

OLD BUSINESS

• Approval of minutes — Special meeting in March
• Hiring of summer Technician editor — no applicants

NEW BUSINESS

• 2011-2012 budget

ADJOURN

EXECUTIVE SESSION
The Student Media Board of Directors may adjourn into executive session to discuss matters of litigation, potential litigation or personnel.

REPORTS SUBMITTED IN ADVANCE

AGROMECK
Submitted by Susannah Brinkley, editor

Personnel — The staff counts are now:

• four section editors (photo, design, sports, marketing)
• two assistant editors (photo, design)
• seven designers (three new)
• four writers

Training — Staff members have been attending training sessions as usual in order to have their timesheets process.

Revenue — Ad sales totaled $9,750. As of April 7, 19 books had been sold.

Promotions and the Web — We have been utilizing the Agromeck website and Facebook account to advertise the distribution party and encourage book sales. We have also created house ads for the Technician and WKNC websites, as well as ads for the printed Technician and a PSA to air on WKNC. Alex Sanchez has been in charge of this.

Distribution — We have been planning a distribution event, the Agromeck Release Party, April 19 from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. on the Brickyard. This event will hopefully turn Agromeck into a big deal and get its name out there. Chancellor Randy Woodson, Vice Chancellor Tom Stafford and former Student Body President Kelly Hook will all be there to receive their copies of the book.

This year we will utilize a GoogleDoc to sign out books to graduating seniors. From April 19 to 25, only those graduating seniors who took their senior portrait, bought a senior ad, are quoted or pictured in the book, or who found themselves in the 2010 Convocation photo, will receive a free book. After April 25, any graduating senior can receive one. As always, the only way to guarantee a book is to buy one. Once the 1,000 copies are gone, they are gone.

The staff hopes that 300-400 people will attend the distribution event. We plan to have several more days out on the Brickyard the following week, as well as more events as necessary. We will also try to target events for graduating seniors, like the Ring Ceremony and receptions for Caldwell Fellows, Greek Life, Parks Scholars, etc.

Coverage – I am working with incoming editor Stephanie Doss to plan coverage for the 2012 book. We have 32 pages due May 17.

Deadlines —

• Aug. 11, 100 pages, 100 pages received in plant Aug. 24
• Sept. 15, 36 pages, 30 pages received in plant Oct. 1
• Oct. 13, 36 pages, 40 pages received in plant Oct. 21
• Nov. 17, 48 pages, 54 pages received in plant Nov. 29
• Dec. 15, 24 pages, 30 pages received in plant Dec. 22
• Feb. 2, 52 pages, 45 pages received in plant Feb. 8
• Feb. 23, 24 pages, 36 pages received in plant March 4
• March 23, 32 pages, 41 pages received in plant March 23
• Original plan was for 344 pages. Finaled at 376 pages.

Coverage —

• 2004: 1491, 384 pages including directory
• 2005: 3,307, 416 pages including directory
• 2006: 2,907, 400 pages including directory
• 2007: 1,379. 272 pages (5.07/page)
• 2008: 1,487, 232 pages (6.40/page)
• 2009: 2,408, 328 pages (7.34/page)
• 2010: 2,604, 344 pages (7.57/page)
• 2011: 2,613, 376 pages (6.95/page)

NUBIAN MESSAGE
Submitted by Mario Terry, editor

Revenue — We print 750 copies per the 2010-11 production schedule, since the last Board meeting the number of issues picked up averaged ~550 per issue. I’ve formed a fundraising and program coordinating committee with the hope of raising revenue for the Nubian Message through campus activities. Furthermore, Cordera Guion, next year’s editor, has made an effort to reach out to the Black Alumni Society to attain ad revenue. It is also in the succession plan, Guion and I plan to develop a method that will allow us to work closer with the Business Office to explore other opportunities relative to ad revenue.

Personnel — Since the last Board meeting there has been no staff turnover. The staff has had a focus on training in a variety of areas. Specifically, they’ve trained in their areas of expertise to become better, and in other areas, to gain knowledge of the fast-paced and growing world of student media. On April 2, four staff members attended Embrace N.C. State: Multicultural Visitation Day, the visitation day for admitted, incoming students of diverse populations. This gave us an opportunity to showcase all that the Nubian Message has to offer, as well as recruit. As mentioned before, all successes of the Nubian Message can be attributed to the dedicated and driven staff.

Training — In addition to the required monthly training sessions, both the managing editor (Jasmine Harris) and the chief copy editor (Jasmine Chadmon) continue to provide training to the staff. The most recent training held was on feature writing. I assisted in the facilitation of the training session through contribution of knowledge from personal research conducted on the aforementioned topic. I am aware of the fact that soon I will no longer hold the position as editor, therefore it is my responsibility to ensure that the next editor, Guion is equipped. Thus, we have been doing trial-and-error style trainings to prepare him for the position. After all, a well-equipped editor will help the staff continue to always express a message that’s able to reach the NCSU community professionally.

Coverage — The Twitter account is still the most direct in correlation with increased readership. The web presence is increasing, because the website is up to date. In addition, now that the website in full action, we can place articles and photos on the web before and after the Nubian Message prints. We must remember that this will not be an overnight process. Finally, the most sufficient method in judging readership is through interpersonal, face to face, interactions from staff members and I to readers. For example, the distribution of papers at the pan-AfriKan events, and in the Brickyard are great ways to increase awareness and expand coverage.

Deadlines — No late issues or timesheets since the last board report. The Nubian Message has come out 20 times to date, the exact number of times it was projected to, according to the 2010-11 production schedule. I’m sure that the Nubian Message will be an even more prosperous publication next year.

Personnel — I hired Trey Ferguson as viewpoint editor. He has proven to be a quick learner and has great vision for the section. He has expressed and embodied his commitment to the Technician and I look forward to his continued work in the future of the section.

Due to issues not disclosed during the initial hiring of Chelsey Francis, I hired Brooke Wallig as the news editor for the remaining month of the semester. She has also proven to be diligent as an editor and has grown quickly in the position.

There has been an increased interest in working for the Technician and I have responded to about 30 new writers interested in summer and fall, and many have already joined the staff for the remainder of the semester.

I am conducting grant renewal interviews during the week of April 11 to evaluate recipients’ eligibility to receive their grants.
About 140 people are on staff, and it is growing. We are working to get everyone on the same page and everyone is working to help new writers get up to speed.

Training — Tyler is doing a great job designing training and is actively incorporating feedback into his planning. “Telling stories with video” with Mark Barger was a great training and interested a lot of staff members. Barger revealed a different side of journalism for the writers and photographers who came. They asked very good questions and the after-presentation discussion helped the attendants understand what important points of being a videographer were. Bill Holmes, the 1991 editor, came back to give a presentation on “Covering politics on and off campus.” Holmes works as the director of policy and communications for the Democratic House Caucus at the General Assembly. Although he was biased, he made a conscious effort to not be and admitted when he wasn’t. His presentation got the packed room talking and thinking. His presentation was succinct and helped give writers and photographers quick principles to take with them when they report on politics.

Technology — Brian has been doing a great job. All computers are updated. The Student Media server was reaching capacity, so section editors have been working to clear their folders.

Because several Compact Flash memory cards are missing, we are maintaining our policy requiring photographers provide their own cards.

Coverage — Spring Break interrupted March and as soon as we came back Student Government elections began. We covered the major candidates and critiqued our packages for next year. WKNC and Technician, with Chris Cioffi and Mark Herring as moderators, hosted the Student Body Presidential Candidate Forum. We had 62 attendants but had issues getting Wolf TV to post the video in a timely manner. These issues have been addressed with Caleb and Kenny. We also reviewed our forum content and already have identified areas where we can improve next year’s forum or debate.
Athletics Director Debbie Yow announced Mark Gottfried as the new men’s basketball coach. It happened on April 6, but it was a great effort made possible by the cooperation of the entire staff. There were editors, photographers, videographers and designers working all afternoon to make our coverage a success.

Deadlines — Our deadline record shows we have had the highest percentage of deadlines met than any semester since 2005. I know we have only missed deadline about three times. The main reason we miss deadline is miscommunication with design, which causes hiccups in production. This is addressed as needed. Only once have we missed deadline by more than a few minutes.

Ethics/Legal issues — All corrections and clarifications have been posted online and in the print edition in a timely manner.
Since the turnover of the news staff, I have been working on journalism etiquette with Brooke Wallig to help her help her staff. I have reviewed our ethics policy with the staff and plan to review it again at our staff meeting on April 10.

N.C. State had a Health Fair through the Health Professions Advising Center. A new writer went to the event alone and the story that ran the next day poorly represented the event. Dr. Anita Flick spoke with Bradley, who talked with Tyler, Biko and me at our weekly staff meeting about the issues. I subsequently had a discussion with Brooke and Nick about the story and the issues with it. We published the appropriate clarifications and corrected the online version of the story. It was a critical lesson to the section.

The design and production of Windhover has been the main focus for the past few months, and it’s finally almost here! We took the book to Theo Davis Printing in the middle of March and we got a proof back shortly. Our staff was pleased with the proof and had minor design corrections. We were able to go to the press room and watch as the cover was made; everything looked great! The CD was mastered by Eric Sholtz and then sent off to a vendor in California: Beyond Concepts, Inc. We were able to have 2000 CDs replicated, and I am hoping the CDs arrive on time to be put in the books before the reception.

The Windhover release reception is April 17 at 8 p.m. in the Craft Center. Posters have been made, and will be distributed this week and early next week. Also, we are promoting the event by sending out different emails to different listservs, making announcements in classrooms, clubs, and advertizing on the web site. Once we get the books and after the release reception, I plan to make sure the books are thoroughly distributed, as I know it is an important part of promoting submissions for next year’s book. I have talked with the literary selection committee, and the staff and I as well as other volunteers will make sure the books are distributed and welcomed to the surrounding NCSU community!

The 2011-2012 editor, Alanna Howard, has been very helpful with the promotion process. She and I have sought different vendors for food donations, and she has made announcements in her classrooms and at the English Club. She is helping me make sure the website is updated, and is helping with the overall process of the event. She plans on promoting year long submissions for the summer and fall of next semester, and is already taking the reigns with those promotion efforts. She is already a great addition to the Windhover team and I know that her precision and commitment this early in her involvement means that she is passionate about carrying on the legacy of Windhover to ensure a great book next year. I’m excited for her leadership, and I am confident that she will work hard to produce an excellent book.

Budget — As we compile our budget data at WKNC, we are meeting almost all of our expectations for the year. We are expected to use about 90 percent of our budgeted payroll. About 12 percent of our total payroll for this year has been filed during the inappropriate pay period. This sometimes creates a problem when tabulating our budget and our intended payroll. We have exceeded our expected supply budget due to extenuating circumstances requiring us to buy three new power adapters for the transmitter. These cost about $2,000 total and were referenced in last month’s board report. In addition to this expense, engineering tools (such as a soldering iron) have been purchased for about $250. These purchases were all outlined in the technology plan and were expected to take place in the next fiscal year.

Revenue
Tir Na Nog: $10,200 ($4,200 more expected)
Donor Announcements: $10,167.62
Benefit Concerts: $6,798
Wolfpack Sports: $5,400 ($7,500 more expected)
Promotions: $800
Live Nation: $2,385
Merchandise Sales: $582
Other: $107.02
Total (as of 3/31/11): $36,439.64
Expected income (now-fiscal): $12,060
Total Budgeted: $48,500
Money remaining to be MADE $360

Personnel — We are going through the annual rehiring process at WKNC under the new general manager. The program director will be the first position hired; the two applicants are Tommy Anderson and Mason Morris. Applications are open for public affairs director and assistants, personnel director, and operations manager. We had to suspend a staff member for violating WKNC giveaway policy. The staff member gave away tickets that had not gone through the chain of command or through promotions. Staff member instead created donor announcements without going through anyone other than the organization and him or herself. The staff member was suspended for three weeks.

Training — I attended the student leader training with Bradley Wilson and Jamie Lynn Gilbert April 2. The student leaders discussed goal setting and ways to retain our staff. We also proposed monthly dinners before the Student Media Board Meetings. We also discussed some ideas for continued training for the staff—these include copyright laws and the etiquette of blogging on WKNC.

Technology — We had to purchase an Ethernet switch to connect WKNC’s internal network to the “outer world.” It unexpectedly quit working, which caused AudioVault to quit working. It was a necessary expense of $150, though not included in this year or next year’s budget plan.

Ethics/ Legal Issues — We are also dealing with a potential policy change at WKNC. It has been proposed that WKNC’s existence change from a policy to a regulation, while being placed under the charge of someone other than the Board of Trustees. Specifically, it will be the chancellor or a “designee.”

Other News — Fridays on the Lawn started April 8. I hope to continue these into the next year. We provided this free concert, complete with free sunglasses, food, and drinks because of the partnership with University Activities Board and Student Government.

SOCIETY FOR COLLEGIATE JOURNALISTS
Submitted by May Chung, president

The Society for Collegiate Journalists held a Wikileaks Panel Discussion on March 14, and a Movie Screening of “The Most Dangerous Man in America: Daniel Ellsberg and the Pentagon Papers” on March 15 to celebrate Sunshine Week, the national initiative to promote a dialogue about the importance of open government and freedom of information.

The panel, moderated by Associate Professor Robert Kochersberger, included Joseph Caddell, adjunct professor of history; Ann Sides, retired consul general; Elizabeth Spainhour, attorney at Brooks, Pierce, McLendon, Humphrey & Leonard; and Mike Tadych, attorney at Stevens, Martin, Vaughn & Tadych. Topics included the legality of Wikileaks and its wellbeing for or peril upon society, as well as questions regarding its founder, Julian Assange.

The movie screening of “The Most Dangerous Man in America: Daniel Ellsberg and the Pentagon Papers” featured an introduction by Senior Lecturer Tom Wallis. We provided free popcorn and cotton candy to lighten the mood.

Both events were extremely popular and had a high attendance rate. SCJ regrouped last week to discuss efforts to plan ahead and publicize for next year’s Sunshine Week. To wrap up the year, SCJ will be having elections for new officers on April 7 at 7:30 p.m. at Jasmines Mediterranean Bistro.

Revenue — Revenue has been going up in the past weeks. The staff has been working harder, and I am proud of them for that. However, it helps that it is nearing the end of the semester, so people love to run ads!

Training — The staff has read a packet on sales and marketing and written up reports on it. This was a different kind of training to get their brains working and see how to implement what they learn through text.

Budget update as of March 31, 2011
Technician advertising billed: $243,001.53
Technician projections for collections: $225,991.42
Technician budgeted income to date: $231,611.73
Technician actual expenditures to date: $251,008.09
Nubian Message local advertising sold to date: $510
Agromeck local advertising sold to date: $0
Agromeck total advertising sold to date: $9,750
Agromeck book sales to date: 18 (goal — 25)
WKNC non-fee income to date: $38,339.64 (billed and collected)

CLICK HERE for a PDF version of the update.