MARQUETTE, MI-- Four members of the North Wind Board of Directors have issued a statement
regarding the alleged influence of a school administrator to fire newspaper advisor Cheryl Reed. An email stating the following was sent out Tuesday morning:
“Student Response of the North Wind Board of Directors
As student-members of the Board of Directors of the North Wind at Northern Michigan University, we feel the need to share our collective view of the current controversy.
The Board:
The North Wind Board of Directors is a student-led board. As students we volunteer our time and serve as the board chair, vice-chair, secretary, parliamentarian, and board member. We are joined by a faculty member, a community member, a journalistic advisor and a financial adviser from the administration. We are not an advisory board. Our role is to publish and distribute the North Wind. Our decisions and votes matter.
We strongly affirm the Bylaws of the North Wind Board of Directors: “The Board recognizes the prerogatives of the editor in regard to the design and content of the newspaper and the selection of editorial staff, the Board shall ensure that the newspaper provides adequately for timely and accurate coverage of campus issues, problems, events and activities.”
The Controversy:
We are not looking for validation. We are comfortable with our votes and are exercising our rights and responsibilities as board members. We care about the future of the North Wind on behalf of the student body and see these tough decisions as important to successfully move forward.
Did we vote against having the journalistic advisor continue? Yes, four of five students on the board did so. Since the vote, two professional organizations have demanded that we change our vote. Our vote was made after studying the issues, weighing the options, and making our own decisions.
Were our votes the result of outside influence? Yes. The actions, input, reactions, professional demeanor, and communication of all involved during our board service influenced our votes. Additionally, we have been influenced by watching campus interactions and listening to the student body. We receive input, but we make our own decisions.
Did an administrator influence our vote? No. Each of us made up our own minds. We are independent thinkers. We take issue with how our fellow student board member and the North Wind have characterized us as easily influenced, poorly informed, and impressionable. Anyone who knows us will find it difficult to agree with such statements.
Did we meet with Dr. Niehiesel in January? Yes. These meetings have been mischaracterized by a fellow student board member, the North Wind staff, and the journalistic advisor. We were given a copy of the bylaws, with some members receiving them for the first time, and we discussed our role as board members. We were not told how to vote on the FOIA request (the meetings happened prior to the FOIA vote ever being on an agenda) nor were we told to support or not to support the journalistic advisor.
Has the board tried to curtail, limit, or impede any writer or editor on any story? No. The editorial staff of the North Wind cannot point to any example. Being repeatedly accused of violating the rights of the editorial staff does not make it true.
Were they told not to write about Starbucks? No. Were they told not to write about Board of Trustee travel? No. Were they told to not write story after story and editorial after editorial about FOIA struggles with the administration? No.
Did we vote to not pay a FOIA fee? Yes, but only after a board discussion about a lack of funds to fix our delivery van AND the editorial staff stated that they could collect enough donations to cover the charge.
Our Desire:
The board will work to strengthen the North Wind to be a product that is not only a watchdog, but also represents the students. We want to give the North Wind back to the students. The North Wind should be a platform for students and student issues. We are interested in and dedicated to accuracy, fairness, facts and honesty in all operations of the North Wind.
Everyone on the board has the right to speak their mind and make decisions for themselves. Additionally, we have the right to agree or disagree. Ultimately we must all work together for the success of the North Wind.
In closing, rest assured that the North Wind will live on. We will interview new candidates for the editor-in-chief. We will consider the next recommendation from the English department for the journalistic adviser. We will propose, review, and vote on new bylaws. And of course, the North Wind editorial staff will continue to write whatever they want.
Respectfully,
Aubrey Kall, Chair
Eric Laksonen, Vice Chair
Troy Morris, Parliamentarian
Pearl Gaidelis, board member”
