Student Publications Handbook

2015-2016

Publications Committee Purpose Statement:

The Publications Committee exists to appoint the Editor(s)-in-chief/directors of each publication and to provide input and oversight toeach publication and its editor throughout the year. The Committee will alsohear any concerns, issues, and/or suggestions that may arise regarding a publication or its editor.

I. Authority of the Committee:

The Publications Committee derives its authority from the Student Senate, which in turn is accountable to the college administration. The Publications committee sets the Publications Handbookas its governing document.

  1. Each year’s outgoing Senate will review and ratify the Publications Handbook for the following year during their last senate meeting before the new senate takes office.
  2. The Publications Committee will be chaired by the Senate Vice President, and will consist of the editor and advisor of each formal publication and the Dean of Students.
  3. In order to be considered a formal publicationand have representation on the Committee, a publication must complete all the requirements for club organization recognition

II. Responsibilities of the Committee:

  1. Interpret and enforce theguidelines contained in the Publications Handbook.
  2. Exemplify Christian principles by working towards the fulfillment of the purposes and goals of the college, of SACC, and of each publication.

III. Committee Meetings:

  1. All committee meetings will be open to students, faculty and staff.
  2. Committee meetings will be called by the Vice President, and will be held a minimum of once per semester or on an on-call basis to discuss issues that arise.
  3. A meeting during the spring will be called to determine the publicationeditors for the following year.

IV. General Guidelines for Publication Advisors—Publication Advisors will:

  1. Adhere to the “Advisor Guidelines” as described in the Clubs and Organizations Handbook.
  2. Only serve as advisor to one publication at any time.
  3. Represent the publication to the Faculty, staff and administration.
  4. Ordinarily be a member of the faculty of Covenant College.
  5. Be available to publications staff, and will regularly meet with the editor for pre-publication and post-publication advice concerning ethics, accuracy and style.

V. General Guidelines for Publication Editors-in-chief (EICs) —Publication EICs will:

  1. Hold their position for 2 consecutive semesters.
  2. Have final say on all editorial decisions made within the guidelines set forth in the Student Handbook, the Student Senate Bylaws, and the Publications Handbook.
  3. Have their publication ready at the time they previously specified, barring unforeseen and unavoidable circumstances, which would cause a significant delay in delivery.
  4. Create a written list of guidelines and expectations for members of their staff.
  5. Work with the Vice President before the start of each semester to submit fair stipend requests for their staff to the senate for approval.
  6. Meet regularly with their faculty advisor to: update/include them in the publication's production, to receive an outside opinion about the quality and efficiency of the production, and to get any helpful advice and criticism the advisor might have.
  7. Take any problems they have with their faculty advisor or staff which can not be resolved internally to the Vice President.
  8. Complete a transition letter of at least one page and begin training newly appointed replacements before the following year’s senate takes office.

VI. Editor Dismissals:

  1. Any editor may be dismissed for gross negligence in the performance of his/her duties.
  2. Dismissal proceedings are initiated by any member of the student body or any faculty or staff member by submitting a written request for dismissal to the Vice President. The Publications Committee will vote to determine if a dismissal hearing is necessary within 5 working days after receipt of the request.
  3. If a hearing is deemed necessary, a date and time will be set by the Vice President. At the conclusion of arguments and discussion, a dismissal vote will be taken. Dismissal requires a majority vote of the Committee. The dismissal hearing will be closed to the general public with the exception of trial participants.
  4. Dismissed editors will be removed immediately and forfeit any stipend remaining to be paid.
  5. The committee will then select a replacement in a reasonable period of time so as to assure the publication schedule is not drastically affected.

VII. General Guidelines for Publication Content:

  1. Editors will consult with the advisor before publishing any controversial/questionable material (including material that contains obscene/vulgar language, or nudity) and will be responsible and ready to give reason for any of the material printed in their publication.
  2. Publications will explicitly state in its editorial page that the opinions expressed are not necessarily those of the college or of the student body.
  3. Publications will refrain from libel, indecency, undocumented allegations, attacks on personal integrity, and the techniques of harassment and innuendo. These restrictions will apply equally to submissions accepted for publication.
  4. Private correspondence and documents will not be published without the permission of the author or issuing body.
  5. Cartoons, graphics, and photographs will be chosen in good taste at the discretion of the editors.
  6. Recognizing the dangers of anonymous publication, EICs will approach the decision of identification of authorship with care. The following policies will apply: In general, credit will be assigned to the authors of published articles and the photographers of published pictures. For recurrent publications (i.e. The Bagpipe), corrections of erroneous or unfair statements will be published in a prominent place in the first issue following discovery of the mistake.
  7. In an attempt to establish and maintain an atmosphere of free and responsible discussion and intellectual exploration, publications are encouraged to presentdiffering points of view, and will publish the signed views of any member of the student body, subject to the limitations of space, interest, and good taste.

VIII. General guidelines for advertising:

  1. The amount of advertising will be at the discretion of the EIC.
  2. The content of all advertisements will be held to the same standards and restrictions as the rest of the content of the publication.
  3. Political advertising may be run if it lists the sponsoring organization.
  4. Federal statutes require that advertisements having the appearance of news or editorial material must be labeled "advertisement".
  5. As outlined in the SACC Bylaws, all advertising revenue and revenue from the sale of the publications will return to the general SACC fund.
  6. EICs of infrequent publications (especially the Tartan and Thorn)are responsible for informing students of:
  7. The publication’s existence
  8. The rules and deadlines for submissions
  9. The publication’s release date

Publication Purpose Statements:

The Bagpipe:

The purpose of The Bagpipe is to serve as the student newspaper of Covenant College and an outlet for the staff of The Bagpipe to engage in learning. As such, it should always work for the greater good of the Covenant community, broadly defined, and to support the motto of the college, "In all things Christ preeminent.” The Bagpipe is obliged to serve its constituency providing information, stimulating thought and encouraging debate, and advocating the improvement of the Covenant community. The Bagpipe can provide an experience where its staff can learn responsible Christian behavior and attempt to achieve journalistic excellence.

The Tartan:

The Tartan, official yearbook of the Student Association of Covenant College, is an avenue for creative visual production of photography and journalism. Its publication should reveal the many face of Covenant in order to provide an accurate accounting of each year’s uniqueness. Additionally, it should seek to represent the positive aspects of the Covenant body and exemplify the purpose statement of the college; “In all things, Christ pre¬eminent", in the manner that it is produced.

The Thorn:

The purpose statement of the Thorn is to give students an opportunity to use their God given creativity through the medium of art and participate in the work of building the kingdom of God by reforming their culture. We, at Covenant College, believe that art is an important arena for Christian activity; we fully support the existence of a student magazine publishing poems, stories, essays, drawings, photographs, and other artistic works of students and of other members of the community. We believe students should learn to develop their abilities as critics and editors, and support the relative autonomy of the editing and publishing of the literary magazine within structures established by the student government.

Appendix A: SACC Application for Editor of a Publication

To apply for an editorship of the Bagpipe, Tartan, or Thorn you must complete this application and return it to the Vice President of Student Senate or to the Student Senate office. Applications are due by: ______

Name:

Box #:

Phone

Home/Summer address:

Home/Summer phone

Current class standing: (check one)

Senior

Junior

Sophomore

Freshman

Major(s):

Minor(s):

Applying for the editorship of:

Tartan

Thorn

Bagpipe

List all Curricular and extra-curricular activities you will be involved in next year. (e.g., student teaching, intercollegiate athletics, intramurals, clubs, etc.)

List experiences or skills you have that qualify you for this position.

Describe your intended objectives that you will seek to accomplish as an editor if awarded the position.