In an effort to support student media on campus, DU is funding a new Clarion faculty adviser position for the 2013-14 academic year. According to the agreement reached by the Clarion and the university, the Office of Student Life will contribute $4 per student from the existing student activity fees to be used as a media fee. The Provost has also agreed the university will contribute $6,000 toward the position.
Provost Gregg Kvistad and the Student Media Advisory Committee created the position as part of an agreement reached in July concerning the next phase of DU’s commitment to student media. The committee is comprised of a student on the editorial staff of the Clarion, a staff person from the Office of Student Life and a faculty person from the Department of Media, Film and Journalism Studies (MFJS).
Executive Director of Campus Life Carl Johnson, who sits on the committee as the Office of Student Life representative, said the new position has been a long time coming.
“In an effort to ensure that students who are practicing what they learn in the classroom had an effective advisor and mentor to guide them through the process, we needed to allocate student activity fee dollars to better meet those student needs,” said Johnson.
According to the agreement, the additional funding demonstrates the university’s ongoing commitment to student news efforts and student freedom of expression.
“The university has always seen the Clarion as an important resource for students. It gives students a place and a platform through which they can communicate about important issues and hopefully make some decisions that are to the benefit of the student body,” said Lynn Schofield Clark, chair of the journalism faculty for MFJS.
This position will be a change for the Clarion, which has operated without a university-funded faculty position for the past two years.
“That gave us some time for all those interested in the Clarion to figure out how we could work together more effectively for the good of the student body,” said Clark. “We want to make sure that it continues to be a part of the student body’s experience.”
For the 2013-14 academic year, Andrew Matranga will serve as the new Clarion faculty advisor. Matranga was also hired as a lecturer in digital journalism for MFJS this year. He has had six years of experience in academic journalism throughout high school, undergraduate and graduate school and eight years of experience as a magazine editor for Backpacker.
Johnson says the opportunity for a student reporter to have someone who is experienced in the news industry review their work is invaluable.
“Your byline will be on the Clarion, searchable forever, so let’s make sure it’s the best work possible for you and for the people coming after you,” said Johnson.
According to Clark, the university hopes to see student media take off with the added support, not only improving in quality but also exploring opportunities to advance how students communicate and consume campus news.
“This is a good opportunity for the Clarion to say, ‘Hey, we have some funds now, we have some sense of security, we know that the university is behind us, so let’s see what else is out there. What do we want to do? What can we do?’” said Clark. “There could be some really exciting innovation that could happen here as a result.”
