Constitution Student Media & Publications (Approved April 25, 2022) Preamble The students of Utah Valley University established, through the Student Media & Publications Board, this Constitution. Student Media & Publications are for the common good of the UVU student body. The Student Media & Publications goals are to provide an avenue for freedom of expression and to communicate worthwhile and newsworthy information to the campus community while providing a place for student learning media skill and leadership development. Student Media & Publications shall provide a voice for student concerns and issues to facilitate meaningful and educational communication and interaction between students, staff, faculty and administration. Article I Organization Section I Name The official name of the department will be �Student Media & Publications� The official name of the student news media production organization shall be �UVU REVIEW� the on-line news shall be �uvureview.com.� The official name of the print edition of UVU REVIEW shall be �UVU REVIEW� Section II Board and Membership The policy body of Student Media and Publications shall be the Student Media and Publications Board. Minimum membership is defined as: � Dean of Students or Associate Dean of Students � Student Body President � Media Faculty Representative � Off Campus Media Representative(s) (Print, 1; Broadcast, 1; Advertising/Marketing, 1; Social Media, 1) � Director of Student Media & Publications � Executive News Director � Students(s) at large Positions and people may be added by a majority vote of the publications board. Section III Rights and Privileges All currently enrolled students, in good standing at the university will have the following rights: 1. The right to submit articles, media and opinions to editors for consideration of publications or production. 2. The right to attend any meeting other than those designed as executive sessions of the Student Media and Publications Board. All in attendance must abide by the rules, decorum, and procedures of those meetings. 3. The right to expect regular publication and production of the news during fall and spring semesters according to their specified production schedules. 4. The right to apply for staff positions to the Student Media and Publication Board or production staff upon meeting the qualifications and appointment process as stipulated under Article II. Section IV Staff 1. Media student team members will include the following officers and team members who will be interviewed and selected for a one-year term by the Student Media and Publication Board. In the event of resignation, hardship, or inability of the Board to meet, the Director of Student Media and Publications, in consultations with the Student Media and Publication Board Chair, may make interim appointments to these positions until a Publications Board meeting can be called and selected made. They are: Executive News Director, Editor in Chief, and Sr. Broadcast News Producer. 2. All other newspaper staff positions will be filled with an application and interview process and hired by their respective editors after consultation and consideration with and from the Director of Student Media and Publications and the Executive News Director in accordance with each publication�s or media bylaws Other student staff positions will be contingent upon acceptable continuous work performance. Senior team positions, including all producers, editors, and section heads, must be currently enrolled as full-time students at UVU during fall and spring semesters, and must meet a required cumulative GPA of (2.75) for application and maintain a 2.5 GPA each semester and conditions found in Article IV. Section V Advisor The Director of Student Media and Publications will serve as the advisor. This position will be filled in accordance with university policy and will include involvement in the hiring process by members of the Student Media and Publications Board. Qualifications for this position require a strong background in the publishing and/or media field. The advisor must be able to relate to students in an advisory role, give advice, show leadership skills, in motivating others, coach and teach; but must recognize the role is advisory- the Executive News Director will retain editorial right and all content responsibility. The Director of Student Media and Publications will hire, supervise, and manage the advertising manager and sales staff will coordinate with the Executive News Director relating to collaboration with this area of the paper. Article II Powers Section I Authority The authority to produce student broadcast news, print news, podcast news, and all other news advertising and marketing media, lies with the institution president of Utah Valley University who has delegated responsibility to the Student Media and Publications Board. Section II Student Media and Publications Board The Student Media and Publications Board and its Chair will be responsible for setting procedures relating to the overall operation of the Student Media and Publications, including the selection and supervision of the following team members: Executive News Director, Editor in Chief, and Sr. UVU REVIEW News Producer, and removal of these officers if needed. The Board and its Chair will provide feedback to the senior director, editors, media producers and advisor upon evaluation of the productions/publications on an ongoing basis. (a) A majority of the Board must be in attendance to make or change procedures. Changes will require a majority of those present. (b) The Board will hold regularly scheduled meetings as needed. (c) Student Media and Publications Board members will be recommended by the Director of Student Media and Publications. Other Board members may forward suggestions to the Director of Student Media and Publications. Nominations must be approved by the Board Chair and by a majority vote of the Board. (d) The term of office for Board members will be one year, renewable as recommended and approved by a 2/3 majority vote of the Board. (e) The publication Board provides feedback, suggestions, and general guidelines to the Executive News Director who has sole responsibility for the content of all student news productions, digitally and in print. (f) The Chair of the Board will be selected by a majority vote of the Board, for a two-year term, unless the Chair�s Board membership is not renewed by a 2/3 vote of Board members. The selection will happen during the Spring Semester meeting when all Board membership will be evaluated. A Vice Chair will be selected in the same manner. The Chair will be a UVU Student Life employee. Staff positions may be added or deleted at the discretion of the Executive News Director with consent of the Director of Student Media and Publications. If the Chair or Vice Chair is unable to attend, or continue to function in their role, their Chairship default to the Dean of Students until a new Chair and/or Vice Chair can be selected. Section III Staff 1. The news team will be under the advisement and mentor-ship of the Director of Student Media and Publications with day-to-day publishing and producing (on-line and digital media production) authority delegated to the Executive News Director. 2. The staff is currently comprised of the following positions (See attached diagram). Section IV Qualifications for all Senior Team and/or Scholarship recipients The qualifications for any senior team, and content creator positions (senior team include all editors, news, section editors) held within Student Media and Publication, and receive a scholarship are as follows. 1. All student team receiving a scholarship must be currently enrolled, full-time, in good standing, UVU students. Other student team members must be currently enrolled, full-time, in good standing, UVU students. at UVU during each semester (summer term excluded). 2. All Senior team must meet the following requirements to maintain eligibility for scholarship and senior team positions; a. Have a 2.75 cumulative GPA to apply and must maintain a minimum semester GPA of 2.5 during their tenure. b. Register for a minimum of 12 credit hours to be a full-time student. c. Complete a minimum of 12 credit hours for each semester that a scholarship is received. d. There is no appeal to the scholarship requirements above. 3. All team members must meet the requirements set forth in their job descriptions. 4. Term of positions shall be for one semester, but may be renewed if all qualifications are met and upon consolation and approval by the Director of Student Media & Publications, the Executive News Director, and the appropriate media section head. 5. The Executive News Director is chosen and evaluated by the Publication Board. The Publication Board reserves the right to take any actions relating to the Executive News Director. Failure to meet these qualifications will result in immediate suspension from duties by the Executive News Director or they shall be suspended by the Director of Student Media and Publications for a two news-cycle period (or five business days during the semester months). At the end of two news- cycles, following due process, the staff member will be evaluated and reinstated or terminated. Section V Termination/Suspension Student Media and Publication will have the authority to immediately suspend, terminate, or reinstate team members it appoints. Due process procedures, in accordance with Utah Valley University and the UVU REVIEW, must be granted staff members for permanent suspension or termination. The Student Media and Publication Board will have the power to suspend from all duties including pay status, any team member found in violation of acceptable journalism/media production and content, and/or UVU business standards, or found ineligible to hold their position. A suspension, termination, or disciplined team member must be confirmed in writing and acknowledged by the signature of the team member. Any team member who plans to resign must notify their immediate superior or the Executive News Director in writing at least two news-cycles (or five business days during the semester months) in advance. Team members who fail to notify superior of their resignation or fail to appear for assigned duties over a Seven business day period will be treated as a termination. Section VI Legal Issues The Student Media and Publication Board may be convened for discussion and advice when any news media in digital, print or on-line form or team actions or conduct, may result in a legal action against any news media in digital, print or on-line form, students, team members, board members, the university and/or other organizations or persons. Article III Amendments Amendments to this constitution may be initiated by a vote of two-thirds (2/3) of the members of the Board. (See Article III, Section II Item a.) Article IV Bylaws A set of bylaws shall be established by the respective Executive News Director, after consultation with the Director of Student Media and Publications on each publication and production and productions including a set of job descriptions, and organization chart for each staff position.