The Zimmerman School of Advertising and Mass Communications faculty at USF Tampa has joined the Journalism and Digital Communication faculty at USF St. Petersburg in its opposition to the proposed merger of the two student newspapers. The Journalism and Digital Communication department resides in the Peter Rudy Wallace Florida Center for Teachers building. Jonah Hinebaugh | The Crow’s Nest
By Crow’s Nest Staff
Journalism professors in Tampa have joined their counterparts in St. Petersburg in opposing a proposed merger of USF’s two student newspapers.
In a statement released Nov. 9, the faculty of the Zimmerman School of Advertising and Mass Communications at USF Tampa said the proposal “would gut the two student papers’ abilities to produce timely, accurate and informative news.”
It cited what the professors called the papers’ “long, distinguished histories” and noted that they have “placed untold numbers of journalists into the working press” of the region and nation.
“The ability for each student newspaper to cover newsworthy matters and student life on their respective campuses, in their own way, free from any interference from administrators, is vital to our school’s academic function and the university’s commitment to the First Amendment and a free press,” the statement said.
The statement, which was signed by director Wayne Garcia, was sent to Danielle McDonald, an assistant vice president and dean of students on the Tampa campus, and Dwayne Isaacs, the director of student life and engagement in St. Petersburg.
McDonald and Isaacs lead a subcommittee on student involvement that is helping plan the consolidation of the three campuses of the USF system.
Without consulting the editors of either newspaper, the subcommittee made a recommendation calling for a single paper – with a name to be determined – that would include a section for each campus.
Each section could retain its current name – The Crow’s Nest in St. Petersburg and The Oracle in Tampa – and have its own editors, but the paper’s advertising and “paper completion” (a term that is not defined) would be overseen by one university administrative office.
The editors of The Crow’s Nest have criticized the plan as short-sighted and unwieldy and urged the subcommittee to reconsider.
So has the journalism faculty in St. Petersburg.
In a Nov. 5 letter to administrators, the faculty said merging the papers “would undermine student success and the promise of each campus to retain its unique identity – both of which have been emphasized time and time again as the concept of consolidation has crystalized.”
The editors of The Oracle have discussed the proposal but have not taken a position, according to editor-in-chief Jesse Stokes.
The Oracle began publication in 1966 and The Crow’s Nest in 1969 (in mimeographed form), and they have always been separate – a point both The Crow’s Nest and St. Petersburg journalism faculty have stressed.
Regional Chancellor Martin Tadlock said he was unaware that the student involvement subcommittee was proposing to merge the two papers until he learned of it from The Crow’s Nest.
“I don’t know of any reasons why they should be combined,” he said.
Isaacs, who has said he should have consulted student editors earlier, said the subcommittee has changed the wording atop its proposal from “Final Recommendations” to “Final Considerations.”
He also said the subcommittee is drafting a response to a memo from Crow’s Nest editors opposing the merger.
Tampa faculty ‘strongly opposes’ merger
This is the statement of the faculty of the Zimmerman School of Advertising and Mass Communications at USF Tampa. It was signed by Wayne Garcia, director and senior instructor of journalism, and sent Nov. 9 to the administrators leading a consolidation subcommittee on student involvement.
The faculty of the Zimmerman School strongly opposes the recommendation of the dean of students and director of student life engagement on the Tampa and St. Petersburg campuses, respectively, to consolidate the student publications The Crow’s Nest and The Oracle.
We especially object to the lack of consultation by the task force subcommittee of either publication and the journalism faculties on both campuses.
Both newspapers serve vital functions, academically and in terms of campus life, and each has a separate identity and unique composition.
USF needs MORE student publications, not fewer. Having a section in a larger, undefined publication would gut the two student papers’ abilities to produce timely, accurate and informative news.
The Crow’s Nest and The Oracle have long, distinguished histories informing students, staff and faculty of important stories at USF. They have both won journalism awards; they both have placed untold numbers of journalists into the working press, in Tampa Bay, in Florida and across the United States.
The ability for each student newspaper to cover newsworthy matters and student life on their respective campuses, in their own way, free from any interference from administrators, is vital to our school’s academic function and the university’s commitment to the First Amendment and a free press.
We urge you to convene a meeting with both faculties, the newspapers’ editors and advisers to discuss a better way forward as we consolidate the USF System.
We stand ready to participate and strengthen the journalism of our student publications on all campuses.
