In an email to Mark Walters, chair of the journalism and digital communications department, Regional Chancellor Martin Tadlock called The Crow’s Nest a “signature program” that administration does not want to see diminished. Emily Wunderlich | The Crow’s Nest
By Emily Wunderlich
A threat to freeze funding for The Crow’s Nest has ended.
The threat came on March 29, when Student Government President Daniel “Kaeden” Kelso said the newspaper’s registration with the university’s Office of Leadership and Student Organizations had expired.
Kelso gave the newspaper until 5 p.m. April 2 to deliver “all proper documents” to LSO to renew its registration — an “arbitrary deadline,” according to Editor-in-Chief Whitney Elfstrom, that the paper met.
The threat came at a curious time, Elfstrom said, as SG was in the process of finalizing the annual budget for campus organizations – a process that has drawn scrutiny and criticism from the newspaper.
Under the proposed budget, The Crow’s Nest stands to lose $12,261, or 23.4 percent of this year’s $52,516 allocation, while SG itself would see its allocation rise by 18.9 percent to $222,205.
Kelso has until April 9 to approve the final budget, and then it goes to campus administration for review.
Professors in the Department of Journalism and Digital Communication sounded off against Kelso’s threat April 1 in a letter addressed to Jacob Diaz, dean of students.
“It’s difficult for us to interpret this as anything other than an attempt to censor a free press,” the professors wrote.
Although Diaz has yet to respond to the letter, Regional Chancellor Martin Tadlock responded to department chair Mark Walters in an email.
“Thank you, Mark, for your advocacy of the Crow’s Nest,” he wrote. “We are working closely with SGA to be as helpful as possible during a very difficult time.
“The SGA leadership is involved in budget adjustments which are important (as you indicate) and ultimately they will make the final decision about their budget, regardless of our input and guidance.
“Thank you and all of our faculty and staff who work hard to support future journalists graduating from USF St Petersburg. We truly have outstanding people in what I would call a “signature” program…and we in no way want to see that diminished.”
Correction:The student body president has 10 academic days to approve the appropriations bill, not 10 consecutive days. A story in the April 1 issue of The Crow’s Nest incorrectly reported that the president had until April 5 to approve the final budget. The actual deadline is April 9.
