JournalismProject.com

-30-

With this last issue, something very special comes to an end: The 29-year history of the Campus Observer. The Observer has been a number of things during its lifetime. It has informed and entertained, has sought to persuade, and at times has angered and outraged. Through it all, it has been there, and it has been a voice for the students of Oxnard College and, on many occasions, a voice for Oxnard College itself.
The Observer can rest on its laurels knowing it has achieved much in its lifetime. It has brought the college 72 state, regional, and national awards for excellence in various areas of collegiate journalism. It has enabled a host of young writers and editors to go from a fertile training ground to worthwhile careers in media. Its editors and reporters have won Pulitzer Prizes, edited newspapers, written books, earned doctoral degrees, and achieved in disciplines far removed from journalism.
Today, however, those things fade into the past. Those who see a need have said enrollments do not measure up to other disciplines. It seems not to matter that those 15 or 20 students, more or less, have provided a service to the college and the college community that goes far beyond the walls of the traditional classroom. And so, because those in authority seek monetary solutions to the intangibles that make up a college, the Observer becomes a memory.
History won’t note the tiny blip on the radar screen that signifies the passing of the Campus Observer. However, its loss represents yet another stake through the heart of freedom of expression as part of an alarming trend. Every time a newspaper – student or otherwise – is closed, a voice – or set of voices – is silenced. The silencing of that voice strikes at the core of what we call “democracy.” When a platform for expression by the people is lost, an element of free speech is lost as well. Remove too many such platforms, and free speech is at risk.
Certain things – quantifiable and not so quantifiable – make a college what it is. One of the things inherent in the concept of “college” is that it is a place for debate, for expression of ideas. There are others: A college offers a place for students to congregate when not in class; a college offers cultural activities outside the classroom for its community; a college has a newspaper. Without these things, a college amounts to little more than a “drive-through” factory of classes without campus identity, with scant comprehensivity, and with little or no institutional culture.
But such arguments will not bring back the Observer. It has served its population to the best of its ability, and other voices have said it’s time for the paper to go. And so, with little fanfare, the curtain comes down on a newspaper that struggled throughout its life to survive, to offer a voice to students and staff, and to keep Oxnard College aware of what has been going on around it.
Traditionally, reporters use the number “30” to mark the end of their stories. Now, the Campus Observer has come to the end of its story. There’s only one thing left to say:
-30-

Dr. Gary Morgan,
Former Advisor, Oxnard College

Goodbye, Carol

The VC Press blends so much of what I love to do. Monday begins with a blank slate and by Friday pages are sent to the printer full of news and images. In between, the week flies as I teach basic journalism to my students, who are thoughtful, bright and, at times, contrary.

I coach, urge, encourage and just hang out, ready to help. It's stimulating and fun to be a part of discussions that range from Terry Schiavo to Michael Jackson, from rap lyrics to the college budget. I will miss it all terribly.

-Carol Weinstock, VC Press Advisor, retired, 2005
reprinted from VC Press, last edition, May 9, 2005

Big Mistake

I think that the cancellation of the journalism program at OC is a very big mistake. I see a lot of potential in some of the students that are in enrolled in OC’s program as of right now to pursue Journalism as their career. It is a sad situation for myself and many of the students that were looking toward journalism as their Major here at OC. Now, in order to fulfill our desire to major in Journalism, we must seek education at a different location, which might be a drawback in our daily lives.
The termination of this program leaves a negative impact on a lot of our lives. It’s too bad that this severe issue can’t be reconsidered and reassessed for those who really feel that the Journalism program can help them in a positive way toward their careers. Now we have to reevaluate our entire lives toward education and sadly, leave Journalism out of it.
For all of us that cared so much about the Journalism program here at OC we are, unfortunately, out of luck.

-Khristine Ceraos, OC student

Please help!

Greetings,

My name is Eric Ford and I'm a student at Stanford University and writer for the Intermission section of the Daily.

I just received word from my former journalism teacher back home that
the Ventura County Community College District trustees have shut down
the all the school newspapers and journalism programs for the community
colleges back home (Ventura County is in Southern California, an hour
north from LA). In addition to the eradication of the journalism
programs, my former teacher, currently a professor at the
community college in charge of the journalism program has lost her
job because of these cuts.

This is just one of many injustices that have been done against these
journalism programs in the past, there's been issues of censorship,
denied rights to the First Amendment, and accusations by leaders of the
district accusing these student-run newspapers of practicing "Yellow
Journalism" and calling them tabloids.

I know its not an immediate issue to Stanford, but this is something
that's slowly becoming a big issue for community colleges across
California. Journalism deserves a chance to thrive in any educational
setting, and its not right that budget cuts are being used as a scape
goat for the unfair censorship of these programs.

Eric Ford
Phi Sig RCC
Stanford Undergraduate, Class of 2006
Apple Campus Representative

JOURNALISM PROJECT LAUCHES

Welcome to the Journalism Project. This is a place for students, faculty and the community to voice their thoughts and opinions about the status of college journalism programs and any and all topics related to college journalism today.

We welcome your comments.

Can you spell CENSORSHIP?

I began teaching a couple of years ago. I've done a lot of things in my life but nothing compares to teaching a bunch of wild young Bohemians. After teaching media part-time for a year, I was hired two semesters ago by Oxnard College, a community college located near the beach about 60 miles north of Los Angeles. I advise the student newspaper and teach various journalism and media courses. I love what I do. I love the students. I hate the beauracratic BS that comes from the administrators.

I replaced the long-time professor who retired, a real force to be wreckoned with who was known to take on the adminstration. They tried to kill the program two years ago, but he fought and won. I think when they hired me they thought they were getting a person with a strong pubic relations background who would turn the paper into a PR tool for the college.

In my first semester, the kids wrote an unfavorable story about the college. I was immediately called into the vice president's office and told that he and the president decided that I needed to form an advisory board to "read" the paper before it goes to print. This board would consist of an administrator. I told him in terms he'd understand (hell will freeze over first) that this was a violation of First Amendment rights. They backed off, temporarily. More would follow.

An edition with a front page story showing a photo of our run-down library next to the very modern library at another college in the district mysteriously disappeared from all the newstands; the president tells a group of students that the campus newspaper uses yellow journalism reporting; the TV version of the newspaper is censored by the vice president (all content must be approved by him).

Then the budget cut issue hits, as it always does. The president needs to cut some programs so what does she recommend first on the list? Journalism.

This is a statewide crisis. I conducted a study that looked at the vulnerable journalism programs across the state. The conclusion was obvious- when budget cuts hit the journalism program is cut. Faculty member after faculty member responded that the administration just doesn't like the student newspaper. With the exception of a few colleges with forward-thinking adminstrators who support press freedoms, the rest see the paper as "a thorn in their side" or "a headache."

Last year, I founded the Journalism Project, designed to restart defunct journalism programs or breathe life into troubled ones. I have answers that will save this program, and others in trouble. They're not interested.

My students are passionate rebels ready to fight the cause. The editor of the paper is a 20-year-old radical 60s enthusiast who already landed a full-time job as a reporter for the daily press in our county. He staged a sit-in in the president's office and a districtwide walk-out next week. We've been on CBS, numerous radio shows and in every daily press in the area including LA Times and VC Star.

Today, the students will meet with the president. She suggested they form a committee to deal with the problem. She also suggested they drive up to Sacramento to protest the governor's budget cuts. One student asked if they could borrow her new Lexus SUV to drive there. This is a common tactic- stall, keep them quiet until the semester ends in May, and make it all go away.

-Toni Allen, Professor of Journalism, Oxnard College