The Insiders
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Jan
20
Race Profile: Ubyssey Board of Directors
Posted by: Neal Yonson | January 20, 2010 | 1 Comment
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UBC Insiders Analysis
Click here to skip to profiles of the candidates in this race.
Although the Ubyssey’s tag line is “…since 1918”, the current incarnation was created in 1995. After a shutdown for some time, the Ubyssey was re-launched in 1995, free of AMS control, as the Ubyssey Publications Society (UPS). The Ubyssey’s wikipedia page has the backstory.
Making your $5 more accountable, after the jump.
The structure it adopted at the time was divided into two branches: editorial and business. By design, these two branches are largely insulated from one another. An apt comparison would be to the bicameral power structure of UBC, with the editorial side being Senate and the business side being the Board of Governors. The only real way to explain it is by looking at their very informative organizational chart.
The Board’s make-up includes the 5 elected representatives from the society’s members, as well as 2 staff reps, the coordinating editor, one representative from the journalism community, and the business manager (in a non-voting capacity.) They have another really good organizational chart to explain this as well.
The Board largely stays out of day-to-day business decisions, which have been delegated to Fernie Pereira, the Ubyssey’s business manager. Instead they work on the bigger picture, ensuring the overall health of the society, and ensuring the editorial side of the paper has all the resources they need to regularly publish a high-quality product.
The Ubyssey seems to be a well-functioning machine. Funding for the paper is relatively steady thanks to the $5 student levy, and from advertising looking for the student demographic. The editorial side of the paper is organized and takes care of itself. One idea that has been looked at this year is doing a readership audit, to get stats about who reads the paper, where they pick it up, and when. Another idea tossed around is to raise the student levy, which has been $5 since 1995, a project which could take some time to get off the ground. Another area the board might work on is developing a better strategy for selling website ads; UBC won’t be advertising about H1N1 forever.
With only one candidate for president, the yes/no ballot should be merely a formality. Campbell Bryson does not have any plans to rock the boat, and already has ties to some of the paper’s editorial staff.
The candidates for the four director positions include four people belonging to the same fraternity (Alpha Delta Phi) as Campbell Bryson; plus Blake Frederick. The fact that Blake is running is the most noteworthy aspect to this race, and his motives for persuing this are unclear. Officially, he says he’d like to learn more about the business of media. However, given how he and the Ubyssey have clashed during his time as AMS President, there may more to it than just that. It could end up being a moot point: if Blake somehow wins in either his bid for Senate or Board of Governors, he would be ineligible by the Ubyssey Publication Society’s bylaws to hold a director position.
Candidate Profiles
President
Name: Campbell Bryson
Age: 21
Year: 4
Faculty and program: Medicine- Medical Laboratory Science
Years on campus: 4
Past campus involvement: Ubyssey Board of Directors Member at Large for 2009/2010. Faculty of Medicine Dean’s Executive 2009/2010.
Past non-campus involvement:
1) The newspaper industry has fallen on some very hard times. What is the best way to ensure the long-term survival of The Ubyssey?
Most newspapers are in trouble because of basically one thing: the internet. In today’s times, a person can have a vast wealth of news information at their fingertips at the push of a button, and all for free. Newspapers are having trouble finding a niche, because they are all trying to compete with this access to information. I think the Ubyssey is different from the newspaper industry in that they bring news to UBC students that is directly relevant to them and can’t be found from any other source. Similarly, the quality of articles coming out of the Ubyssey has been getting better and better each year, with a brilliant and cohesive editorial team. The best way to ensure the survival of the Ubyssey is basically this: fun student-oriented articles balanced with conservative fiscal judgement.
2) Every single entrant in the 2010 Voter-Funded Media competition is internet-based. Do you forsee The Ubyssey existing as a print edition ten years from now? Why or why not?
I absolutely think the Ubyssey will still have a print edition ten years from now. Though the Ubyssey will continue to engage UBC students through www.ubyssey.ca, I think that as a commuter campus, the Ubyssey is at its best when it is in your hands. I know that my best times reading the Ubyssey are those dreary times between classes when no one I know is around, or when I bus home, or when i’m in a lecture that bores me to tears. In all of those times, I don’t pull out a laptop and go on the internet, I need something real, and I feel that most people are the same way. Call it old-fashioned or nostalgic, but reading the paper with a cup of coffee is a damn good way to kill some time.
Directors
Name: Imran Habib
Age: 18
Year: 1
Faculty & Program: Arts ( Pre-commerce)
Years on Campus: 1
Past Non-Campus Involvement: 10 years volunteering for the Aga Khan Network; 8 years playing soccer for the North Delta Youth Soccer Association (Gold Level); Web Design: www.knowmorediabetes.com; Graduate of the Scouts Canada Program; 1 year Mentoring at a Lower Mainland elementary school; 1 year working with the Province Newspaper contributing to their launch of a lower mainland high school sports blog
1) The newspaper industry has fallen on some very hard times. What is the best way to ensure the long-term survival of The Ubyssey?
In my mind, the current era in news distribution does present a hardship on many news organizations across Canada. The crucial act of balancing ad revenues, editoral material, and costs, all while producing an enjoyable, yet, cutting edge, newspaper is very difficult. Many news agencies are being forced to either shut down or be absorbed by major news corporations. The Ubyssey represents a leader in modern era news agencies and I believe it will outlast the “drought”. Equipped with a strong sense of leadership and a well organized set-up, The Ubyssey survives, and will thrive in the future. As a candidate for the Board, I hope to be granted an opportunity to be a part of this exciting time in the newspapers history.
2) Every single entrant in the 2010 Voter-Funded Media competition is internet-based. Do you forsee The Ubyssey existing as a print edition ten years from now? Why or why not?
The rising power and popularity of the interent is becoming an enormous part of our everyday lives. However, as the internet is fundamentally controlled by people, so will the various matrix of news distribution. Print is a beautiful thing, when all else fails print will continue to be our guiding light. I forsee more of a shift in the degree of preferabilty rather than a complete eradication of print journalism. If I am appointed to the Board I will help guide the paper through this technological transition period and ensure that it remains a force in our everyday lives.
Name: Blake Frederick
1) The newspaper industry has fallen on some very hard times. What is the best way to ensure the long-term survival of the Ubyssey?
There is no doubt that students are increasingly turning to online news sources. I think that The Ubyssey has to play catch-up in order to make itself more relevant and present online. The staff have certainly made strides this year through the use of Twitter and live streaming video, but more can be done. I would like to see The Ubyssey reach out more to students to provide content, possibly through the creation of a team of Ubyssey bloggers. Allowing and encouraging the community to create content will ensure the long-term survival of The Ubyssey.
2) Every single entrant in the 2010 Voter-Funded Media competition is internet-based. Do you forsee the Ubyssey existing as a print edition ten years from now? Why or why not?
For the next few years, The Ubyssey must maintain its presence on campus in print format. In order to ensure financial viability, distribution must be kept at a level that will keep costs low. It is difficult to predict the need for a print edition of The Ubyssey ten years from now, but The Ubyssey must remain diligent in its fiscal management and continually ensure that the distribution of the print edition does not exceed the demand of the readers.
Name: Sandy Buchanan
Age: 26
Year: 2nd
Faculty and program: Engineering
Years on campus: 1
Past campus involvement: Volunteering for both CSES (Carleton Student Engineering Society) and IEEE as well as writing occasional articles for student newspapers at both Saint Claire College and Carleton University
Past non-campus involvement: Ran a music journal for a year, various volunteering opportunities around different cities
1) The newspaper industry has fallen on some very hard times. What is the best way to ensure the long-term survival of the Ubyssey?
One of the best ways to help the long term survival of the Ubyssey is to help generate more reader interest as this will lead to more lucrative advertising opportunities. Ensuring smoother actions on the business side of the paper and lowering unnecessary expenditures and costs will also lead to the survival of the paper.
2) Every single entrant in the 2010 Voter-Funded Media competition is internet-based. Do you forsee the Ubyssey existing as a print edition ten years from now? Why or why not?
This is a difficult question to answer. Student news papers can not be directly compared to regular newspapers because they are issued for free and are run non-profit. If the student paper did not exist in paper form I doubt that it would attract much readership. With that in mind, I believe that it will continue to exist in paper form perhaps with an altered format.
Name: Oliver Thorne
Age: 19
Year: 2nd
Faculty and program: General Life Sciences
Years on campus: 2
Past campus involvement: No noteworthy past campus involvement.
Past non-campus involvement: Inter-Fraternity Council Representative and Treasurer for Alpha Delta Phi fraternity.
1) The newspaper industry has fallen on some very hard times. What is the best way to ensure the long-term survival of the Ubyssey?
It seems to me that the best way to ensure the survival of the Ubyssey is to ensure that there is always demand for the Ubyssey. Making a special effort to report on stories which are of particular interest to students and making the student body as aware as possible of the Ubyssey. This could be achieved with events such as Ubyssey-sponsored documentary nights, public addresses or information sessions about current affairs on campus.
2) Every single entrant in the 2010 Voter-Funded Media competition is internet-based. Do you foresee the Ubyssey existing as a print edition ten years from now? Why or why not?
With the increasing digitization of many aspects of student life, including student fee payments, registration, news, voting and textbooks it seems likely that the Ubyssey may eventually exist solely as an online news-source. However, I hope that the newspaper will continue to remain as a print edition regardless of the trend.
Editor’s Note
Unfortunately, Neil Andrews has not provided us with any information about his campaign. We are happy to add this info if and when is provided to us.
Also, I am not actually a member of the Ubyssey Publications Society, having opted out of the levy.
Comments
1 Comment so far
As the first president of the Ubyssey Publications Society following the establishment of the UPS I found your information on the relationship between the Ubyssey and the UPS accurate and informative.
A point of clarification – the ability of board members to impact editorial content is negligible UNLESS said content is libelous. We designed it this way and it would be about as easy to dismantle the UPS as it would be to do the same to the AMS.
Our intent was to design a publication society that was unassailable by special interest groups including the university administration. Fifteen years later, our efforts seem to have succeeded.
I’m sorry to hear that you’ve chosen to opt out of the levy but recognize your right to do so. An AMS exec who shall remain nameless once suggested the UPS should be opt-in rather than opt-out. I told him we’d be willing to pitch that at referendum if the AMS would do the same.