2017 Meeting Minutes

Student Media Board
Minutes for November 29, 2017


I.    Call to Order: Leigh Gaskin, board chair, called meeting to order at 4:15 pm.
Other members present were:
Aloni Martin, Gabriella Ramos, Hannah Basler, Kai Amos, Jacob Wagoner, Kelsey Jones, Leigh Gaskin, Parker Blekkenk, Rachel Wong, Erica Nicol, Jennifer, Murray, Karen Breese, Matt Haugen, Yoon-Joo Lee, Richard Miller.
Staff Members: Jacob Jones and K. Denise Boyd

II.    Approval of Minutes:  The minutes for October 25 approved with minor typo corrections.

III.    Announcements:  A motion to move the presentations/voting before the reports was motioned by Gabbie Ramos and seconded by Jacob Wagoner, motion to pass approved by board.

IV.    Presentations for Spring 2018 Student Leaders:

Madison Jackson, editor-in-chief
Jacob Wagoner, advertising manager

The board voted to appoint Madison Jackson as the Spring 2018 editor-in-chief and Jacob Wagoner as the Spring 2018 advertising manager.



V.    Approval of policy changes to allow emergency removal of student managers by consensus vote, make minor revisions and corrections.

The board reviewed the draft version of the Student Media Bylaw changes presented by Richard Miller.

Suggestions:
Section 1A: The Chinook Yearbook should be the Chinook yearbook

Section 1B/C: Should read: A representative of the Division of Student Affairs.

Section V third paragraph: replace web manager with Chinook editor

A motion to approve the changes was given by Richard Miller and it was seconded by Jacob Wagoner, vote carried.


•    Editorial: Gabbie Ramos, editor-in-chief:
o    Working on putting together a staff for next semester
o    The final Sports Weekend edition was a success
o    Newsroom focusing on administration coverage

•    Advertising: Jacob Wagoner, advertising manager:

o    Alex Newman was rehired; he will be focusing on ad sales for the Chinook yearbook and Visitor Guide magazine.
o    Spring 2018 – we don’t anticipate any turnover in staffing
o    November revenue was tough, we didn’t have any Sports Weekends to help boost ad sales
o    December – only four editions, goal is smaller – commencement edition selling  well
o    Training assistant manager in the spring
o    Alex Newman will be selling yearbooks at commencement

•    Marketing. Report given by Richard Miller, director:
o    Hiring new staff, updated photo booth software, working with newsroom on referendum and tabling

•    Yearbook, Kai Amos, editor:

o    Lots of creative pieces, going well
o    Working on the covers, photos are strong this year
o    Hannah will training to take over as editor in the fall

•    Creative: Aloni Martin, manager:

o    Things are going well
o    New staff – searching for replacement manager for the 2018-2019 school year

•    Content Advisor: Jacob Jones:

o    Guest speakers/training, including presentations by the WSU public records officer, and a Seattle Times reporter.
o    Budget coverage

•    Visitor Guide: Kelsey Jones, editor:

o    Finalizing the ads with Jacob Wagoner
o    The skeleton is complete
o    Kelsey graduates in December; Gabbie Ramos will be finishing the magazine in the spring

•    Financial: K. Denise Boyd, fiscal specialist:

o     Financial reports provided to the board. The office is looking at potential loss of $79,032.68.
o    The board was provided with the estimated year-end financials
o    July – October line item issues:
    Retail down 24%
    Class display down 13.73%
    Class liners down 10.89%
    Color revenue down 22%
    Photo Booth down 20%

VI.    Board Member Comments

Karen Breese: Asked about the pickup rate and how we get our numbers; Richard Miller explained that we have our delivery drivers do a count and also contact the business

Kai Amos: Inquired about the yearbooks and how many we have sold so far; Denise didn’t have the exact numbers, but will forward those to Kai and Jacob.

VII.    Public Comments
No public comments

VIII.    Adjournment
The meeting adjourned at 5 p.m.

Minutes taken by K. Denise Boyd,                           fiscal specialist

Student Media Board
Minutes for October 25, 2017


I.    Call to Order: Meeting was called to order by Leigh Gaskin, board chair, at 4:14 pm.
Other members present were:
Aloni Martin; Carmen Jaramillo; Gabriella Ramos; Hannah Basler; Jacob Wagoner; Ceridwen Walsh; Kelsey Jones; Matthew Winchell; Parker Blekkenk; Rachel Wong; Karen Breese; Matt Haugen and Richard Miller. Absent: Kai Amos; Benjamin Shors; Jennifer Murray; Erica Nicol and Yoon-Joo Lee.

Staff Members: Jacob Jones and K. Denise Boyd

II.    Approval of Minutes:  The minutes for Sept. 27, 2017, were approved with no corrections.

III.    Announcements:  Moved election of Interim Marketing Manager to top of agenda.

Ceridwen Walsh introduced herself to the board. A motion was made by Richard Miller to elect Ceridwen Walsh as the new marketing manager; Jacob Wagoner seconded this. Approved by board.

IV.    Reports:

•    Editorial: Gabby Ramos, editor-in-chief:
o    SexEdition 10/13/17 was a success
o    SportsWeekend – 6 were published
o    Dad’s weekend – next weekend
o    Reorganizing the newsroom, hiring a new assistant sports editor of next semester – Dillion Green
o    News heavy week – budget cuts
o    Starting a blog related to the university budget cuts – meeting with president Shultz next week
o    Mary Jo Gonzales, VP Student Affairs – meet with her to get budget cut details

•    Web/Mobile: Gabby Ramos, editor-in-chief reported:

o    Hired assistant web editor
o    Updating ad sizes for website
o    Updating website for summer

•    Advertising: Jacob Wagoner, advertising manager

o    SexEdition ad sales down, no big sponsors
o    Spring SexEdition ad sponsor leads – Trojan
o    LIFT is now going to be available in Pullman – possible new advertiser
o    Emily Mattson is the assistant advertising manager


•    Marketing. No report.

•    Yearbook. No report.

•    Visitor Guide: Kelsey Jones, editor:

o    Design has been revamped – modern art/fashion type of magazine
o    Skeleton has been laid out
o    Photo – going with original art
o    Ads are being sold
o    To publisher mid-January
o    Chris at University Publishing is researching publishers
o    Magazine will be 20-30 pages bigger than 2017

•    Creative: Aloni Martin, manager:

o    Working on countdown to Dad’s weekend
o    1 staff member resigned

•    Content Advisor: Jacob Jones:

o    Staff training continuing with 2 workshops weekly
o    Workshops held on visual storytelling and job market advise
o    Photo field training – 2hrs, job shadowing at the football game
o    Murrow College are having guest speakers, reaching out to students to attend
o    Web staff are working on weekly analytic reports

•    National GIVE day – November 28th

o    Richard Miller will check with the Foundation to find out who our representative is to help with fund raising.



•    Financial: K. Denise Boyd, fiscal specialist:

o     Financial reports provided to the board. The office is looking at potential loss of $72,209.29. In order to cover the loss, she moved funds from the Student Media Reserve account.


V.    New Business

Student Media Board ByLaw Changes:

Richard Miller spoke about the policy changes for section I and V.

Board comments:

Karen Breese- the changes need published 3 weeks in the paper for public comment.

Richard will make the wording changes to “graduate” references and bring it back to the next board meeting for approval, then we will publish the changes.

VI.    Board Member Comments

Karen Breeze: Likes the increase in graphics

Leigh Gaskin: Issues of graduate students’ stipend reduction within the College of Engineering due to the 2.5% university budget cuts.

Their pay will be reduced 20% starting January 1, 2018, which is a $200-$600 cut in pay.  

Gabby will bring the issue to the editors to see about getting coverage.

Leigh Gaskin: To gain support from the graduate students for the referendum in the spring, increasing the amount of coverage for graduate programming.

VII.    Public Comments

No public comments

VIII.    Adjournment

The meeting adjourned at 4:56p.m.



Minutes taken by K. Denise Boyd, fiscal specialist and Richard Miller, director

Student Media Board

Minutes for September 27, 2017

Call to Order: Meeting was called to order by Richard Miller, director, at 4:15 pm.

Other members present were Leigh Gaskin, Aloni Martin, Carmen Jaramillo, Gabriella Ramos, Jacob Wagoner, Kai Amos, Matthew Winchell, Parker Blekkenk, Benjamin Shors, Erica Nicol, Karen Breese, Matt Haugen, and Rachel Wong.

Staff Members: Jacob Jones and K. Denise Boyd

Approval of Minutes:  The minutes for April 5, 2017, were approved with no corrections.

Election of New Chair: Richard Miller moved to elect Leigh Gaskin as the Student Media Board chair for the 2017-2018 academic year. The motion was seconded by Jacob Wagoner. The board approved, and Leigh Gaskin was elected.

Introductions: Leigh Gaskin asked the board members to introduce themselves.

Announcements:  None given

Reports:

Editorial: Gabby Ramos, editor-in-chief, covered the activities from summer to the first few weeks of Fall 2017 (see attached document).

Web/Mobile: Gabby Ramos reported that:

Sub-site was created for the sports weekend website

Looking to hire a coder

Updated the bylines on the new dailyevergreen.com website

Creating an analytics dashboard

Advertising: Jacob Wagoner reported he has six staff and is hiring two more to focus on the visitor magazine and yearbook.

Sales are up for online ads, but retail sales are down.

University clients are tightening their budgets, so are placing fewer ads. 

Sex Edition is scheduled for Oct. 13, but both big clients who usually sponsor the edition have backed out.

Rebranding the Booze Guide, and calling it the Happy Hour Guide to bring in more advertising.

Also in the process of implementing a CRM called Zoho that will let him better track the activities of ad reps.

Marketing. No report.

Yearbook. Kai Amos reported she’s had trouble finding staff. She said some universities have replaced yearbooks with magazines in order to provide staff with a more marketable resume entry, and noted that many students don’t pick up their yearbooks.

She is planning a 350-page yearbook with 80# paper and a laminated cover. She’s also moved up deadlines to allow for earlier distribution in hopes of reducing the number of unclaimed books.

Creative/Graphics: Aloni Martin discussed the redesign of the Evergreen over the summer. She noted much better communication with the newsroom, and increased use of graphics in the print edition.

She is sloly increasing her staff to full level.

Visitor Guide: Kelsey Jones reported stories were being edited for the next Visitor Guide. The magazine will be divided into sections based on season, and the design will incorporate more white space. She plans to be reviewing draft pages in December.

Content Advisor. Jacob Jones reported assisting with the redesign of the newspaper. He’s also arranging for a series of guest speakers, and providing two types of writing workshops. The first focuses on the technical aspects of writing, the second on story-telling techniques.

He praised the Evergreen staff for several stories pertaining to academic freedom. He is working with staff on filling positions in the spring.

Financial: K. Denise Boyd provided a copy of the financial reports for FY2017 to the board. The office ended with a loss of $61,709.02. In order to cover the loss, she moved funds from the Student Media Reserve account:

Reserve Fund:

Beginning balance: 197,726.45

FY2017 transfer:      -61,709.02

Current balance:     136,017.43

Current balance:     136,017.43

Computer/equip:      -10,000.00

Server:                   - 5,000.00          

FY2018 Forecast:     -43,047.16

Forecast ending:       77,970.27

Denise noted that the predicted loss comes despite an increased FY2018 S&A allocation of $255,264

New Business

Board discussed the absence of the marketing manager. The elected manager has turned over many of her duties to a subordinate and may be planning to resign. The board instructed Richard Miller to determine if the elected manager wishes to stay in the position.

The board elected Richard Miller as vice chair.

Board Member Comments

Several board members praised the Evergreen for being an all-around better paper: More readable, more substantive, and better designed.

Public Comments

No public comments

Adjournment

The meeting adjourned at 5:14 p.m.

Minutes taken by K. Denise Boyd, fiscal specialist and Richard Miller, director

Student Media Board
Minutes for April 5, 2017


I.    Call to Order:  The meeting was called to order by Amanda Jordan, Chair, at 4:15 pm. Other members present were: Leigh Gaskin, Matteo Molieri, Deanna Bailey, Kai Amos, Cody Cottier, Kathlina White, Kelsey Jones, Andreas Eriksen, Max Minnig, Richard Miller, Benjamin Shors, Steve Nakata, Karen Breese, and Matt Haugen, as proxy for Rob Strenge. Staff Member: Jacob Jones


II.    Approval of Minutes:  The minutes for Feb. 22, 2017, were read and approved.

III.    Announcements:  None given


IV.    Reports
Waived due to student leader elections

V.    Presentations by candidates:

•    Daily Evergreen Editor-in-Chief (Summer and fall 2017)
o    Gabriella Ramos
•    Advertising Manager (Summer 2017)
o    Kari Myers
o    Jacob Wagoner
•    Advertising Manager (Fall 2017)
o    Kari Myers
o    Jacob Wagoner
•    Creative Manager (Summer 2017, 2017 academic year)
o    Aloni Martin
•    Marketing Manager (Summer 2017)
o    Kari Myers
o    Jacob Wagoner
•    Marketing Manager (2017-2018)
o    Kari Myers
•    Chinook Editor (2017-18)
o    Kai Amos
•    Visitor Guide Magazine Editor (2017-18)
o    Kelsey Jones

VI.    Board votes in executive session. Elected are:


•    Daily Evergreen Editor-in-Chief (Fall and Summer 2017)
o    Gabriella Ramos
•    Advertising Manager (Summer and Fall 2017)
o    Jacob Wagoner
•    Creative Manager (Summer 2017, 2017-18 academic year)
o    Aloni Martin
•    Marketing Manager (Summer and 2017-18 academic year)
o    Kari Myers
•    Chinook Editor (2017-18)
o    Kai Amos
•    Visitor Guide Magazine Editor (2017-18)
o    Kelsey Jones

VII.    Board Member Comments: None given


VIII.    Public Comments: None given


IX.    Adjournment: The meeting adjourned at 5:58 p.m.





Minutes taken by Richard Miller, director

Student Media Board
Minutes for Feb. 22, 2017


I.    Call to Order:  The meeting was called to order by Amanda Jordan, Chair, at 4:17 pm. Other members present were: Leigh Gaskin, Matteo Molieri, Deanna Bailey, Kai Amos, Cody Cottier, Kathlina White, Andreas Eriksen, Max Minnig, Richard Miller, Steve Nakata, Karen Breese, and Matt Haugen, as proxy for Rob Strenge. Staff Member: Jacob Jones


II.    Approval Minutes:  The minutes for Jan. 25, 2017, were read and approved.

III.    Announcements:  None given


IV.    Reports:

•    Editorial
Cody Cottier, Editor-in-Chief
    Sex edition in progress
    Team working on budget stories, series on campus construction

•    Web & Mobile
Andreas Ericksen, Web & Mobile Manager
    Social media redmark sessions now implemented and going well
    Visitor Magazine website in the works
    Kudos to Michael Madison for assisting with social media

•    Marketing
Deanna Bailey, manager
    Two new staffers
    Very busy with photo booth work, social media

•    Yearbook
Kai Amos, editor
    In the design stages and on track

•    Visitor Guide Magazine (absent)


•    Creative
Kathlina White, manager
    Working on sports weekend depth chart redesign
    Designers now attending news meetings to better contribute maps and other graphics
    Work is beginning on template for next year’s rate card

•    Director
Richard Miller
    We are working on the Services & Activities fee proposal
    Internships with Murrow College now officially launched
    New glassware advertisements have brought in an extra 8% ad revenue in first few weeks
    Plan to allow for emergency dismissal of student leaders still in works, may involve using a student committee
    University can print yearbooks customized to each student, creating new possibilities for increasing sales.
    Moves to postpone March meeting to April 5 because it’s an elections meeting and two ad manager candidates will be at a CMBAM conference. Motion passes.

•    Advertising
Matteo Molieri, manager
    Sales are OK
    Now giving sales reps a 4% commission on ad fund sales to help reduce backlog
    Dismissed student employee after argument. That student is one of two going to the CMBAM conference in March, and an almost-certain candidate for summer ad manager. Matteo objected to the student being sent to a conference.

•    Content Adviser
Jacob Jones
    Working flex schedule because of new child
    Still providing guidance either remotely or in person
    Successful visit by publisher of Columbia Basin Herald

•    Financial
Richard Miller (Proxy for K. Denise Boyd, fiscal specialist)
    Hard at work figuring out S&A request
    Estimated year-end loss will be close to $50k

V.    New Business
•    No new business

VI.    Board Member Comments: None given


VII.    Public Comments: None given


VIII.    Adjournment: The meeting adjourned at 4:38 p.m.


Minutes taken by Richard Miller, director