Organizational Structure

Student Media produces The East Carolinian, a student newspaper published once a week in the fall, spring and summer; piratemedia1.com website; Rebel Literary Arts Journal published in the fall; Expressions, a creative-writing magazine representing minority communities and published in the winter; The Hook, a general interest magazine published in fall and spring; Anchors Away, a graduation magazine published and distributed during and around spring commencement events; WZMB 91.3 FM, a college radio station, the Advertising & Marketing Agency and Creative Quarters. These individual units are divided into four divisions (Print, Creative, Broadcasting and Business).

Student Media Board

The overall governing agency for Student Media is the Student Media Board, an autonomous group that comes under the jurisdiction of the Student Media Board Constitution. Members of the Board include the student media executives, three other student representatives, three media professionals, a faculty member, an administrator appointed by the Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs; and the Student Media Director, who serves as board adviser and ex-officio member without a vote. The Director appoints the Board Secretary from the Professional Staff.

Student Executive Committee Leaders for each division form the Student Executive Committee. Members include the Editor-in-Chief of the Print Division, including the newspaper, magazines, piratemedia1.com and Teco Echo email newsletter (PRINT DIVISION); Station Manager of WZMB (BROADCASTING DIVISION), and the Director of the Creative Quarters (CREATIVE DIVISION). The Director serves as the chair but does not vote. This committee offers recommendations and carries out day-to-day operations.

Student Media

Student Media is a part of East Carolina University Division of Student Affairs. The Director is the top executive for Student Media and reports directly to the Associate Vice Chancellor / Senior Operating Officer, Division of Student Affairs. The Director has fiduciary responsibility for all of Student Media, as well as day-to-day management and operations duties for the organization. The department is funded through a combination of advertising revenue from outside sources and student fee funds.

Student Media operates on the ground level of Mendenhall, Core Campus.

Student Media’s divisions operate under the Pirate Media 1 brand. In that regard, Student Media offers a variety of extracurricular activities. Student Media is also an internship model that exists to provide training and professional experience to students at East Carolina University. If not for the students at East Carolina University, none of our student organizations would exist. Finally, Student Media exists to serve the local community with news and information.

Section I Student Media Board Constitutional Governance

HISTORICAL PREFACE: The need for these policies pertaining to all media under the supervision of the Student Media Board had been apparent for some time by the 1970s. The minutes of Board meetings were studied carefully, and policies documented therein were assembled. Several decades later, in the summer of 2014, the Director of Student Media, with the assistance of the Board Secretary and Professional Staff, revised these Board policies to be presented to the full Board for its ratification in September 2014. This policy manual was then updated in December 2016, February 2019 and again in September 2022. Student Executives will be supplied a copy of these new policies, as part of Student Media Policy Handbook, with the stipulation that they read the policies carefully and, further, that they make these policies known to each member of their respective staffs. Failure to follow these policies by any staff member of Student Media will be subject to Board review.

Adopted: October 5, 1984

Revised August 22, 1985

Policies Adopted Sept. 1985 - August 1986

Revised June 25, 1987

Revised August 10, 1987

Revised October 4, 1988

Revised August 22, l990

Revised August 26, 1993

Revised September 18, 1998

Revised 2002

Revised December 2014

Revised December 2016

Revised February 2019

Revised September 2022

The Director of Student Media and the Student Media Board Secretary are responsible for accumulating and presenting the Student Media Policy Manual for Board review and consultation. The annual deadline for making revisions is by the last regular Board meeting of the spring semester. An approved operations manual is essential for Student Executives and their staffs to have and to follow in carrying out their responsibilities. The Board set the date of April 1 for each division to submit its operations manual to the Board in order for the Board to have the operations manual prior to the end of spring semester. The following policies have been adopted by the Board:

Operational Policies

Board Authority

The Student Media Board will not have the authority to involve itself with the day-to-day operations of Student Media as carried out by the Student Executives. The Board will also have no jurisdiction over those media it does not fund. (Adopted Oct. 2, 1979). Financially independent media are not subject to the Board’s authority.

Annual Budget

The Director is responsible for the financial management of Student Media and is charged with developing, executing and monitoring the annual budgets.

Carryover Funds

The Board established that 100 percent of carryover money should remain in the general fund. Carryover is defined as the unspent amount in the budget at the end of the fiscal year.

Agenda

A call for agenda items will be sent out to the Board at least one business week prior to the Board meeting.

Notice

Notice of the meetings will be published in The East Carolinian and piratemedia1.com one week prior to the meeting date.

Board Meetings

The Board is to meet in the fall and spring semesters at times set at the end of the spring semester by the newly appointed board and submitted in writing to the Board by the Board Secretary, a month prior to the first meeting of the semester.

Board Meeting Minutes

The Chairperson of the Board will approve the minutes and the minutes will be taken to the meetings to be read and approved. The Board Chairperson has the responsibility for proofing the minutes before they are submitted to the Board.

Conflict of Interest

Board members are required to abstain from all discussion and voting on all matters pertaining to their parent organizations as such a breach would present the appearance of a conflict.

Appointing a Board Chairperson

The Director shall sit in and conduct the first meeting of the fall semester until the Board selects one of its members as Chairperson to serve to the end of the spring semester. A Board member may serve up to two consecutive terms as Chairperson with approval from the Board. The Student Media Board Chairperson:

• Shall conduct Board meetings according to Board policies and Robert’s Rules of Order.

• Shall accept letters of grievance from disgruntled student staff members for further hearing before the Board and shall attempt to resolve employee differences prior to hearings before the Board.

• Shall initiate and maintain correspondence for the effective and efficient operation of the Board and its subsidiaries.

• Shall act as a liaison for the Board with University employees and outside individuals.

• Shall approve and sign the minutes of Board meetings.

• Shall hold periodic meetings with Student Executives, as he/she or the board feels necessary. (Adopted Nov. 23, 1987)

Removal of Board member

The Student Media Board may consider removal of a Board member if that member has missed two or more meetings during his/her year-long term. The Board member will be asked to explain to the full Board the extenuating circumstances that may have led to missing the meetings. If a Board member is removed, Board members may nominate a replacement or seek a nomination of replacement of a representative seat from the respective office.

Selection of Student Executives

Student Executives are to be selected by the Board to serve one-year terms. That selection process shall take place no later than the end of March of each year. This is to allow time for the new Student Executive to complete the Student Media Executive Training Program and transition into the new position.

East Carolina University students interested in applying for a Student Executive position must fill out the application. In addition, they must present to the Board a resume, cover letter and 500-800-word Statement of Interest and Intentions. The Statements will be posted publicly for all staff members to consider, and staff members will be eligible to write brief letters of support to be considered by the Board during the selection process. Letters should be fewer than 200 words, and the writer will remain anonymous. Those that are negative toward any of the prospective Student Executive candidates will not be accepted. The Board Secretary will be charged with advertising the positions and gathering application materials.

It is the discretion of the Board to select or reject any applicant for an Executive position, even if the pool consists of a single student. In the event that the Board decides not to select the sole applicant for an Executive position, the Board may move to appoint an eligible student recommended by the adviser of the respective Student Media outlet.

Student Executive Qualifications

Below is an outline of qualifications and basic job duties for each position:

• Print Division Editor-in-Chief (PRINT DIVISION) must have completed a year of University work at East Carolina and be a Student Media staff member in good standing. The Editor-in-Chief should demonstrate sound editorial judgment in coverage and assignments, be familiar with basic journalistic practices such as newsgathering and reporting practices, news and feature writing, copy editing and proofreading, photojournalism, layout and design and media law and ethics. The Print Division Editor-in-Chief will be responsible for coordinating all editorial efforts. The Editor-in-Chief chairs the Board of Editors and sits on the Board of Opinions, TEC Membership Committee and Executive Committee, as well as acts as a liaison to the Student Media Board.

• Creative Director (CREATIVE DIVISION) must have completed at least one year of work with the Creative Quarters in order to be considered for the position. This individual should display capabilities required for the position, including demonstrable knowledge of basic design principles for newspapers, magazines, advertising/marketing as well as photography and videography fundamentals. In addition, the director should have an understanding of copyright, media law and ethics. The creative director is responsible for establishing the production schedule for the academic year, overseeing the hiring of new personnel, supervising the production and visual arts staff, leading special publication creation and coordinating with the Print Division’s editor-in-chief to establish aesthetic standards for each publication. The creative director serves on the Executive Committee and as a member of the Student Media Board.

• WZMB Station manager (BROADCAST DIVISION) must have completed a year of University work at East Carolina and be a Student Media staff member in good standing. The station manager should know and maintain all FCC, Board, and station policies, as well as develop regulations governing announcers. The station manager is responsible for supervising the selection, development and scheduling of entertainment programming for broadcast; interviewing, hiring, and supervising all disc jockeys and news/sports announcers; training new personnel; enforcing disciplinary guidelines for employees who violate station policy, and managing the On-Air Automation System. The station manager serves on the Executive Committee and as a liaison to the Board.

Student Status and Grade Point Average

For any Student Executive to hold his/her position, he or she must be a full-time student and have at the time of selection a 2.5 grade point average and remain a full-time student and maintain at least 2.5 average. (Adopted March 27, 1997; amended January 21, 2014)

Student Executive Commitment

Student Executives are required to work throughout the summer. They may accept outside employment during their year of service, but that employment cannot interfere with their duties as Student Executives. If a Student Executive’s outside employment begins to interfere with his/her duties, the Director will have the authority to initiate resignation proceedings.

Summer Compensation for Student Executives

The Board offers Executives scholarship aid of up to $1,500 to be applied by Student Media toward tuition for summer sessions. This benefit is in addition to the regular summer stipend.

Leadership Changeover:

All Board-appointed Student Executives shall assume their new roles at 12 a.m. on the day after the last class of the spring semester.

Resignation by Student Executives

In the event of a resignation by a Student Executive, the Student Executive shall submit his/ her resignation to the Director, who shall then appoint an Acting Student Executive and seek approval of the Board at the next regular meeting. (Adopted September 17, 1984). When a Student Executive resigns, prompt action is required in selecting an Acting Student Executive.

Board Members Serving on Staff

No member of the Board shall be a Student Media staff member for any division. Furthermore, former Student Media staff members may not serve on the Board until three years after their last date of employment with Student Media.

Accepting Non-students

No division shall accept as staff members non-students (persons that have formerly been enrolled at ECU, will be enrolled, or never have been enrolled) to work for any medium –unless under contract. All contracts for non-student employees will need to be approved by the Director before they are acted upon. (Adopted November 7, 1983). Any contractual obligations contemplated are to be approved by the authority in contracting for personnel services and/or equipment.

At the time the request is made to the Director and before the non-student is hired, the length of time and the method of employment (i.e., contract services employment shall specify the term). (Adopted October 5, 1983)

Staff Members Holding Additional Positions:

Student staff members who do not hold Executive positions may hold more than one position within Student Media with prior approval from their respective advisers or the Director. Students may be paid to handle up to two positions within Student Media provided: 1) Each position is not already occupied by another student; 2) The student has completed the required training for each position; and 3) Performing duties for both positions does not cause the student to exceed the 25 hour a week limit for University affiliated employment. All student staff members may serve as unpaid contributors to other Student Media outlets with approval from their Student Executive or adviser.

Legal Services Engaged

The Board Chairperson and Director must be notified before any legal services are engaged. (Adopted November 8, 1978).