Nothing ventured, nothing gained
Photo Credit: Phillip Temple, special to The Tempest
Getting better newsboxes on campus sounds relatively easy, but all the loops we've had to jump through makes it seem like a strenuous triathalon.
Larry Ragland, Editor-in-Chief
October 3, 2012
Filed under Administration, Opinion, Top Stories
Phillip Temple/Temple Studios
(Click for larger)
In the last issue of The Tempest we ran an article detailing the difficulties we have been having getting college approval of AdCamp, a company that provides newspaper kiosks for colleges and other organizations by selling ads, thus generating revenue. As convoluted as the process sounds, it’s even crazier when you can see it. Cartoonist Phillip Temple took the time to put our frustrations in pictures.
What he came up with is a visualization of the “crazy”. We are hoping that the drawing appears as convoluted as it is in reality because at least that way we would know we’re not crazy. And as much as I would like to say that all is not lost after making our case at the recent president’s cabinet meeting, it seems that we are back at square one.
We have an AdCamp spokesperson that is more than willing to answer any remaining questions. However, student government thinks that The Tempest should have to give a portion of our funds to them or that we should display their pamphlets. If there are legitimate questions that have yet to be answered then by all means ask. But holding up the process in an attempt to exercise some type of authority is laughable. This is a student newspaper, not a concession stand and no form of government—not even student government—is going to make us pay some sort of “tribute.” No journalist worth their salt would do so. It is unethical and dishonest and it violates the integrity of our chosen profession.
The whole point of enlisting the services of AdCamp is so that we can be as independent as possible, monetarily speaking. By not having to rely on the school for funding (or as little as possible) we help the school save money, but we eliminate any potential any type of overly cozy relationships.
Whenever money is involved the truth tends to suffer. It is our goal to maintain our autonomy and remain beholden only to the truth. Getting these kiosks ensures that future journalism majors here at Solano Community College can write for a student-run and funded newspaper that doesn’t have to answer to political factions or board groups—only their readers.
For information about the AdCamp kiosks that are installed at 30 other colleges in California, click here.
