Student media groups including the ÁùºÏ±¦µä Sagebrush, Insight Magazine, Brushfire and Wolfpack Radio, are working together in hopes of passing ballot question 1 in the 2024 ASUN election, which would introduce a student credit fee. The student media groups have spent the semester campaigning in favor of the ballot question.
If passed, the proposed ballot question would introduce a $1.29 fee per credit. An average 15-credit student would be charged $19.35 per semester, generating about $700,000 strictly for all student media.
Currently, Insight Magazine, Brushfire and Wolfpack Radio are funded through ASUN, which already has a student credit fee in place. However, recent budget cuts have affected ASUN’s ability to fund these student media organizations.
The ÁùºÏ±¦µä Sagebrush, the student-run newspaper which celebrated 130 years at the University in 2023, operates independently and its revenue solely comes from donations and advertisements.
According to the Sagebrush’s editor in chief, Emerson Drewes, advertising revenue has been “very, very low for the past two years because of the COVID-19 pandemic,” and in Nov. 2021, they were unable to continue publishing their print editions, which had produced their highest ad revenue in years past.
If the student media fee is passed, Drewes believes it will open the door for student media to thrive on campus. Primarily, it will help create “actual livable wages [for students],” Drewes explained.
With additional funding, Wolfpack Radio hopes to get an FM tower and pay its radio DJs, who are all currently volunteers without receiving compensation. Insight Magazine and Brushfire hope to publish more issues than they do now.
The Sagebrush relies on volunteer reporters and artists, and Drewes hopes to be able to pay those volunteers in the future.
“Student-run media is not just a platform for students to express themselves, but it also plays a crucial role in enriching the student experience and contributing to a vibrant campus culture,” explained Sogand Tabatabaei, coordinator of student publications and marketing for the Center for Student Engagement. “By supporting the student media fee, we are investing in the growth and development of our campus community.”
The ASUN election will take place online for undergraduate students from March 13 to 14 on Pack Life.
