ODE to a Century ©rtg the CeastMMkw whirls puts the ilnmU ssader »«"»_ management. Emerald independence near as new board takes over »* CLAY KA18 ■ complete control over l be financial structure of the Of the EmeraM University's student newspaper It replaces the -— —-tinitta«wi.»y PiAiLr-attnru. Itofri which WSH dissolved toy Emerald archives The front page story from the April 9,1971, issue of the Emerald showing the signing of the new constitution. though he had been follow ing the issue of student press freedom for some time, “that event more than any other put a sense of ur gency” on the issue for both the University and the Emerald. To take the first steps to ward independence, Brain erd began working with the assistant to the University president writing up paper work and determining the future corporate structure of the newspaper. This eventually became the Constitution of the Ore gon Daily Emerald Board of Directors signed June 29, 1971. Court precedents said stu “The new structure seems to have served the paper well, as far as I can tell. ” Paul Brainerd Emerald editor, 1969-70 dent newspapers had free speech, Brainerd said, but the social atmosphere of the 1960s led to a change in the line drawn between student newspapers and the admin istration. “It got murky,” he said. The administration was supportive of the change because they wanted to avoid situations such as that at the University of Wash ington, Brainerd said. The new board adopted a resolution to establish the Oregon Daily Emerald Pub lishing Company Inc. on June 29, 1971. This step made the newspaper inde pendent as of July 1 that year. A headline on an edi torial that day declares, “We’re on our own.” Another catalyst for the change was cited by then Editor An Bushnell in the July 1 issue of the paper. “The reasons for going inde pendent are primarily eco nomic,” he says in the arti cle. “In the past, the Emerald was unable to accumulate whatever profits might exist at the end of the fiscal year. Instead, those monies re verted back to the Universi ty. Now, we will be able to accumulate monies. We will have a growth potential that did not exist before.” The main result, accord ing to the article, would be the ability to purchase and update equipment and the ability to avoid potential control of the newspaper by any group, “from the State Board of Higher Education to the University administra tion to student govern ment." The final step toward in dependence according to the agreement signed by Keran and Robinson was taken Oct. 26, 1971, when the Oregon Daily Emerald Publishing Company Inc. was incorporated under the provisions of the Oregon Nonprofit Corporation Act. Soon after independence was finalized, the Emerald took further steps to sepa rate itself from the Universi ty. In 1974, the offices moved from Allen Hall to its present offices in the EMU, and the corporation began paying rent for the space and financing all other ser vices that had been provid ed by the University. Students still pay a sub scription fee through the in cidental fee, but the paper is otherwise financially sepa rated from the University. “The new structure seems to have served the paper well as far as I can tell,” Brainerd said. The concerns that arose dur ing the late 1960s that eventual ly led to die paper’s indepen dence were new, but not unaddressed. Often throughout the first 73 years of publication, the staff would describe its poli cy to let the readers know that the paper was student run. Here are a few excerpts from these statements: “The Oregon Daily Emerald, as the official organ of the Asso ciated Student Body of the Uni versity of Oregon, aims to serve the student body politic in the following way: to diffuse correcl and authentic news; to protect and conserve the highest ideals of the University; to consistent^ avoid all secret affiliations and alliances; to play the game squarely with no favoritism; to be optimistic and courageous in fulfilling its functions; to com ment on, and receive comment on die problems concerning the University and its welfare; to pursue a constructive editorial policy which necessarily implies a destructive policy; in short, to pursue militantly a policy of proper publicity in regard to ail problems that confront the Stu dent Body—all of this, based on the truism that a democracy can be effective and efficient only so long as it maintains a free and militant press." —May 11,1916 ‘The Emerald has no entan gling alliances. There are no strings attached to it ‘The paper will have the courage of its convictions. The fear of criticism or opposition will not deter it from crusading, providing it believes its crusade is justified.” —from “Announcement of Policy,” by Richard Neuberger, Sept. 30,1932 “The Emerald is student-man aged and student-controlled. Twice yearly, the student-faculty publications board selects an editor and a business manager, who, in turn, select the remain der of the staff. ... “Editorials will be used to pre sent the opinions of the editor and the editorial board. Some have declared that since this is the students’ newspaper, edito rials should represent the ma jority opinion of the student body. This, indeed, is often the case—but to attempt to do so with every editorial would be both impossible and undesir able.” —from “The Student Newspaper,” Sept. 24,1958 “The [publications] board picks the editors of the three main publications once a year. And that’s as much as it gets in volved in editorial policies. After that, it confines its interests to budget and other financial af fairs.” — from “Student Editors Have Freedom Tradition,” Sept. 20,1966 — Compiled by Sarah Kickler