Editor's Note: This story is the third and final story in a series examining the debate over whether the Texan editor should be appointed or elected.
A group of six former Daily Texan editors, who traveled to Austin from around the country, gathered Friday for what they considered to be a family affair.
They met at the Texas Student Publications Board meeting to debate in person whether The Daily Texan editor should be an appointed or elected position.
This is the first time since the issue was renewed March 4 that parties on both sides of the argument have debated face-to-face before the TSP Board. Up to this point, argument had been made through letters, e-mails, editorials and written statements.
"I appreciate the board's openness," Texan editor and philosophy senior Ben Heath said at the meeting. "Boards don't usually allow this much back-and-forth between the board and people attending the meeting."
The board, which consists of three communication students, three at-large students, three faculty members and two professional journalists, has a week to consider the arguments presented at the meeting and will take a final vote on the issue April 29. This will follow Student Government's Tuesday vote determining their formal position on the editor selection process.
The former editors' primary arguments for continuing to elect the editor are that it ensures autonomy from University influence and ensures that the editor represents the students.
"The greatness of this University and the greatness of democracy is that the people choose, not that a board chooses," said Bob Binder, student body president from 1970-1971.
Binder was one of the original architects of the Declaration of Trust, the operating agreement between the University and TSP that gives the Board of Regents control over TSP assets, provided that they act on behalf of students.
He said even if the Texan has a good relationship with the current University administration, this may not always be the case.
"It's not about what they're doing currently. It's about what they may do in the future," Binder said. "You do not want to give up any power you've got now, not for today, but for tomorrow."
Kaye Northcott, Texan editor from 1965-1966, said being elected gives the editor authority in speaking for the student body. Appointing the editor, she said, will take away that authority.
"[Appointing the editor] will not be a diminution in the quality of the editorship, but it will be a diminution in the power of the editorship," she said.
However, TSP President and finance senior Cale McDowell said the board would protect the editor if the Board of Regents tried to exercise control over the Texan.
"We want to secure our autonomy and be able to stand up to the Board of Regents," McDowell said.
He also said there has been no proposal or intent to increase the TSP Board's control over content. The board has never pressured an editor not to run an editorial, he said.
Texan Managing Editor Robert Inks said he has never been pressured by the board to censor content.
Those on the TSP Board in favor of appointing the editor said the issue was not about giving up the Texan's freedom or the editor's independence, but an issue of ensuring that the editor is qualified and not elected based on arbitrary criteria.
"I have no indication that the current move to an appointed editor is an effort by the current University administration to control Texan content, policies or assets," Rusty Todd, chair of the TSP Executive Committee and a journalism professor, said in a written statement. "The proposal came from Texan staff and TSP Board members who I think were concerned that narrow interests who lack journalistic professionalism might take control of the paper."
At the end of his statement, Todd said changing the elected editor to an appointed position is "more trouble than it's worth."
Mike Godwin, Texan editor from 1988-1989 and current legal director of Public Knowledge, said he agrees that unqualified editors shouldn't be elected. That's why the TSP Board needs to enforce the requirements to run for election as a "backstop to ensure there's a professional editor," he said.
However, the TSP Board has chosen to waive requirements to run for editor in the past in order to have a contested election or because no one applying to run met all the requirements, TSP Director Kathryn Lawrence said.
Low student turnout for editor elections was also a reason used by McDowell in support of appointing the editor.
Godwin said low turnout is not a reason to take away the students' ability to elect the editor.
"Even if students don't vote sometimes, they can feel comfortable that their fellow students did vote, and there are other people out there who share their interests electing the editor," Godwin said.
Another issue raised at the meeting was restructuring the Texan management system so the editor will have more authority over the paper and will appoint the managing editor, who oversees the production of the paper, and the creation of a new opinion page editor position.
Godwin said the restructuring is something to consider because the students expect the editor to be in charge of the paper.
This is the same argument used by Heath, who said it can be frustrating to implement policy changes under the current system because the leadership roles are not clearly defined and understood by the students and Texan staff.
The TSP Board's final vote Friday will determine if the board agrees.
"I want to personally assure that any action we take is designed in whatever we think is in the best interest of our student media, including the Texan," Jeffrey Richards, TSP Board member and advertising professor, said. "We're very concerned with freedom of the press and want to try in some way to make it even more secure."
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