???On Sept. 26, the article "SA fails to clarify voting gray area" ran as The Spectrum's lead story. It detailed a misleading comment made by Student Association (SA) Treasurer and Spectrum Board of Directors Treasurer John Martin, who stated that a $15 increase to the Student Mandatory Activity Fee needed to be voted on by at least 10 percent of the student body in order to be valid. While Martin initially told The Spectrum that this was a state law, the reality is that any vote would legitimize the increase, even if the referendum was only voted in by one person.
???The same day the article was printed, Stephanie Sciandra, The Spectrum's Editor in Chief, received an e-mail from Martin asking for clarification and discussion of several "issues" of the publication. These suspected problems could have been, but were not, discussed at two prior meetings of The Spectrum Board of Directors, and were largely borne out of issues spawn under last year's editor in chief.
???Since that time, SA has asked that their current allotment of three SA members on The Spectrum's Board of Directors be raised to four, giving SA 50 percent of the board representation and more power than it has ever held over the paper's finances. SA representatives have decided to hold the student subscription fee of $1 per student per semester hostage until they get their way.
???Currently under contest is whether the money in question, which totals approximately $37,000, should be referred to as a subscription fee or a subsidy of an on-campus newspaper, making the sum an investment.
???SA claims that The Spectrum subscription fee can no longer be voted on by the students in a similar fashion as the Mandatory Student Activity Fee referendum was - apparently it's against state law, or SUNY Board of Trustees guidelines, or whatever legal terminology Martin wants to dumb down in his explanation to The Spectrum. Unfortunately, no vote doesn't mean no subscription fee - the law has just never worked that conveniently for anyone.
???The Spectrum makes, post-expenses, excess of $150,000 dollars a year. SA is offering an investment of roughly one-fifth of what the publication already brings in. In return they want half of the control of the paper's Board of Directors.
???Something seems screwy, no?
???Despite consistently denying an intent to control The Spectrum's editorial content, Martin recently disclosed, during one meeting with Spectrum leadership, that holding similar control over Generation's purse strings has allowed them to put a stop to the now-infamous portrayal of Editor in Chief Andrew Blake regurgitating on Visions.
???And the statement is on tape.
???This type of control is exactly what The Spectrum is trying to prevent.
???Frank discussions of reality have not swayed the student government in recent talks, but one thing must be clear: The Spectrum is a private company, not an SA organization or club. Courts and the Student-Wide Judiciary have decided that the money belongs to the publication and is transferred through SA, not a subsidy of the government in 1993 and 2004 decision, respectively.
???As such, there are a few possibilities in front of Martin and company: keep things the way they are and graciously accept the three seats that they have been given on the paper's board; accept that the money is a subscription and attempt to elect a subscriber's representative; or truly invest this money in a private company and get what they pay for: one representative.
???And that is the way business works in America.
Photo: Courtesy of Laron Fomby
