Student voice silenced

After days of deliberating, the Sub-Board I, Inc. Board of Directors, with the blessing of the Board of Directors' Special Committee, ruled to suspend Generation Magazine's charter for the second time in roughly five months.
Tuesday night, the committee, headed by Graduate Student Association President Nicole Jowsey, voted to halt Generation's production for the entire fall semester and look at bringing back the publication for the spring semester under new terms. The decision comes mere hours after the first – and now only – issue of Generation hit the stands on UB's campuses.
'It was not an easy decision, but we felt that at this time this was the best decision for us,' Jowsey said. 'After looking back and investigating the situation, we came to this decision.'
Josh Boston, former editor in chief of Generation and managing editor of both Visions and The Spectrum, was not pleased with the decision.
'I'm upset at the Board of Directors,' Boston said. 'They decided I wasn't the right person to run their magazine. I hope they still offer a publication for students, because they need to house an ethical, quality publication.'
Ernesto Alvarado, Student Association vice president and member of the committee, stated that the decision was based on issues stemming from Boston's hiring last semester.
'Sub-Board's Board of Directors decided that fraud occurred, and we decided to suspend the charter and re-open editor in chief elections in the future to avoid any problems. We also felt that there was a lot to be desired from [Boston],' Alvarado said.
Alvarado said that, in addition, the committee will discuss further details concerning the decision, including a new hiring process, at some point later next week.

Lost potential

Former editors of the new Generation are now scratching their heads as they look towards the future as student journalists. For Daniel Mecca, former managing editor of both Generation and The Spectrum, the news was a shocker.
'Having worked two hard weeks on the issue and an entire day on production with my fellow employees, I feel we were cold-cocked,' Mecca said. 'It's not the fairest decision. We were brought on to be a remedy for the situation. This was very unprofessional. They jumped the gun.'
Boston believes that personal conflicts plagued the ultimate decision, stemming from his close relationship with Robert Pape, former Sub-Board vice president and editor in chief of The Spectrum.
'[SA President Hassan Farah] and [Jowsey] had personal vendettas towards me due to my relationship with [Pape],' Boston said. 'We put out a solid, professional magazine that serves the students well, and that got in the way of things.'
Pape felt that both groups made the wrong decision.
'I think it's unfortunate that relationships outside the hiring process are causing issues,' Pape said. 'There was no doubt that [Boston] was qualified, according to last year's board of directors. I think it is ridiculous that now he is being punished for having friendships outside the business world. He was brought on to better student journalism.'
According to Jowsey, an important factor in the decision-making was reaction from individuals from both the UB community and abroad.
'I received over 100 e-mails, both good and bad,' Jowsey said. 'I can tell you that each message was viewed.'
Nonetheless, Pape feels that this decision might lead to a dark road if Sub-Board decides to look at the past for ideas on where to go next.
'The former publication's suspension was justified,' Pape said. 'Everyone should be offended by it and embarrassed by it.'

A small victory

For old Generation staffers, the news was unexpected.
'While I have not received a formal confirmation from Sub-Board, I can say that it's a shame that we've lost the student voice on campus,' said Andrew Blake, former editor in chief of Generation from 2008-09. 'But I feel that it is a necessary step in the right direction after what has happened.'
After Generation's charter was suspended on April 3, Blake orchestrated efforts to help the former iteration of the publication gain footing. He acquired legal council and reached out to anyone willing to listen to make an informed decision about where they might stand.
'The support we received has been overwhelming and it means a great deal to myself and the staff,' Blake said. 'People I have never met have approached me to discuss their disapproval of Sub-Board's actions and have helped garnish support for Generation. I feel that the support we received was crucial into bringing us where we are today.'
Blake believes that the support from many people across the country could have pushed Sub-Board toward suspending the new publication's charter.
'I'm not sure how where we are today will get us any further, but without support from the community and those I have never met, we might have never had the chance to contemplate Generation as we once knew it,' Blake said.
Ann Marie Awad, former literary editor of Generation, is happy with the news but skeptical of what might soon come for her and her former colleagues.
'It's confusing,' Awad said. 'I think it is good because it's a step in the right direction towards saying that the new magazine shouldn't be on campus, but you don't know what kind of work is ahead of us and where this will lead us to.'
Awad is responsible for creating the group 'Generation Magazine: Not My Magazine, Not Without a Fight!' on the popular social-networking Web site, Facebook. The group has garnered support from approximately 753 members as of Tuesday evening.
'Journalists have the right and the duty to report corruption for the protection of the public,' Awad said in a message to group members on Aug. 23. 'We are the voice, and the voice can't be silenced. Generation will be back, take my word for it.'

An uncertain road ahead

After hearing the news, Boston is unsure of what lies ahead in the future for him, especially when it comes to being on Generation's staff.
'I had this job fairly to begin with,' Boston said. 'Why should I reapply in the future? There are pros and cons to each side, and it's too early to decide if I will try to get my position back.'
While many people might be pleased with the outcome, Boston doesn't care for the public's image of him.
'I've been told I'm arrogant,' Boston said. 'I've been told that my relationship with [Pape] has been a major issue. While I take those opinions to heart, I want to run this magazine, but that decision is not up to me. I have no right to challenge [Sub-Board's] decision.'
Blake feels that while the news might have both positive and negative implications, the road ahead looks promising.
'Losing a publication is never a good thing, but I hope this temporary suspension will remedy the problems that has been bestowed on the magazine over the past couple of months,' Blake said. 'Sub-Board has a lot of wrongs they need to right, and I assume that this is beginning of that process.'
Regardless of what might happen, Blake says that he will not go away until normalcy returns to 315 Student Union.
'I will fight whatever fight I need to,' Blake said. 'I will support the Generation everyone grew to love and I will not stop until things are back to the way that they should be.'

E-mail: spectrum-eic@buffalo.edu