Volume 10 Number 3
Charlotte, North Carolina
Student Media Board Meets,
September 17, 1974
journal photos by dean hubbard ^
Pledges Unity
The SMB's first meeting of
the fall semester provided a
change of leadership for the
Board and the promise that
there would be complete
co-operation between the Media
Board, the media members and
the student legislature. The
Media Board also considered the
acceptance of two long range
goals for the university.
The addition of a
vice-chairman to the statutes of
the constitution led the
organization to the Board
elections. Jane Ross, editor of
the Journal, was nominated to
fill the office of
Secretary-Treasurer. There were
no other nominees and Ms. Ross
was overwhelmingly accepted.
Elected to the position of
Vice-Chairman, also against no
opposition, was Joe McCorkle,
interim editor of the Sanskrit
arts magazine..
Steve Morris was the only
nominee for the office of
Chairman. Morris was a former
editor of the Rogues and
Rascals yearbook and is
presently an at-large member of
the SMB' The selection of
Morris as SMB head ended the
one and one half year
chairmanship of Michael
Aldridge.
SMB discussed their present
constitution determining it to
be old and "archaic" (according
to Aldridge). Many of the
statutes of the document were
determined to be inadequate for
the needs of the present Board.
The Board voted to form a
committee to review the
statutes. The committee's task
will be to make the constitution
a long-term success instead of a
piece of paper which must be
constantly amended and
rewritten..
Two long-term possibilities
were considered. The formation
of a media forum and the
formation of a film media were
introduced as possible goals for
the Board..
The Media Forum would
include a number of seminars
and lectures by (authorities in
the different media. Local high
school and junior college
students would be invited. The
event would be excellent
publicity for the four members
of the media at UNCC. The
program would probably last
three or four days and the cost
is questionable.
The addition of a film
media would become a lengthy
ordeal as well as a costly one.
There is also the question of just
how many students the new
media would benefit. The film
media would consist of a group
of persons interested in making
their own movies. Possible uses
of the medium would be in the
orientation program and with
television-related majors in the
BCA department..
The Board decided that
imrhediate action needed to be
taken on the state of the
darkroom. The darkroom had
not been cleaned by people
using it over the summer and
some of the equipment is
missing. The suggestion that a
darkroom coordinator be hired
to control the facility was
accepted by the Board. The
-by mike evans
Board also decided to place
cabinets in the darkroom for
each medium.
The financial situation of
the Board appears dismal. The
expected enrollment for this
semester was not reached, thus
cutting the amount of funds the
media will be able to obtain.
Since the original media fund
has already been split among its
four members, each will now
have to reduce their projected
spending.
The proposed Sanskrit
constitution was found to be
contradictory and ambiguous in
places, so the Board asked that
it be reviewed again. The listing
of salaries and the creation of
new positions were the main
points of controversy. The
finished product should be
submitted at the next meeting.
Dick Wyzanski, head of
'WVFN, presented the Board
with a report on the status of
the radio station. He stated that
a broadcasting course will begin
on campus within the next
couple of months. The course
will run for six weeks and will
carry one hour of university
credit. Wyzanski also discussed
the future of FM on campus,
making it apparent that the
station does not presently have
enough money to go FM within
the immediate future.
There was a sense of
accomplishment and unity as
the rr>eeting was terminated.
The four members of the media
left in perfect harmony and
through the legislative
representative on the Board a
peace was gained with the
legislature.
TFUFiV;
How Far Away Is FM?
Whether UNCC will get its
own FM station or engage in a
possible joint effort with WTVI,
the Charlotte educational FM
station seeking an FCC license
to operate, is still a question to
be resolved. Although the
Metropolitan Specialty School
of which WTVI was to be a part
was refused funding by the
Charlotte-Mecklenburg Board of
Education at a September 10
meeting, a committee was
appointed by the Board of
Education and the County
Commissioners to make a
recommendation by November
1 , according to information
received by Vice Chancellor for
Student Affairs Douglas Orr
from Gene Sweezy, an official
for WTVI.
The question of a
. UNCC-owned station or a joint
effort with the Charlotte school
system has been under
discussion since the first
•feasibility study for a
WVFN-FM station prepared in
1 972 by the station at
administration's request. A
subsequent cost report was
submitted by WVFN as well as a
feasibility study this past
summer which received a
favorable rating by the
administration, according to
WVFU Station Manager Dick
Wyzanski. However, no formal
While rrony mentors of the University Community are unctergoing
the transition of summer's play to die beginning of classes, it appears
at least one UNCC Community member is unaffected by it aill.
by harold anders
administrative action has been
taken. Wyzanski expressed that
advantages of a UNCC FM
station would be that UNCC
could be more active in the
community, that educational
programming on the college
level would be offered and that
students desiring to gain
experience radio
communications would have a
vehicle in a UNCC station.
Although initially a UNCC
station would be 10-watt,
Wyzanski said that expansion
would come with University
growth. The station manager
expressed concern that in a joint
effort with WTVI, UNCC may
not get substantial time and
programming control relative to
input.
Administration officials
have indicated that a joint.effort
with WTVI appears more
feasible. Associate Dean of
Students Betty Chafin said that
the administration is very
supportive of an FM station and
listed advantages for a joint
effort such as sharing expenses
and enabling the UNCC
community to reach out into
the Charlotte community to tell
the UNCC story and to provide
information and programming..
According to Chafin, the
primary concern for the
administration is cost and
financing.
Dean of Students Dennis
Rash also expressed the
administration's concern for.
financing, particularly operating
costs. A joint effort would help
alleviate the money problem
and would also allow wider
inital coveage of all Metrolina,
thus reaching the commuter
student population. Rash
indicated that WTVI has
priority for licensing by the
FCC and also that stricter FCC
practices could make it difficult
for a second educational FM
station to gain a license. Rash
also expressed confidence in
WTVI's prospective
programming quality..
Noting manpower as well as
cost problems. Vice Chancellor
Orr said that UNCC visibility in
the community would grow in a
joint effort with WTVI and that
the wide coverage would help to
overturn the "Charlotte
College" image that is still
prevalent in the community.
Additionally, Orr expressed
concern for the commuter
population who would benefit
from Metrolina coverage. Orr
also ' said that substantial
programming would be a
prerequisite to UNCC
involvement.
Fran Saxon, a member of
the Commuter Life Committee,
indicated that the FM question
is of concern to commuter
students who feel they are not
getting full benefit from their
activities fees and that
commuter student response is
indeed important. Likewise,
adminstration officials
expressed the desire for student
opinion. Wyzanski indicated
many students that he had
talked with expressed a desire
for a UNCC FM station and that
additional student response is
welcome at WVFN.
The issue of FM status of
WVFN is important to all
students, commuters and
campus residents. (WVFN-AM
would be maintained in addition
to an FM arrangement,
according to Vice Chancellor
Orr.) Students wishing to
express opinions may contact
any of the mentioned
adminstration officials and Dick
Wyzanski at WVFN to express
their feelings..