Vote ‘YES’ for Student Media fee

Without The Daily Evergreen, all that is left is PR. All that is left is BS. We will not retreat. We hope you won’t either.

EDITORIAL BOARD

The Daily Evergreen has one last opportunity to continue printing independent news five days a week.

There’s a lot at stake for all WSU students, not just those who work in our office.

On Monday, ASWSU President Jordan Frost tweeted, “The Evergreen does not need to be ‘saved’. Without this fee the paper will still exist. They are being asked to make a business decision- which is decrease daily printing to 2 or 3 days a week. They would still have online access for readers.”

He’s right that the Evergreen will still exist, but it will not exist in the way that you — the WSU student body — have experienced it. There will be less coverage, less administrative accountability and less access to information if print frequency is reduced.

It’s not just a business decision. This is a matter of whether an informed population is a priority for WSU.

Without The Daily Evergreen, you would not know about Student Affairs defunding some Multicultural Student Services retention counselors and then refunding them because of community outrage.

Or the affects cutting Performing Arts had on the people whose jobs were terminated.

Or the Voiland College of Engineering and Architecture’s proposal to cut graduate and professional students’ pay, which was ultimately reversed following backlash.

Or WSU President Kirk Schulz’s debt forgiveness in the College of Arts and Sciences and late WSU President Elson S. Floyd’s forgiveness of Athletics debt.

Or John White, chair of the pharmacotherapy department; Gary Pollack, dean of the College of Pharmacy; and Dan Bernardo, WSU’s provost, being sued for alleged discrimination.

Why would our campaign slogan be “Save Student Media” if this organization did not need it? We’re journalists — we’re not trained to be alarmist without fact checking and ensuring the information we provide is accurate.

If the referendum does not pass, The Summer Evergreen print will be completely cut. For three months, there will be no independent news presence on campus to hold administration accountable and showcase the Palouse community.

Last summer, Schulz and other administrators announced their trip to Samoa and football player Robert Barber’s Student Conduct case was heard. Without us, no one would have known about these events in the detail we published.

Now, more than ever, the Evergreen has a vested interest in an election. Regardless of who you vote for as ASWSU president and vice president, both presidential tickets have endorsed the Evergreen’s cause.

This is WSU students’ last chance to fight for independent journalism on this campus. Your vote ensures that there will be reporting on administrative decisions and local events that impact and interest students.

Our fee is $5 paid in the fall and spring semesters. In the immediate future, most of the money will go toward sustaining the daily operations of the Evergreen that you’ve seen since 1980.

Voting will open at 12:01 a.m. Tuesday and will close at 7 p.m. Wednesday. Vote at studentvote.wsu.edu or at the booths in the CUB.

We are the only news source that focuses on WSU, fearlessly covering student issues, amplifying your voice and attending meetings so you don’t have to.

Without The Daily Evergreen, all that is left is PR. All that is left is BS. We will not retreat. We hope you won’t either.