Referendum could lead to independence of The Athenaeum from student union
Wolfville business to support student journalism award with July promotion
An upcoming referendum could see Acadia University’s student newspaper gain financial independence from the students’ union.
Following a motion made at the Acadia Students’ Union (ASU) Student Representative Council in March 2021, the student referendum is scheduled to take place in conjunction with the ASU’s general election in February 2022.
Axel Eschholz, the new editor-in-chief of The Athenaeum, said he thinks the referendum is an important and necessary step in cementing the future of the student publication and the freedom of the press on campus for decades to come.
“I am most certainly in favour of The Athenaeum being financed independently from the ASU,” Eschholz said. “The press needs to be able to operate independently of any governing institution to be able to effectively carry out its purpose.”
If the majority vote in favour, The Athenaeum would be funded by a $2.50 levy from students on campus.
Eschholz said they will be working over the next year to make The Athenaeum more relevant and useful to students than ever, and the result of the referendum will hopefully reflect and validate these changes.
“We want to show them that this is indeed their newspaper,” he said.
Earlier this year, Acadia alumnus Colin Mitchell wrote and circulated a letter in support of the university’s student media titled “The
End of The Athenaeum is Near.”
This came in response to the potential defunding of The Athenaeum and Axe Radio by the ASU. Several past and present students added their names to the correspondence.
If The Athenaeum were to no longer receive lineitem budget funding from the ASU, it would essentially drop from internal organization status to a club. As a club, it would have to apply to the Student Representative Council annually for grant funding.
Mitchell, former editorin-chief of The Athenaeum, said he believes the student referendum is a “really good sign that free press is alive and well on campus.”
Mitchell said this latest development follows a public outpouring of support for the student newspaper and negotiations between The Athenaeum and ASU.
He said this has been a goal of members of The Athenaeum team for a long time, including himself when he served as editor-in-chief in 2018-2019, and he is very excited to see how the students vote.
“We actively sought a referendum but at the time, we didn’t have the ability nor the means to get forward our proposal to the students of collecting our own independent funds from the students’ union to ensure we are not at the mercy of their budget year over year,” Mitchell said.
In March, Rylie Moscato, former editor-in-chief of The Athenaeum, said the newspaper’s annual budget has been reduced significantly in recent years, dropping from $10,000 to $8,500 and then $5,500. She said this had made her job increasingly difficult.
NO DECISIONS MADE
New ASU president Matthew Stanbrook said in a June 28 email that no decisions have been made regarding the funding model of The Athenaeum for the upcoming year, or any associated referenda.
Colin Mitchell, former editorin-chief of The Athenaeum, said a student referendum regarding the funding of the newspaper has been a goal of his and others for a long time.
He said the ASU’s vice president of student life is working with the newly hired editor-in-chief to ensure that the needs and wants of The Athenaeum are adequately supported and that the newspaper continues to have sustainable long-term funding.
“Any proposed changes to the structure of The Ath or its relationship with the ASU will be brought to the student body for referendum before any decisions are made,” Stanbrook said.
He said there would be full transparency and ongoing consultation with students throughout all stages of any such process.
Stanbrook said student media is ultimately driven by the goals and vision of the editor-in-chief every year. As such, the ASU’s goal in ongoing conversations with The Athenaeum is to support the current staff in whatever options they choose to pursue relating to the independence of the organization.
He said that conversations with the newspaper are in the preliminary stages, so the students’ union has yet to consider how any potential decisions might impact the ASU’s budget deliberation process.
“Regardless of whether
The Ath chooses to seek funding through a separate student fee, we are committed to ongoing conversations with The Ath to determine how we can continue to collaborate in our shared goal of supporting and representing the views of all Acadia students,” Stanbrook said.
SUPPORT FOR STUDENT JOURNALISM
Mitchell said he is very excited about a collaboration between The Athenaeum and Joe’s Food Emporium in Wolfville that will see one dollar from the sale of every Scott Skins ordered in July donated in support of The Athenaeum Journalism Award, a student bursary.
Mitchell said Joe’s has been a great supporter of the Acadia community since 1977, donating to varsity athletics and other groups and causes. He said they are very grateful for Joe’s support and are very excited to see this partnership come to fruition.
Eschholz said the Joe’s
Food Emporium promotion is a very generous show of support for the student newspaper. He said it highlights the importance of the publication not only to students but to the entire Acadia and Wolfville community.
Joe’s Food Emporium owner Hussein Rafih said that, over the years, as a small business in Wolfville, they have always been a huge supporter of Acadia University, Acadia athletics and all of the various clubs and groups at the university. Students have always been integral to Joe’s success and Rafih said they don’t take it for granted.
“We understand how important it is for business when it comes to the students and Wolfville. Wolfville doesn’t exist without Acadia and Acadia doesn’t exist without Wolfville,” Rafih said.
He said it’s important for students to have a voice and for there to be a medium for them to express their views and opinions. In this regard, Rafih said the business is happy to help support student journalism at the university.