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JACC SURVIVAL GUIDE FOR NEWADVISERS

Written by Lori MedigovichEl Camino College

RecruitingFundingCurriculumWorking with professionalsOther important things to considerGroups you should know aboutCollege Media Advisers Code of Ethical Behavior

When I was at Phoenix College taking journalism courses in the late 1970s,my classes were crowded with students wanting to uncover the nextWatergate scandal. The public respected newspapers, journalists weretaken seriously and all was well in the land of community collegejournalism.

By the time I began teaching journalism at Phoenix College in 1986, I hadtwo students in my news writing class and six producing the weeklynewspaper. By this point, the boom had turned to bust. National and statebudget problems led to severe cutbacks at most of our colleges. While thiswas happening, tabloid television "news" programs made it difficult for thepublic to distinguish the good guys from the bad guys. The public trust injournalists had eroded and students were flocking to other majors. In thisnew climate, administrators cut programs with low enrollment; typically,journalism programs.

As we enter the 2000s, our national economy is booming and our collegesare rebounding. Unfortunately, the last programs to be revived tend to bethe journalism programs because ours were generally the first sacrificed tothe budgetary ax. Perhaps our administrators believe that if they got alongwithout us for several years, they can continue to get along without us now.

Our job, then, is to convince them that they need our programs. As weenter the brave new world of electronic journalism, students are seekingout job opportunities on the World Wide Web. It is our duty to convince our

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administrators that our programs are as viable as they've ever been and toconvince our students that they can find lucrative careers in the field ofjournalism, electronic journalism, photojournalism and mass communi-cation.

This handbook is designed to give you some tools and some tips to helpyou convince your administrators and your students that your program willhelp them unleash the power of this new century. This is a very excitingtime for our profession, and if we embrace the new media while standingfirm in our resolve to teach the basics of grammar, style, good writing,ethics, fairness and professionalism, our programs should not only survive,but thrive in the coming years.

Contributors include Mike and Susan Cornner who wrote the original JACCversion, Rich Cameron of Cerritos College, Art Carey of San Jose CityCollege, Jolene Combs of El Camino College, Allan Lovelace of RiversideCollege and Pat McKean of Long Beach City College. In addition, I've usedideas that I've picked up from so many of you that it would be impossible togive you all credit; suffice it to say that I have been listening and learningfrom each of you.

Finally, Jolene and I got our information about VTEA, English comprequirements, certificate programs and the like from the late Tom Nelson ofCerritos College. Tom pioneered many of these techniques and we aregrateful to have had such a colleague.

I'm sure you'll have ideas and thoughts that are not included. While thishandbook is designed to inspire your thought process and to help makeyour program grow, I would not pretend to imagine that it contains all of theinformation you may need or all of the ideas that you may have; this issimply a starting point.

RECRUITING

It's hard to make a program grow without its most important element, thestudents. Even our largest programs have problems recruiting students, sothis is an area in which we could probably all use some help.

Before examining the ideas below, Art Carey of San Jose City College asksyou to know what you're selling. What are your program's strengths? Is it

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training in the latest desktop publishing? Is it your Internet publications? Isit your photojournalism program? How about the ability of your program tolaunch careers?

Figure out what makes your college and your program unique. Perhapsyour program has won the most JACC awards in the past year. Perhapsyour program has the best teacher to student ratio (which could also beinterpreted as under-enrolled courses, but hey, the idea here is to sellsome aspect of your program). Whatever it is, you must embrace it andemphasize it. With hundreds of colleges and universities to chose from, youmust do something to make yours stand out.

Carey adds that experts predict college students will change careers (notjobs, CAREERS) five times during their working lives. This means ourstudents will need multiple skills to survive. These basic skills include theability to gather, analyze, organize and present information in a variety offormats along with a familiarity of computers and knowledge of the Internet.Fortunately for us, that's what we do! So don't be discouraged about yourprograms and don't just seek out budding "journalists." Many of ourstudents won't choose journalism as any of their five careers, but we stillhave much to offer even them. Teaching people to write well and to thinkcritically are invaluable skills that our students can use no matter whatcareer they chose. Remember this when you go out to sell your programs;we're not just about journalism, we're about mass communication.

I've tried to present a variety of ideas in an easy to read format so that, ifyou've tried one concept, you can move quickly to the next. Here, then, arethe best recruiting ideas from some of our best minds:

GO BACK TO HIGH SCHOOL

* Consider forming a countywide journalism association that embraceshigh schools, community colleges and universities. This was done inSanta Clara County several years ago and The San Jose Mercury Newssponsored several meetings at the newspaper. Occasional meetingswith high school instructors can keep them aware of your program andyou aware of their problems.

* Participate in high school visitation days. Have an eye-catching displayand hand out copies of your paper. Get involved in your local Journalism

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Education Association (the high school equivalent of JACC) byvolunteering to speak at conferences and by hosting the annual highschool write-offs. They do the planning, you provide the facilities.

* Make contacts with local high school instructors. Send them copies ofyour publications as well as copies of your recruiting material.

* Rich Cameron finds ways to help his local high school journalisminstructors. For instance, at one high school he scheduled a six-weekseries of lectures on topics from news writing to media law. Anotherschool needed computers to put out its paper, so he offered hisjournalism computer lab for this purpose. (Remember that if you open upyour lab to your local high schools, the high school adviser must bethere to advise and supervise the students. It's still the high schooladviser's program; you're just providing technical support.) While thisrequires some extra time and effort, Rich says it's worth it becausethese students are in his newsroom thinking about his college while stillin high school. Make it your goal to make one new continuing highschool contact each semester.

* Create a brochure/handout to give high school students that outlinesyour program. For $20 or so you can buy a box of 100 sheets ofbrochure paper with a pre-printed design from companies such asPapers Direct (1-800-APAPERS) and photocopy or laserprint your copyonto the paper. This is an inexpensive way to create some nice lookingliterature about your program.

* Also buy a supply of Reporter's Notebooks to hand out to high schoolstudents. Print adhesive labels on the notebooks that promote yourprogram. Rich Cameron has a handout called, "The Dirty Dozen: TheMost Often Seen Mistakes Made by Beginning Writers in StudentPublications" that he put together years ago. He duplicates it onadhesive paper and pastes it on the inside cover of the notebooks.

* Still another approach would be to create a simplified Introduction toJournalism course aimed at high school students. New state laws allowboth the college and the high school to claim attendance for suchcourses.

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* Final idea for high school students is to offer them your mass mediacourse. At El Camino, we have a program called "Afternoon College"aimed at getting high school students to take courses at our campus.The courses are taught after high school lets out (hence, the name) andwe make sure that the mass media class is part of the offering.

KEEP AN EYE ON YOUR OWN STUDENTS

* Get your best design student to make a journalism department brochureand place it at all of the reception areas in all of the departments,divisions, or buildings throughout your campus.

* At Riverside College, Allan Lovelace sends out 3,000 fliers in sets of 30to all English non-remedial classes and all photography and graphicsclasses the first day of each semester, along with a cover letter askinginstructors to distribute them in their classes. The fliers explain a little bitabout the opportunities available in journalism and tell students wheninformational meetings will be held about the program. Allan thenschedules two-a-day informational meetings about his programbeginning the second day of each semester for a week. Add cards arekept at the ready to sign-up interested students.

* Send a mailing to the best students at your school. Depending uponyour college, you may be able to get mailing labels based not only ongrade, but also on subject (those enrolled in English and photographycourses). Make a flier and put it in the mail a week or two beforeenrollment for the next semester begins.

* Put a brief article in your college schedule of classes promoting yourcourses. Will the editor of this publication accept a picture of journalismstudents at work? Find out what you can do to make your program standout among the others and do it.

* Meet with your college's counselors regularly and sell the skills thatjournalism teaches. You should also send them memos whenever yourprogram wins awards or your students achieve something exceptional;this lends credibility to your program and they'll be more likely to pushyour program if they see that your students are successful.

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* Be active on campus committees. Build ties with other faculty. Makesure that you have a presence on your campus and that other facultyknow you and are invested in your success. Nothing beats word-of-mouth endorsements.

* Promote your program with full-page or half-page ads in your ownnewspaper and fliers on campus bulletin boards.

* At least twice a semester, once a month if possible, send your entirestaff out to the center of campus to meet their readers. Do this on a daythat the newspaper comes out. Have your students shake hands, handout papers to students as they walk by, give them copies of yourdepartment brochures and otherwise engage them in a positive, friendlymanner.

* Participate in any campus-wide job fair or other recruitment activitywhere you can set up a table and hand out your materials.

* Offer 1- and 2-unit directed study classes for students who can't take aregular journalism course. They can design their own journalism projectsunder your supervision or get involved in internships. When thesestudents find out what fun it is to be involved in journalism, they'll enrollin your regular courses.

* Get involved in special programs on campus and recruit from them. AtCerritos, there is an honors program that the journalism department canparticipate in, so it does.

* Volunteer to be an adviser for a student club on campus. Yes, youprobably already advise your campus newspaper, but here's anopportunity to meet with students from other clubs. Yes, it will requiresome extra time. However, the clubs generally meet for only an hourevery other week or so and you get to work with students who are activeon your campus and who you may want to recruit.

* Tell your administrators about your successes. When you get back froma JACC event, drop all upper-level administrators and college trustees anote listing the awards your program won. Better yet, ask to be placedon the next board of trustees agenda so that you can show the boardmembers your plaques and thank them for their support. Bring along

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your editor in chief other ed board members and make sure that theythank the board members, college president and other administrators forgiving them the money to attend such a valuable event. Whenever youare honored or whenever you present a workshop for JACC, ACP orJAE, drop your administrators a note about that, too. If you don'tpromote yourself, your students and your program, nobody else will.

BEYOND YOUR BORDERS

* Create an online paper. Aside from the extra visibility, it showsadministrators that you are addressing unspoken fears about the futureof newspapers. It also gives you a new target group to recruit from:computer enthusiasts looking for hands-on web producing experience.Teach them some journalism along the way.

* Use your college's web site as a link to your journalism department site.You can promote your program there as well as offer web sites for eachof your classes. Also make sure that your online newspaper is linkedinto your college's web site.

* To capitalize on the interest once students in Delaware or Denmarkdiscover you, offer Internet courses. Your news writing course translatesquite easily to the Internet.

* Send out press releases to your local newspapers. Whenever yourstudents, you or the program are recognized, send out a release. Lookfor angles beyond winning awards at JACC. For instance, several yearsago our local daily did an article about the fact that the top four positionsat the El Camino College newspaper were held by Latinas. Look at yourstudents and see if you can entice the local press into writing featuresabout them. Chances are you have some interesting, feature-worthycharacters on your staff.

LET YOUR STUDENTS HELP YOU

Finally, make sure that your successful students spread the word aboutyour program. At El Camino, we ask our students now working in print,broadcast and public relations to return each semester and talk to our

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students. Keep in touch with students after they leave and make sure thatthey give back a little bit of what you gave them.

FUNDING

Now that money is flowing back into our economy, college administratorsacross the country are willing to free up some bucks if you've got aninnovative idea. There are numerous pots of money that you can dip into;it's your job to find them and to dip in.

* Your first source is the regular college budget. Your administrators mustunderstand that your program and your newspaper are a vital part of theacademic fabric of the college. Funding for journalism should beequivalent to other programs taught in the curriculum. The cost ofequipment, supplies and printing is the same as these items beingprovided by the college for the chemistry laboratory, language lab or anyother regular part of the normal activities associated with other coursesoffered on campus.

* All other sources of funding should be supplementary. For example, thecollege should be persuaded to fund a weekly 8-page standard as theminimum to meet the course objectives in your curriculum. Any fundsyou generate should be used to do any of the following: increasefrequency of publication, increase size of publication, increase totalcirculation, produce extra issues, pay for color (full or spot), pay forconference expenses, pay for organization memberships, pay for specialsupplies (for example, rental of lenses for specific assignments) or anynumber of other special needs.

* Advertising revenue is an excellent funding source. Some JACCmembers report bringing in as much as $40,000 a year, so don'toverlook this potential cash cow. The hardest part of cashing in here isfinding a student ad manager. Look at your business department forpotential recruits or ask one of your top go-getters to take on the job.Remind them that they get paid not only in commission (the rate variesfrom 10 percent to 30 percent), but sometimes in student help hours,too. So this could be a lucrative source of income for your students.Also, since most journalism departments get to keep all of the money

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that they make in advertising revenue, this could also be a huge fundingsource for your program.

* Student government is a third source of funding, but it is best used assupplementary funding. This is because student governments rarelyhave the stability needed for you to count on them as a stable source offunding. Also, if some student government members don't like what theyread in the paper, they could threaten to turn off the funds. Be careful.Yes, you should seek these funds and you have the right to them, butdon't count on them. It's best to use these funds for strictly student-related activities like attendance at conferences or a student awardsluncheon at the end of the semester.

VTEA FUNDING

Perhaps your best bet for new money is through the federal government'sVocational and Technology Education Act (VTEA). It works this way: thefeds hand out millions of dollars to each state's college and universitysystem. These funds are then divided among the various campuses in thestate. The bottom line is that, each year, hundreds of thousands of dollarsare pumped into your college for VTEA funding. Who is eligible? In additionto your electronics, air conditioning and refrigeration, nursing andcosmetology programs, you are. Journalism is a recognized VTEA programand has its own state TOP code of 0602. At El Camino, almost all of ourcomputers, printers, scanners, software and other hardware has come fromthis fund. Without VTEA, we'd still be putting out our publications onUnderwood's or Classic Macs.

Your campus has an administrator who oversees the program; find thisperson and apply for these funds. The spring semester is when fundingproposals are due for the next school year, so take care of this now.

Let me give you three more reasons why you must do this ASAP.

1. At El Camino, we regularly get about $10,000 a year from VTEA fundsand have been since the early 1990s when we first applied for funding.During the 1999/2000 year, we got our entire wish list of $31,000 inhardware and software. What could YOU do with $31,000? A lot. Andwe've won these amounts not because we have a huge program withhundreds of students (at some 200 total students, ours is the smallest

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VTEA funded program on our campus), but because we ALWAYS applyfor funds. Since we meet our deadlines, ours was one of three VTEAfunding requests completed on time. The administrator in charge ofVTEA recognized that he had to honor the deadline, so he gave firstpriority for funding to those who had turned in their paperwork. While thiswill probably never happen again, we're using our windfall to get about adozen of the latest computers and other hardware and software. Also, inMay of last year, our college had about $10,000 in VTEA funding thathad to be spent before June 30. Our dean asked if we had any need forthese funds, so we came up a $10,000 proposal for two laptops with allof the bells and the whistles as well as the latest software. Since we metthe deadline, could justify our need (our students need laptopsw/modems to take to sporting and other off-campus events so that theycan send their stories back to us on deadline just like the professionals)and were the only ones with a proposal, we got the funds.

2. It gets even better. When VTEA programs were set up decades ago,many instructors hired to teach these classes were professionals who didnot have bachelor's, master's or other advanced degrees. So aVocational Education payscale was devised for VTEA instructors whohad professional experience, but no alphabet soup after their names. Formost of us, placement on this Vocational Education payscale wouldmean an immediate $5,000 a year pay increase. Yes, $5,000 a year. AtEl Camino, we have been unable to convince anyone to place us on thepayscale (imagine that). Fortunately, Pat McKean at Long Beach CityCollege had better luck. Years ago, Long Beach City's faculty unionnegotiated to place instructors whose load is mostly VTEA courses onthe Vocational Education payscale. So once Pat got his program certifiedto receive VTEA funding, he got his pay increase.

3. Yet another benefit for you and your program -- one of the requirementsis that you set up a VTEA advisory committee to help you determine yourprogram's funding needs. YOU decide who's on this committee. Ourcommittee consists of newspaper, TV, radio, magazine and otherprofessionals who meet with us periodically to discuss what we can do tohelp our students get jobs. Now you're creating more contacts for yourprogram and you're also getting professionals involved in and invested inyour program. This committee should lead directly to internships and jobsfor your students.

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Yes, this will mean additional work for you, but the benefits are enormous.Not only might you get an immediate pay raise, but your program shouldget an immediate infusion of cash. Since the state already recognizesjournalism as a VTEA program, all you need to do is explain how yourstudents will benefit. You need to show how the VTEA money will lead tojobs for your students. Here's the basic rationale: Since all journalism isnow dependent upon computers, digital cameras, other hardware, softwareand the Internet, your students cannot find jobs in journalism withoutknowing how to use this equipment. So purchasing $20,000 worth ofhardware and software will give your students the hands-on experiencethey need to get jobs.

If you have any questions or need any help applying for these funds, PatMcKean at Long Beach City has a stack of papers he can give you to showhow he got his program started. I can send you our recent requests forfunding so you can see what kind of language we have used to get funding.

CURRICULUM

Curriculum is often the beginning and the end for good journalismprograms. Generally speaking, the better programs are those with acomprehensive program that fairly represents and respects the time andthe effort of the faculty as well as the students.

The basic effort should be toward creating a load for yourself that does notrequire you to teach outside journalism unless you want to do so. Creatingcurriculum to meet a standard 15-hour load is not as difficult as it mayseem. Start with the two most basic courses in the curriculum: beginningnews writing and mass media. Since these courses are accepteduniversally at most universities for journalism and even non-journalismmajors, these are the backbone of your program.

News writing is listed as meeting the English composition requirement forthe Associate of Arts degree at several of our colleges. If your college doesnot already recognize it as such, you should talk to your dean to find outwhat needs to be done to meet this requirement. Yes, you may have torewrite your course outline and, yes, you may have to struggle a bit withyour campus curriculum committee, but in the end, this will be invaluable tothe success of your overall program. At El Camino, about three-fourths of

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our night news writing students (the class usually enrolls about 30) arethere because the course fulfills the English composition requirement.That's a lot of extra students.

Before you get overly excited about this, please understand something.There are different levels of general education requirements for eachdegree being sought and for each transfer institution being considered.There are general ed requirements for your college, for the CSU system,for the UC system and for other universities. So, while our collegerecognizes our news writing course as fulfilling the English compositionrequirement for the A.A. degree, most transfer universities do NOTrecognize it as such. It's generally useful only for those who do NOT planon transferring (your cosmetology students, auto mechanics and othermore traditional vocational education students). Fortunately, though, you'vegot a lot of these students on your campus, so make sure that they get aflier explaining this and see if they don't start signing up for your classes.

The mass media course generally meets a social science or critical thinkingrequirement for the Associate of Arts degree, although its placement in thegeneral education curriculum varies from college to college. Find out whatgeneral education requirement your mass media course fulfills and makesure you promote that fact in all of your fliers and other promotionalmaterials. Again, if it does not fulfill any general ed requirement on yourcampus, find out what needs to be done to make this happen.

In addition to these, the newspaper production course is part of the basiccommunity college journalism teacher's load. The amount of the teachingload this responsibility represents varies from as little as one class amongthe five needed for most full-time loads to as much as a full-time positionwithout any other teaching responsibility. You can try to make a case formore release-time hours to advise the paper, but perhaps a better way togo is to increase the number of courses in your curriculum that areproduction related. This is a more creative way of forcing your admin-istrators to pay you for advising without getting into the entire release-timedebate.

To cite a few examples:

* At El Camino, we linked our newspaper and magazine productionclasses to a non-credit tutorial laboratory. Most of your college's foreign

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language and math courses already have this lab. Again, find out whatyou need to do to get your class listed as such. Since it's non-credit, thestudents don't pay for it, but the college gets state money for everystudent enrolled and you get credit for seeing more students. Better still,we get paid extra for holding this non-credit tutorial lab, but we don'treally work more because the lab takes place during regular newspaperproduction hours. Basically, we're finally getting paid for overseeing ourstudents while they produce the publications.

* An editorial board production class (all editors would enroll in this class).

* A copy editing production class.

* A magazine production class.

* Or you may want to try what Robert Mercer is doing at Cypress College.In fall of 1999, Robert launched a media convergence newsroom thatproduced a cable TV newsmagazine on MediaOne as its final project.He had representatives from his newspaper production, online pro-duction and broadcast production students involved as well as studentsfrom his non-production courses. He also attracted other students fromnon-journalism courses. The overwhelming success of this programshould lead to at least three video magazines from the course thissemester with the idea of going weekly soon.

CERTIFICATES AND DEGREES

If your college does not currently offer an A.A. degree in journalism or masscommunications, it should. While getting official approval is time-con-suming, it can be done. A degree confers a new level of respectability uponyour program. College administrators will find it more difficult to cancelunder-enrolled classes if a degree is riding on it. They'll also be morewilling to give you funding if a degree is involved.

While your college probably offers the A.A. degree, does it offer acertificate of competence in journalism? A certificate allows students totake some of your courses without having to get the A.A. degree injournalism. Since many of our students work so many hours in ourproduction classes, they often transfer before receiving their A.A. injournalism. One of the state measures of success for any college is the

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number of A.A. degrees awarded. Therefore, if your program isn't verysuccessful in this area, your administrators might not be as responsive toyour department's needs as they might be to other departments that areawarding a higher student percentage of A.A. degrees.

This is where the certificate works so well. Another state measurement ofsuccess of any college is in the number of certificates it awards. So ifyou're having problems getting your students to get their A.A. degrees, or ifyou have students who already have bachelor's degrees but wantretraining, create a certificate program. A certificate requires the students totake a specific number of courses, usually 15 units. If you want to create acertificate for 18 units or more, then know that this type of certificaterequires state approval, so it might take two years to get it up and going. Acertificate requiring less than 18 units only needs approval from yourcollege's curriculum committee. Whichever option you chose, theadvantage is your program gains more credibility and your students get aspecific set of courses to take to meet the requirement. Here's anotheropportunity to encourage more students to take your classes as well as toremind your administrators that they can't cancel under-enrolled coursesbecause they're needed for the certificate.

What's also neat about a certificate is that you can create them in a varietyof fields. For example, even if you don't offer a photojournalism class inyour curriculum, you could offer a photojournalism certificate by requiringthe student to take some basic photography courses as well as some basicjournalism courses. You might even be able to create an onlinepublications certificate or other certificate involving the World Wide Web asa way to not only attract more students to your program, but to keep yourprogram on the cutting edge of technology. Be creative and use thecertificates as ways to attract students from throughout your campus.Whatever you do, make sure that you publicize it so students can takeadvantage of your certificates.

CREATE NEW COURSES AND GET ONLINE

You should seriously consider creating and adding broadcast news writing,public relations, photojournalism, feature writing and article writing coursesto your curriculum if they don't already exist.

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The time has come for you to launch a distance education or an Internetcourse. Yes, it's going to take some time and some effort, but it will beworth it in the long run as our students are seeking more creative ways toearn their degree than going to campus Monday through Friday or evenMonday through Thursday. A recent article in the Los Angeles Timesindicated that students would rather take a course for six hours on eightSaturdays than a course for one hour M-W-F for 16 weeks. You shouldexplore ways to accommodate them. Create 6-week, 8-week or 9-weekcourses. Get on the Internet. Switch to a Monday-Wednesday, Tuesday-Thursday schedule. Do what you can to give our students the flexibility theycrave.

The more courses you create and the more flexibility you add to yourschedule, the more students you will attract and the more your program willgrow.

BUILDING YOUR NUMBERS

The survival of your program will likely be pinned upon the number ofstudents you attract. Weekly Student Contact Hours are also of greatinterest to most administrators.Administrators are often concerned when they see a full-time facultymember who teaches a handful of students while there are demands forclasses in other disciplines. The basic unit of measuring the "productivity"of a faculty member is WSCH. For example, a teacher has a couple ofmass media classes, a beginning reporting class and two newspaperproduction classes as a full-time load. The load in WSCH might look likethis:

Class Hours Enrollment WSCH

Mass Media 3 25 75Mass Media 3 30 90Newswriting 3 20 60Newspaper Production 6 10 60

Total=======

285

Compare this to the history teacher with five 3-unit classes each with anenrollment of 40. The WSCH produced is 600.

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Five history classes = 15 units X 40 students = 600 WSCH

Even the most sympathetic administrator is hard-pressed to support aprogram with such low productivity. Your defense to this reality is in partlowering the expectations of the administration for your program'senrollment and in part building more positive numbers where you can.Which also leads us back to the argument for adding more courses andbeing more flexible in your scheduling of these courses.

KEEPING THEM ONCE YOU'VE GOT THEM

Now that you've worked so hard to attract students to your program, youneed to keep them. You need to watch out for students who are unhappy,disenfranchised or bored. This advice is mostly for your newsroom staffbecause this is the group that not only generally provides you with yourbiggest headaches, but also generally provides you with your biggestrewards. One of your most important jobs as an adviser is to be acommunicator. Once you discover that some of your staff members arefeeling left out, you need to bring them back into the fold. Talking with themis a great first step. Getting your student editor to talk with them is evenbetter. Mostly, though, keeping the lines of communication open betweenyourself and your staff members is vital. This way you can prevent tinymisunderstandings from becoming huge, nasty problems. Here are sometips on how to keep your staff members in your program:

* The adviser or the editor should send each staff member a postcardduring each semester's break. Keep it informal, short and sweet. Just letthem know you're checking in to say hello, are looking forward to thenew semester and can't wait to see them.

* The first meeting of the production class needs to be upbeat,motivational, filled with information about what you did over the breakand even some jokes. (This is also a good way to start the first day ofany class.) Doughnuts, candy or other appropriate food would also begood. Keep the meeting short, tell everyone how great it is to see them,have your student editors do the same and get them eating and talkingto each other. You can meet the next day to get down to business; thefirst day, you need to bond.

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* Every member of the staff should have a mailbox in the newsroom thatthey must check at least daily. Make sure you put those mailboxes ormail slots in the back of the room so that staffers are forced to comeinside the newsroom to check their boxes. Have the most talkative,charismatic or engaging editor you have sit near the mailboxes so thathe or she can be sure to chat with everyone as they walk by.

* No staff member should go out alone on his or her first story. Whateverit takes, even if your staff consists of three people, you need to makesure that the new reporter goes out with a more experienced reporter.Not only will this make the new one feel more comfortable, it will forcethe two of them to bond.

* Remember to say thank you. Make sure your editors thank students forturning in stories early and on time. Make sure that they write positive,upbeat comments on the assignment sheets. Nothing turns off a scaredor a borderline contributor faster than an assignment sheet filled withnegative comments. We're not saying that you should lie or not discussthe reporter's shortcomings with him or her; what we're saying is thatinstead of ripping someone apart for writing a bad lead, you shouldremind them how the lead is written and explain to them why their storywas changed so that they can learn. This is about learning; not rippinginto someone for being an inexperienced, student reporter.

* Do what you can to help break up cliques, but remember that they're anatural part of life, so don't get too stressed out by them. Instead, makesure that everyone on your staff feels like a member of a team and feelssupported by everyone else on the team. So while your editors mighthave their cliques, make sure that they also invite new staff members tojoin them for lunch, coffee or food runs. They don't need to love eachother; they just need to support each other.

* When your staff members are sick, call them. When bad things happento them, get everyone to sign a card or send them flowers or balloons.

The bottom line is our students are at an age and at a time in their liveswhere they naturally feel a bit disenfranchised or unsure of themselves.They may be having problems at home, they may hate their current jobs,they may be confused about their career options, they may be crazy in loveand they may act incredibly immature. Whatever their particular issue, the

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one thing you can give them is a safe haven. If you make your newsroomtheir home away from home, they'll be yours forever.

PROGRAM REVIEW

Sooner or later, our colleges require us to survey our programs anddetermine where we've been, where we are and where we're going. This isa great opportunity for you to promote your program and the work you'vedone while looking to the future and telling your administrators that youcould do so much more if only you had more release time, morecomputers, more faculty, etc. It's kind of a combination program-evaluationand wish-list. Ultimately, it forces you to thoroughly evaluate your program'sstrengths and its weaknesses while making recommendations on how toimprove. What's also nice about it is that administrators and off-campusprofessionals and educators are often asked to comment on your review.Think of this as yet another opportunity to get on-campus and off-campussources invested in your program.

Fortunately for you, we've got a comprehensive JACC college survey thatcan be used as supplemental information for your review. The informationprovided in the survey can also help you make a case for more releasetime, more computers, etc. Check it out on our website. We also have asection devoted to program review.

WORKING WITH PROFESSIONALS

For your program to not only survive, but thrive, you've got to make theconnection between your students and your local newspapers, TV stations,radio stations, Internet professionals, public relations specialists, photo-journalists, etc.

We've talked a lot about working with your high schools and recruiting, butit's also important for you to work with your local professionals. If you'relucky, you'll have a lot of your former students who are now professionalsto lean on. But even if you do or don't, the key is to create relationshipswith the managing editors at your local dailies and weeklies that serve yourcommunity.

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A great way to do this is to offer an internship program. All colleges offercredit for these, so get involved. At El Camino, we give our students a list ofpotential internship sites, but also let them find jobs on their own. It'srelatively easy to get internships because most businesses are more thanhappy to get free help (yes, they generally work for free since they earncollege credit). To ensure that our students learn something, our programrequires that at least three measurable objectives be met over thesemester (i.e., write one news article for the newspaper, write one featurestory, write one press release, etc.).

In addition, the instructor is required to meet with the employer at theemployer's office. Talk about a great opportunity to make yet anotherprofessional contact.

Finally, our students have been offered jobs from these internships. Oureditor in chief is interning at the Daily Breeze as a copy editor. She's donesuch a fantastic job that she's been offered a fulltime job (she doesn't evenhave an A.A. degree). Fortunately for us, she turned it down, but we've gotdozens of students working at newspapers, public relations organizations,TV stations and magazines who got their fulltime jobs from theirinternships. It's always great to be able to point to your professionalsuccesses.

Everyone gains from an internship, so work on making it happen at yourcollege.

OTHER IMPORTANT THINGS TO CONSIDER

NEWSPAPER POLICY

Each newspaper should have a policy manual. The policy manual is thecornerstone of the campus publication(s). JACC has produced a samplepolicy which is available on our website at www.jacconline.org. Put a policymanual in place as the first order of business and then use it as a livingdocument which can easily be changed to meet your needs. You may wishto three-hole punch the pages of the manual and put it into a binder so itcan be easily updated by inserting new pages into the binder.

The manual also shows your administrators that you're serious about yourprogram, your newspaper and your job.

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STAFF HANDBOOK

Your newspaper staff needs a handbook. Things like how to answer thephones, how to make long-distance calls, how to find sources, how to askquestions, how to write news stories, how to write sports stories should allbe covered simply and clearly. Yes, they should know how to write stories,but do they? It never hurts to go over the basics.

You should also explain what is expected of them (i.e., professionalism, nouse of vulgar language, no hanging of obscene material in the newsroom,etc.) and include a copy of your college's student code of conduct. It's niceto be able to point these things out to them if and when they get unruly.Ultimately, though, discussing your expectations of them and having theseexpectations in writing should stop problems before they start.

Let your current editor in chief and/or editorial board put the handbooktogether for next semester's staff. Have it duplicated by your campusreproduction center each semester and updated as needed.

CENSORSHIP: DON'T DO IT

Dr. Wayne Overbeck, CSU Fullerton journalism professor and attorneyspecialist in media law, says the adviser who intervenes in the content ofthe student newspaper is violating the students' First Amendment rights.

One former JACC adviser once told a group of colleagues that shecontrolled the responsibilities involved in producing a newspaper. She saidthat the students were incapable of handling these responsibilities, so shejust did it for them. While this is an extreme example, it's fair to remind youthat our job is to advise; that's it. Our students can take our advice or leaveit, but it's never our job to write stories for them, to edit stories for them or todo any of the other production work involved in putting out the publications.Taking control of the student press is not only illegal for us to do, but it alsoirreparably damages the relationship between the adviser and the students.It also puts the college in legal jeopardy if the student should file a lawsuit.Simply put, don't do it.

Most JACC advisers keep their jobs and enjoy a wonderful teaching careerwithout censoring their students. The philosophy of "Train them, then trust

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them" has worked for most of us. We would encourage you to continue thistradition and let your students do what you have so expertly taught them todo. One last thought on this topic; you may also need to educate yourcampus colleagues as to your role. Oftentimes, administrators as well asyour professors are clueless as to what you do. They often think that you'reresponsible for the content of the newspaper. Let them know what you doso that they have a better understanding of your program.

BUILDING STAFF MORALE

Student newspaper staffers are on an emotional roller coaster. Withdeadlines, comes anxiety, and with anxiety, comes personnel problems.One of the major chores of the adviser and the staff's editor in chief is tokeep all members of the staff working at peak efficiency while having somefun. Working together for long hours under pressure can lead to problems.Uppermost in the mind of the adviser must be the task of providing apositive learning environment for students. One day it may mean pickingthem up with kind words and the next it may be pointing out the style andspelling errors in the newspaper.

Students may complain that they're working too hard and that you need tocut them some slack. Yes, they're working long hours. However, this is anelective. They have CHOSEN to be in this class, this is THEIR decision andthey've said that it's THEIR passion. You need to remind them that if theyreally want to make it in this career, they've got to be able to produce at thislevel. You should also remind them that they're not being asked to doanything that thousands of students before them have done or that youhave done. Keep them focused on their goal -- a career in some aspect ofthe profession.

If things get too tense in your newsroom, remember that there are thingsyou can do to help improve staff morale. The following are but a fewsuggestions:

* Thank them. Daily. If they stay late, thank them. If they come early,thank them. If they do ANYTHING out of the ordinary, thank them. Thisis the easiest and probably the most over-looked way to boost anyone'smorale.

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* Challenge another college's newspaper staff to a volleyball or a softballgame.

* Each semester, have an awards luncheon at a local restaurant andpresent awards for the best feature, sports story, etc. The awards canbe done inexpensively or, if you can, get the college to spring forplaques and do it up big. However you do it, the point is to recognizetheir work and to give them a special day. Ending on such a high notereally boosts morale for the future.

* Take them to conferences. Attend the annual Southern and NorthernCalifornia JACC conferences as well as the Fresno conference. Inaddition, there are annual CNPA, ACP, SPJ and other conferences thatyou should encourage your students to attend. A variety of professionalorganizations, including the Freedom Forum, Press Photographer'sAssociation and local Press Association put on a variety of events. Manyof these are listed on the JACC website, so check them out, talk themup and make your students attend. It's vital that they meet other collegeand professional journalists so that they don't feel isolated. They need tofeel as if they're part of a larger whole. Get them out there so they cansee that there is a future waiting for them.

ADMINISTRATORS AND YOU

Always try to maintain a good relationship with your college'sadministrators. It is vital to your program that you can talk to your dean andyour other administrators and that your relationship is warm. Throughfunding and curriculum load decisions, these men and women can make orbreak your experience on your campus. The best way to do this is to beprofessional and friendly at all times. If you can volunteer to help your deanby sitting on a committee that no one else will sit on, then you might want todo it.

We don't want you to fear anyone, because you shouldn't. We just wantyou to maintain lines of communication between yourself and yourimmediate supervisor and do what you can to make the administrator feelvested in your program. We regularly invite our administrators to our annualjournalism convocation and new staff receptions so that they can see whatwe've accomplished. We also make sure that our dean visits our newsroomlab so that he can see for himself that when we ask for equipment or a new

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paint job, we're not being unreasonable. We smile and say hello wheneverwe see any of our administrators on campus. We write them notes aboutour successes, and always thank them and remind them that we couldn'thave done it without their support.

We do whatever we can to make them feel that our success is theresuccess, because, ultimately, it is. The entire campus wins when it has asuccessful and a strong journalism program. You need to make sure thatyour administrators recognize that fact.

Now, if you have a difficult or a strained relationship with your administratorand you've tried everything to change this, then you should go about yourbusiness and hope that he or she goes about his or hers. Always deal withadministrators on the highest ground possible. Try to be positive andhelpful (it is not necessary or advisable to be a friend). Stick to the basics ofgood, ethical journalism. Remind administrators that journalism studentsare learning and will make mistakes just as the football team's quarterbackwill throw interceptions and the chemistry students will screw up alaboratory experiment. Encourage administrators to deal directly with thestudents.

Never, ever speak on behalf of the newspaper or its staff. This breaksdown the fundamental underpinnings of the student press. Say instead, "Iwill convey your concerns to the editors." Don't get between your studentsand your administrators.

Your students have rights under the Constitution regarding the operation ofthe newspaper; you do not. Faculty run the risk of being fired forinsubordination by refusing to carry out orders of administrators. If anadministrator tells you to remove a story from the paper, say, "I will passalong your request to the editors." If the administrator insists, say, "Thedirective given is in violation of the students' First Amendment rights; thereis probably a wiser course of action. Perhaps the consequences of thisstory are not as great as you think."

Long before a crisis arises, you should also train your students about theirrights and about dealing with administrators. Let them know about theStudent Press Law Center (see listing later or visit their website atwww.splc.org) and let them know what you will do if ordered byadministrators to do something that violates their rights.

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The consequences of a First Amendment violation are almost alwaysgreater than the problems with printing the story in question. Explain to theadministrator that the students could sue over such as order and that plentyof lawyers would love to take on these cases pro bono.

YOU HAVE RIGHTS, TOO

You are a highly qualified professional. You have rights owed to you as aresult of the collective bargaining agreement between your district and thefaculty. Read the contract carefully and understand your rights andresponsibilities.

Since unions tend to be there to support the greatest good for the greatestnumber, the unique problems of one faculty member who advises acampus publication are likely to receive support only when you can showthe relationship of your situation to other faculty. An example of this wouldbe: At one college, the adviser was told to hold car washes and cookiesales to produce a campus magazine. Journalism is part of a curriculum atyour college, just like other disciplines. Has the chemistry teacher been toldto hold a bake sale to pay for test tubes? You should not have to beg formoney to keep the publications going. Those publications are a vital part ofthe curriculum. Without the newspaper and/or magazine, you cannot meetthe course objectives.

JACC EVENTS

There are three annual JACC events. During the fall semester, theNorthern and Southern California colleges hold regional conferences forstudents and faculty. These include mail-in and on-the-spot competitions,seminars and workshops, as well as business meetings. The springsemester brings the annual conference on the CSU Fresno campus. This issimilar to the regional events except it involves more colleges.

In February, the faculty gathers for its Mid-Winter Conference in Morro Bay.Academic issues and concerns are addressed in this highly positive andsupportive activity.

It is vital to attend these events. Not only will your students get much out ofthese conferences, but you will also learn more about yourself and yourstudents by attending. Remember, too, that our job is a unique and often a

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lonely one. We generally run one-instructor departments and our jobsrequire that we put in long hours and work with students under stressful,difficult situations. Just as it's vital for your students to get out and minglewith others from other colleges, it's imperative that you do the same.Connecting with other JACC faculty will help you realize that you're notalone and that others do understand what you're going through.

GO TO LUNCH

While Rich Cameron was at West Valley College, he started the concept ofgathering for lunch with faculty from neighboring colleges. He's brought theidea to Cerritos and those of us working in southern Los Angeles andnorthern Orange counties try to meet for lunch at least once every fewmonths. These are strictly informal gatherings, but the opportunity to breakbread with a colleague is invaluable. Again, we're so isolated on ourcampuses that it's important to share ideas, concerns, frustrations,successes. You can start your own lunch bunch by calling up the faculty atyour neighboring colleges and getting together.

GROUPS YOU SHOULD KNOW ABOUT

Please see our website at www.jacconline.org for web addresses for thefollowing.

JACC -- Journalism Association of Community Colleges. An organizationbased in California with some member colleges in Arizona. This is thelargest of its type. JACC provides three student conferences each year andone faculty-only conference. It supports the ideals of professionalism inteaching journalism and backs up teachers by lending its political clout andresources to saving teachers and programs in trouble.

CCJA -- Community College Journalism Association. A national equivalentof JACC. Stages a national conference in conjunction with AEJMC andprovides support services for faculty. The organization produces a quarterlyprofessional publication, the Community College Journalist. California hasbeen a dominant influence on this organization with many Californiansholding office in the national group.

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AEJMC -- The Association of Educators of Journalism and MassCommunication. A national organization of two- and four-year faculty whichhosts national meetings annually.

ACP -- Associated Collegiate Press. This is primarily a ratings organization.The so-called All-America newspapers received the top rating from thisnational group.

CNPA -- California Newspaper Publishers Association. This is the primaryorganization of most newspapers in California and includes college anduniversity membership. CNPA presents its community college "Teacher ofthe Year" award. It also judges the general excellence of communitycollege newspapers as part of its annual awards program.

SPJ -- Society of Professional Journalists. A national organization of, as itsays, professional journalists with university chapters. Your local SPJ maybe pretty active and offer a variety of meetings and workshops. Usuallylocal chapters will have guest speakers on topics of interest to journalists atreduced rates or free to students.

CMA -- College Media Advisers. This non-profit membership organizationserves advisers and puts out a very useful publication, the College MediaReview.

SPLC -- Student Press Law Center. This non-profit group provides legalhelp, information and advice to students as well as faculty members. Ifyou've got a First Amendment or other press law question, call them first.

CFAC -- California First Amendment Coalition. This independent,nonpartisan, nonprofit organization's mission is to defend the people's rightto know. The group often holds workshops that may be of interest to you oryour students.

College Media Advisers Code of Ethical Behavior

The adviser is a journalist, educator and manager who is, above all, a rolemodel. Because of this, the adviser must be beyond reproach with regardto personal and professional ethical behavior; should encourage thestudent media, adhere to and publicize an organizational code of ethics;

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and ensure that neither the medium, its staff nor the adviser enter intosituations which would jeopardize the public's trust in and reliance on themedium as a fair and balanced source of news and analysis.

THE ADVISER'S PROFESSIONAL CODE

Freedom of expression and debate by means of a free and vigorousstudent media are essential to the effectiveness of an educationalcommunity in a democratic society. This implies the obligation to provide aforum for the expression of all opinions.

Student media must be free from all forms of external interferencedesigned to regulate its content, including confiscation of its products orbroadcasts; suspension of publication or transmission; academic, personalor budgetary sanctions; arbitrary removal of staff members or faculty; orthreats to the existence of student publications or broadcast outlets. Inpublic institutions, the law is quite clear on guaranteeing broad freedom ofexpression to the students. In private institutions, media advisers shouldaid in developing governing documents and working with administrativeguidelines which foster a free and open atmosphere for students involvedin campus media work, if such freedoms do not exist.

Students should be made mindful of their obligation to avoid real andapparent conflicts of interest. They must be held to clear local policies inthat regard.

Advisers, in addition to adhering to their own code of ethics, shouldencourage the media they advise have established and published codesthat apply to the student staffs and conform to nationally established andaccepted journalistic norms regarding professional behavior, conflict ofinterest, acceptance of gifts and services, honesty and integrity.

Advisers, in these roles as professionals, must ensure that they have orgain the skills and education requisite to teach all aspects of the media theyadvise

THE ADVISER'S PERSONAL CODE

The ultimate goal of the student media adviser is to mold, preserve andprotect an ethical and educational environment in which excellent com-

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munication skills and sound journalistic practice will be learned andpracticed by students. There should never be an instance where an advisermaximizes quality by minimizing learning. Student media should alwaysconsist of student work.

Faculty, staff and other non-students who assume advisory roles withstudent media must remain aware of their obligation to defend and teachwithout censoring, editing, directing, or producing. It should not be themedia adviser's role to modify student writing or broadcasts, for it robsstudent journalists of educational opportunity and could severely damagetheir rights to free expression.

Advisers to student media must demonstrate a firm dedication to accuracy,fairness, facts and honesty in all content of the medium.

Since there is no clear line between student media content and studentmedia operations, ethical prohibitions against interference in content alsoapply to interference in student media operations in areas such as storyassignment, decisions on inclusion or exclusion of content, staff selection,source selection, news and advertising acceptability standards and mostbudgetary decisions. Using arbitrary policies, production guidelines orfinancial constraints to limit student decision making is no more ethical thanrewriting or changing editorial content or influencing the physicalappearance of media.

Advisers should be keenly aware of the potential for conflict of interestbetween their teaching/advising duties and their roles as university staffmembers and private citizens. It is vital that they avoid not only actual, butapparent conflicts of interest. The promotional/publicity interests of theuniversity and the news goals of the student media are often incompatible.Advisers should also be aware of becoming the publicity focus oforganizations to which they belong or for activities in which they areparticipating.

Advisers cannot expect student staff to respect their own ethical guidelinesif advisers believe themselves exempt from strict ethical behavior. Therequirements for ethical behavior extend to all operations of the studentmedia.

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Perceptions of favoritism in the purchasing of services and equipment orgranting of contracts can be just as damaging to credibility as perceivedfavoritism in news judgment. This is particularly true when offers ofunrelated equipment or services are made in return for giving business tovendors. A clear policy which applies to all members of the student mediaoperation should be communicated to all potential vendors.

THE ADVISER'S OBLIGATIONS

Membership in College Media Advisers, Inc. signifies acceptance of theCode and a willingness to abide by its tenets.

The organization will support those members who adhere to this Code andthereby become victims of pressure or negative action from universityadministrations. This may involve formal censure of the offending institutionof higher education.

REVISED NOVEMBER 1992College Media Advisers------------------------------------------------------------------------