MEMORANDUMTo: Professor Wayne DavisChair, Appeals Board for Student Media OrganizationsFrom: Erika Cohen Derr, Director of Student ProgramsOn behalf of members of the 2008-09 Media BoardRe: Clarification regarding The Hoya’s appeal of Media Board sanctionsDate: June 1, 2009The 2008-09 Media Board has had the opportunity to review the appeal submitted by The Hoyaas well as the memorandum from the Appeals Board requesting clarification of the MediaBoard's position given The Hoya's stated action steps, both actual and intended. We offer thisclarification to the Appeals Board.One of the Media Board members summarized our rationale in assigning the sanctions in thisway: "As outlined in the Hoya's appeal document, the diversity training, the officers in charge of institutional diversity, etc, are all points that were part of our initial thoughts on action steps to betaken. The fact that they are following through on these is good, but rather than proving theHoya's capability for acting independently, it only validates the Media Board's suggestedsanctions as prudent steps to be taken under any circumstances, independent or otherwise. Thefact that they are concerned about their actions, and as an ancillary point, their content, being"dictated by the Media Board," warps the issue at hand. The April Fool's issue was written,edited, and published while the Hoya was under university "control" - to believe that thenewspaper's level of integrity, responsibility, and journalistic accountability depends either wayon its independence from the University is illogical and false. An institution which commendsitself as "The University's Paper of Record" should prove itself worthy of the independence itseeks, and a limited probation seems rather a small measure to endure for the price of integrity."The Media Board has never intended to control or edit the journalistic content of any publicationincluding The Hoya, but it does take seriously its role as the entity that grants access to benefits,including resources like funding, space and administrative support, to all media groups, as wellas its role as the body that addresses complaints from members of the community towards mediaorganizations.As you have stated, at the time of the hearing, the Media Board was not presented with the actionsteps articulated in The Hoya's appeal, nor did we have the written statement of Max Sarinsky'sremarks; instead, those remarks were read to both the Media Board and complainant. Without