Take Two

On the Right Track With CUTV

OpinionsJulia Wolfe — Published December 4, 2012

Concordia University Television’s general assembly on Saturday provided the organization with a provisional Board of Directors that just might breathe some life into a station desperate for a little CPR.

But if this new CUTV is to thrive, we need to build a station that will be impervious to what got it into this mess in the first place.

First, all staff positions founded in the editorial side should abide by term limits. While any organization benefits from the institutional memory and the overall vision that a long-standing staff member can provide, student media needs a regulated reboot in order to allow for maximum participation from the outside and fresh perspectives.

Any editorial staffer should have to run for reelection at least every two years. The election should allow anyone who has volunteered the appropriate amount to vote privately. This could allow volunteers to have a real say in the direction and vision of the station.

Regular turn-around also provides the necessary structure to allow students to move up over the course of a regular degree. It gives students interested in broadcast media the chance to exercise multiple roles in an organization and the chance to understand where they can fit once they leave Concordia.

But it’s hard to imagine any of that happening if the final Board doesn’t to follow the structure of the current provisional Board.

Ultimately, students and former volunteers need the largest say at the table. These are the people who have CUTV’s best interests at heart. The station will grow under their guidance.

Once the dust settles, CUTV needs to be as transparent as possible.

Annual audits should continue to be published on CUTV’s website. Open annual general meetings—where all student members can vote—should be well advertised.

But even before that, there are so many financial questions and so many red flags that need to be addressed. The only way CUTV can hope to regain the trust of their members is by airing their dirty laundry.

We need to know what financial state CUTV is currently in, and how it got there. In order for members to make informed decisions about CUTV’s future, we all need to understand its past. The idea of “good faith” can only go so far.

And while we’re educating, it would be great if the provisional board could organize a Robert’s Rules training session.

That could help every member get a say during meetings in the most efficient and effective ways possible, without getting trampled by the often shyster-y language of RR.

It also might help to get things moving more quickly, so less time is wasted on explaining procedure.

But if the organization behind the last general assembly is a sign of things to come, we’re off to a great start.

Recently graduated student activist Alex Matak is known more for her bullhorn than her gavel, but, acting as the chair, she managed to keep a relatively cool head at a pretty tense meeting.

The free food and childcare opened the assembly up to those who are often shut out of such events and—considering the short timeframe—it was pretty well advertised.

If the comments on our website are any sign, students are passionate about building a station they can call home.

It looks like we’re finally on the right track—so let’s not lose sight of that.