JSA Folds

Association Disappears Due to Lack of Interest

NewsMegan Dolski — Published March 22, 2011

She said that even though the journalism program is small and has a limited budget, the association was able to use its funding to host events, coffee dates and lectures for journalism students.

White also mentioned the association’s valuable relationship with the journalism department. “We go to the departmental meetings,” she said. “[The faculty] ask our opinion on things affecting us as students.”

In order for the association to continue to exist next year, journalism students will have to take initiative and organize a byelection in the Fall.

Aalia Adam, current JSA VP Communications, already has plans of doing just that. She was considering running for next year’s executive before the association folded, and thinks that it is extremely important that it continues to exist.

“It’s kind of an oxymoron that the voices of journalism students are not going to be there,” she said. “We won’t be part of student governance at all.”

Adam thinks it is very important that journalism students are represented at monthly Arts and Science Federation of Associations council meetings.

Chad Walcott, ASFA VP external & sustainability, explained that journalism students would continue to pay fees to ASFA. Walcott said that while journalism students will no longer have direct representation, they would continue to be represented as Arts and Science students.

Like White, Adam thinks journalism students don’t realize what they are missing out on without the JSA. She said students seem to be under the impression that they are only missing out on parties, when in reality it is so much more than that.