An open letter to the University of Toronto community:
This is your newspaper. You own it, both metaphorically and concretely. In the past, the rights and responsibilities of that ownership have often been abridged or ignored. That must change, and as your representatives on the Board we are committed to bringing a new transparency and accountability to the Varsity. Here’s how.
The first right you have as owners of the Varsity is to expect a newspaper that claims to represent our university to do so in an unbiased manner, with a profound respect for diversity of opinion and an unflagging pursuit of journalistic excellence. The Varsity has already undergone dramatic changes this year, as staff has striven to return the paper to the high level of quality you deserve. That work is ongoing, and you are all invited to assist the process by contributing to any and all aspects of the paper’s production. Our volunteer coordinator’s email address is [volunteeratthevarsity]. If you have trouble getting in touch with him, email me. If you don’t like the content of the Varsity, you have both the right and the responsibility to change it.
The second right you have is to representative and responsible corporate governance. As a step in that direction, we are convening an Annual Meeting of Members for 5:00 p.m., on Wednesday, January 30, at the East Hall, University College. There, all full-time undergraduates and any other U of T students who pay the $1.25 membership fee will be given the financial statements of the corporation and asked to vote on several important questions. The first of these is whether to increase the Varsity’s levy to $2.00, while making it fully refundable. The Board believes this both reflects inflationary pressures while instituting an important right-of-refusal philosophy. Another question is whether to reduce the number of contributions to the paper required to participate in editorial elections from eight to six. This will help open up the editorial voice of the paper to more students. Proxies for the meeting are available to full-time undergraduates at the S.A.C. office, 12 Hart House Circle, and are due back there by 12:00 noon on Wednesday, January 28. You are also welcome to attend our Board meetings, held Mondays at 5:00 p.m. at the Varsity offices, Feb. 4, Feb. 25, Mar. 18 and Apr. 8.
Another important right you have is to access a Response & Complaints process. While the Varsity strives to uphold a code of journalistic ethics, sometimes mistakes are made. One way to respond to the paper is through letters to the editor, but when that is not enough, the Board will act as another avenue of redress. So, whether you are a writer who feels censored, an object of reporting who feels unfairly treated, an interviewee who feels misquoted, someone who feels insulted or offended by our content, or just a reader who wants to call the Varsity on bias or conflict of interest, the process is as follows. Firstly, submit your complaint to myself, the Chair, via email. If you prefer, I am also available to meet in person. I will then investigate the complaint and attempt to arrive at a mutually agreeable resolution through informal mediation. If unsuccessful, I will refer the matter to a special committee of the Board consisting of the editor-in-chief, one of our professional journalist representatives and myself. You will also have opportunity to address this committee. If this committee cannot reach a settlement, it will make a formal recommendation to the full Board, who you will also have opportunity to address. The Board has the power to order published corrections, retractions and apologies and/or may grant a Right of Response space in the newspaper.
We are aware that these are but the first steps on a long road. Much is left to do, especially in terms of reaching under-serviced constituencies like Erindale, Scarborough and the professional faculties. Over the coming months we will be asking for your help as we work with the staff towards the creation of a student newspaper the entire U of T community can be proud to own. You have the right to expect it. You also have the responsibility to demand nothing less. I look forward to hearing your complaints and suggestions. My email address is [email protected]. My telephone number is 416-352-8873. On behalf of your Board, I serve at your leisure.
Andrew Lefoley
Chair, Varsity Publications
