A four-hour meeting of the Woodsworth College Student Association on Tuesday concluded with a motion asking for up to $200 to fund a meeting that would see the revival of the once-great Woodsworth College publication, the Woody. The motion was put forward by Travis Cosgrave, a fourthyear Woodsworth student and the publication’s former layout editor.
WCSA unexpectedly dissolved the College’s 12-year-old student publication the Woody in July, deciding instead to launch a new publication, first called the Howl now known as the Ginger.
Daniella Marinucci, a second-year student and the Services and Initiatives Assistant for WCSA echoed the sentiments of Cosgrave and many others in saying, “I don’t even know what happened to the Woody.” Cosgrave said the meeting would aim to be a forum for students with regards to the Woody.
Alice Wu, the Ginger’s current co-editor- in-chief and former assistant editor of the Woody, spoke her mind about the latter at the Tuesday board meeting, saying that in terms of content “what was [in the Woody] was rather poor.”
Though the Ginger is currently funded by WCSA, a motion at the September board sought to fund the magazine with a $3 per semester levy. The Woody would breaking all ties with WCSA, becoming an independent publication. Fuelling the levy vote were unexpectedly high costs of the first Ginger issue—$ 3,300 for 2,000 copies.
“I don’t think that’s a reliable way to keep a student paper going, especially when that paper is in its first year of existence,” said Cosgrave. “There is no way I would feel comfortable asking for such a levy, even for the Woody.”
WCSA slashed funding for the Woody last year to $12,000. The board has now agreed that neither publications will be the college’s “official” publication.
“The way that we would attain funding would be still through WCSA, although hope that it would be a more independent and dedicated fund,” said Cosgrave.
Despite hesitancy from some board members, including VP administration Jonathan Lall, to vote on the unexpected motion, board agreed to fund Cosgrave’s meeting. The Woody revival meeting will take place Nov. 5 in the William Waters Lounge at the base of the Woodsworth College residence, and will gauge students’ interest in restarting the monthly magazine. Nearly 500 flyers have already appeared along St. George St., and Cosgrave expects to put up thousands more.
“If there’s a Woodsworth student who doesn’t know about this meeting, I haven’t done my job,” he said with cocky self-assurance.
