USAC votes to put Daily Bruin, Bruinwalk referendum on ballot

Students can vote whether to pay a $3 quarterly fee that supports the Daily Bruin and other campus media organizations in the spring undergraduate student government election.

The Undergraduate Students Association Council voted 11-1-0 Tuesday night to add a referendum to the ballot that aims to finance the Daily Bruin and Bruinwalk.com. Academic Affairs Commissioner Trent Kajikawa voted against the referendum.

Bruinwalk.com provides class grade distributions and allows UCLA students to rate professors, courses and apartments. The Daily Bruin and bruinwalk.com are both a part of UCLA Student Media, which has accumulated about $778,000 in debt since 2008, according to Student Media finances.

All undergraduates will pay the quarterly fee, effective next fall, if more than 20 percent of the student body votes in the upcoming election, and the majority of those who vote supports the referendum.

The referendum is expected to bring in over $175,000 to the Associated Students UCLA Communications Board, a committee that oversees UCLA Student Media. The fee is also subject to inflationary increase.

Arvli Ward, director of UCLA Student Media, said Student Media has struggled to balance its budget since the recession in 2008 despite undertaking several cost-cutting measures.

“We’re getting down to the end of the line,” Ward said. “Sales are a little bit better this year, but the five-year outlook still has a wild card – print advertising revenue.”

Sam Hoff, Daily Bruin editor-in-chief, said The Bruin’s print advertising brought in $500,000 in the 2015 academic year but is expected to decrease to about $400,000 next year. Hoff added print advertising is projected to decline up to 20 percent every year.

Hoff said Student Media has already taken efforts to reduce their expenses to match cuts in revenue. Hoff added half the space the Daily Bruin occupies will be leased and that editor stipends have decreased since 2008.

“We’re at a stage where any more additional cuts will damage student activity and the quality of our product,” Hoff said.

Brian Kohaya, managing editor of Pacific Ties newsmagazine, said he doesn’t support the referendum because he doesn’t think it financially supports newsmagazines.

Hoff said the fee will be used to fund Daily Bruin and bruinwalk.com expenses, and will allow Student Media to allocate funds from the Practicing Leadership and Empowerment to Develop Growth through Education, or PLEDGE fee, to newsmagazines.

The PLEDGE fee was passed in 2009 to benefit a coalition of seven student groups and the Communications Board. The referendum increased student fees by $12.75, and the Communications Board receives $3 of this fee.

Hoff added the amount each newsmagazine will receive depends on how much the Communications Board allocates to each entity, as it does now, and Student Media revenue will continue to support newsmagazines with the fee if it passes.

USAC voted to amend the language of the referendum to emphasize the student fee will go toward the Communications Board, which allocates money to Daily Bruin and other Student Media entities.

Kajikawa asked whether asking council members to vote to put the referendum on the ballot was a conflict of interest.

Angie Wang, Daily Bruin news editor and third-year communication studies student, said the Bruin will not change its coverage of council members, regardless of whether they vote to add the referendum to the ballot.

Administrative representative Debra Geller said council members who vote to add the referendum to the ballot are not personally endorsing the fee. Adding the referendum to the ballot would simply allow students the opportunity to vote for the referendum, she added.

Community Service Commissioner Zack Dameron said he thinks the Daily Bruin has justified its need for the referendum, citing its detailed expense reports released to council members.

Hoff said Student Media will have to look at additional sources of income, such as soliciting funding from alumni members, if the referendum does not pass.

“Relying on print advertising is not reliable,” Hoff said. “Chances are there is nothing that will support (Student Media) in such robust and sustainable way as print advertising used to.”

Undergraduate students will vote on whether to approve the fee in the upcoming elections in week six of spring quarter. The referendum language is subject to review by the University of California Office of the President and the Office of the Chancellor.