Questions and Answers On November 8th, UNBC students will have the opportunity to deter- mine the future of Over the Edge newspaper through a referendum. If passed, the referendum will achieve two objectives: it will remove Over the Edge as a service of NUGSS and estab- lish the paper as an independent soci- ety, and it will add a $5.00 per student per semester student fee to fund the paper. Q. What will the referendum question be? A. Do you support discontinuing Over the Edge Newspaper as a service of NUGSS and establishing Over the Edge as an independent newspaper funded through a $5 per student per semester refundable” fee? *The fee will be refundable within the first three weeks of each semester. Q. When will the referendum be held? A. On- Monday, November 8th between 9:00 am and 4:00 pm. Q. Why does Over the Edge want to be an independent ‘society? A. Over the Edge can no longer guar- antee complete editorial autonomy from NUGSS. In September, NUGSS went so far as to shut the paper down for three days. If Over the Edge is independent, it will have sole respon- sibility for the content of the paper. It will have the freedom to print contro- versial issues without fear of being shut down again. Freedom of the press is a good thing — Over the Edge can cover everything that it wants to. Q. But why do you need my $5 each semester? A. Publishing a newspaper isn’t cheap. When Over the Edge separates from NUGSS, it will no longer receive any funding from NUGSS. When you pay your newspaper fee, you become a member of the paper and can vote in general meetings, vote in editorial board elections, and run for an editor- ial board position. Besides, when Over the Edge collects your money, it becomes accountable to you, not NUGSS. In addition, Over the Edge will have the budget to increase the quality of the paper by printing larger issues, use more colour, and will print more often. Over the Edge can make much-needed technology upgrades, purchase current software, and will one day have paid positions. Q. This fee is refundable, yes? A. Yes, but only during the first three weeks of each semester. To request a refund, drop a signed letter requesting a refund off at the newspaper office in the Wintergarden or mail the letter to: Over the Edge, 3333 University Way, Prince George, BC _V2N 4Z9. Q. Sweet. What will Over the Edge be up to until the refer- endum? A. Over the Edge is currently on its way to becoming a registered society under the BC Society Act. A new con- stitution and new bylaws have been written to reflect all of the changes that will take place. Over the Edge has also been working closely with Canadian University Press, a national student newspaper coop that it is a member of. Independence is Crucial for Over the Edge Text and Photography by Stephanie Wilson, => Managing Editor Less than a week after Over the Edge dis- tributed its first issue of the year, I knew that UNBC needed what most Canadian univer- sity campuses already have: a student news- paper funded independently from the stu- dent union. Shortly after the September 15th issue of the newspaper was distributed, NUGSS received complaints about a satiri- cal opinion submission. NUGSS froze Over the Edge’s bank account and essentially shut the paper down for three days. In order to resume printing the next issue of the paper, Over the Edge was forced to print apologies and agree to let the UNBC Harassment and Discrimination Officer on NUGSS’ reaction? That violates the fun- damental purposes of student media and negates Over the Edge’s legitimacy. Obviously Over the Edge has the tespon- sibility to operate within Canadian law and jourrialistic ethics. However, a story or opin- ion is not offensive simply because some disagree with it. A libelous story is illegal. A story that ignites constructive debate is the mark of good journalism. As Canadians, we pride ourselves on our freedoms. The fact that the Charter of Rights and Freedoms in entrenched in our constitu- tion reflects this. As a Canadian, I have the right to freedom of the press. As a universi- ty student, I have the ability to freely debate controversial issues. As the Managing more colour, upgrade technology, and even- tually pay staff members. Over the Edge will have the opportunity to grow and develop in such ways that are simply not attainable under the current restricted bud- get. If the thought of paying an extra $5.00 per semester is not terribly appealing, consider this: NUGSS currently collects $2.00 from every student to fund Over the Edge. Realistically, NUGSS cannot collect fees dedicated to a service that it no longer pro- vides. In other words, fees for Over the Edge will only be increasing by $3.00 per semes- ter. Over the Edge is also in the process of becoming a registered society under the BC “As a Canadian, | have the right to freedom of the press. As a universi- ty student, | have the ability to freely debate controversial issues. As the _ Managing Editor of a student newspaper, | have the right and the respon- sibility to print controversial stories that do not violate the law.” read any “questionable” submissions before they could be printed. NUGSS has repeated- ly assured Over the Edge that it will have no “control over what the paper prints, yet it is obvious that this is not true. Independence from NUGSS is crucial if Over the Edge is expected to fulfill its man- date-as a forum for student discussion. NUGSS has demonstrated quite clearly that it will take action - a precedent has been set that allows NUGSS to dictate what is and what is not appropriate. How can Over the Edge facilitate any discussion and debate if the criteria for printing an article are based Editor of a student newspaper, I have the right and the responsibility to print contro- versial stories that do not violate the law. On November 8th, there will be a referen- dum to remove Over the Edge as a service of NUGSS and establish the newspaper as an independent entity on campus, funded through a student levy. Through the referen- dum, Over the Edge will ask students if they support a $5.00 per student per semester fee for Over the Edge. This fee will be refund- able during the first three weeks of each semester. The. approval of this fee will almost triple Over the Edge’s budget and allow the paper to print larger issues, use Society Act. Over the Edge, a newspaper service provided by NUGSS, will become Over the Edge Newspaper Society, an inde- pendent society free from any outside edito- rial imposition. Freedom of the press is a fundamental right guaranteed to all Canadians, be it through a national paper such as The Globe and Mail or through a student paper such as Over the Edge. When you vote yes and sup- port Over the Edge in this referendum, you are protecting Over the Edge and creating a base from which the paper can grow and develop. Do YOU SUPPORT DISCONTINUING OVER THE Enae NEWSPAPER AS A SERVICE oF NUGSS ann ESTABLISHING OVER THE EDGE AS AN INDEPENDENT NEWSPAPER FUNDED THROUGH A $5 PER STUDENT.PER SEMESTER REFUNDABLE FEE? ON NOVEMBER STH - IT’S YOUR CHOICE Questions or comments? Stop by the Over the Edge office or e-mail over-the-edge @ unbc.ca.