What Price Integrity? an Editorial

Irish Extra - page 9 Plans for· Observer advisory board initiated llly University and College By VIC SCIULLI "All ofus were in favor of it," Van to serve on the advisory commit Assistant News Editor Wolvlear said in reference to the tee," McDonnell said. proposal. "David bought the idea University plans for an Observer and called (Saint Mary's Public In Collins, however. said he has advisory board have been form formation Officer) Karen Heisler never been contacted by McDonnell ulated without the consent or and asked her to be on the board," or anyone else in the administration knowledge of the Observer manage he said. about the advisory board. He said he ment, according to David Dziedzic, "He thought the idea was first heard about the proposal for the editor-in-chief. favorable," McDonnell said. board last month from an Obseroer The Observer has learned that the "(Dziedzic) was open to it." staff member. plans, originally discussed last Dziedzic says he never supported Jackowski said she learned no spring, are still underway through a the proposal and never called Heis thing more about the proposal until letter dated Oct. I 0 from Father ler. the beginning of this year when she John Van Wolvlear, vice-president of "That's a lie. We have our own wrote a letter to Van Wolvlear. She student affairs, to Sister Karol Jack people to do what they suggested," said she asked Van Wolvlear about owski, dean of students at Saint Dziedzic said. the status of the proposal and in Mary's. The Observer has employed a quired what the College could do to "Last year Jim Roemer and myself professional consultant in the news help. suggested to The Obseroer staff that department for more than two years. Jackowski said Van Wolvlear they should have an advisory hoard. Walt Collins, the first consultant, wrote back, telling her that ''Notre Dave Dziedzic, the present Editor, was hired in September, 1981. Col· Dame would be handling this." favors this and is in the process of lins was hired by Notre Dame as She added that. though she was forming such a board," Van Wulvlear editor ofNotre Dame Magazine. last not sure where the idea had wrote. spring. Tom Philipson is the current originated, she "was under the im· Dziedzic said he never approved a consultant. Both men have edited pression that Jim (McDonnell) and proposal that would create an ad for the South Bend Tribune. David Dziedcic were working on it." visory board for the paper as sug Jackowski, who said she first gested by · the Vice Presidt~nt of learned of the board "informally" Jackowski said she believed that Student Affairs and the Director of last spring, said she "did not know Heisler was asked to be on the ad Student Activities. what to think" when she learned visory committee. Heisler said The proposal, presented to Dzied Oct. 14 from an Obseroer staff mem McDonnell asked her in June to con· zic and two other Observer ber that Dziedzic had never given sider being on such a committee. employees by Father John Van his support to the suggestion. "My There were no definite plans at the Wolvlear and Dr. James McDonnell initial impression was that there was time, she added. at a meeting last April, propost·d the a misunderstanding, a lack com Jackowski said the issue has not creation of an advisory board to munication," she said. been addressed by the senior of make post-publication critiques of Jackowski added, however, that ficers of the College. The Observer /Paul Kramer the newspaper with regard to style, she still believes the board would be McDonnell said the idea for an ad Raising the Head reporting and good journalistic a"goodidea." visory board is "not new" and that Business professor james Ward superz,ises the construction of a practices. McDonnell said he discussed the "recomendations have been made 15 -foot high Trojan Horse which will lead the Notre Dame football The meeting was arranged to dis idea of a board with Walt Collins for several years. We are not the team onto the field against the Universi~y of Southern California cuss increasing The Obsen;er stu shortly after the meeting with originators by any means." tomorrow. The last time a similar horse made an appearance at dent fee by S1 per semester, Dziedzic in the spring. Collins indi Notre Dame Stadium, the Fighting Irish, clad in green and gold McDonnell said. cated that "he would be very happy see BOARD page 5 uniforms, defeated the Trojans 49 to 19. What price integrity? an editorial Can you place a pricetag on a newspaper's in regularities" in Observer finances. alumni board to serve as its ultimate governing tegrity? These "indications" were copies of Observer body. The University of Notre Dame thinks it can, and financial records provided to student government In the audit report, the administration ques it has offered $70,000 for The Obseroer's integrity. by a former Observer staff member. tioned an interest-free loan to an Observer As reported in yesterday's Obseroer, the Univer Louis Cohen, director of internal auditing, was employee. That loan helped finance a used car sity has threatened to stop collecting student sub aware of these allegations before the audit. Cohen which served during business hours as an official scription fees un:less the paper's business saw a copy of a University memo containing what Observer vehicle for reporters and members of operations are turned over to the University's Unit he described as "hearsay-type allegations" the advertising staff. The loan was paid in full july Budget Control System. These fees amount to concerning The Observer. 1, the day the audit was published. $70,000 approximately one quarter of While Van Wolvlear contends the student The University cited The Observer for not revenues. government tip "mentioned incidents later soliciting documented bids for printing contracts. The Obseroer mmt control its own finances to brought out in the report," Cohen said "there was In recent years, The Observer has conferred or maintain the independence essential to editorial not much truth to (the allegations)." Reflecting contracted with every independent printer in the integrity, since any University control implies a on the audit, Cohen said "The Observer wasn't that area. conflict of interest when the paper reports on Uni bad. It was a typical student-run organization. The University cited bonuses paid to the top versity matters. Things were questionable, but there was no out three management personnel: editor, controller, The University accuses The Obseroer of not right thievery." and business manager. The report ignort=s similar living up to its financial responsibility. Yet the Uni bonuses appropriated for all general board mem versity, by threatening to cut off student funds, is Though the University accused The Obseroer of "improper business procedures," the University bers several times during the year to supplement a breaching its own 1970 agreement with The Ob salary equalling less than $1.50 per hour. seroer to collect student fees. did not follow normal business practice when it did not show the paper's officers the audit before The University stated that The Observer issued That agreement was not questioned in 1977 41 checks with only one signature, despite a when University Officers decided to turn financial it was released officially. In a disclaimer ac companying the report, the auditors admit that stated two-signature policy. Each check, however, control ofthe paper over to The Obseroer manage was verified by a telephone call from the bank or a ment. "To encourage The Obseroer management such a review is standard practice and "makes for letter to the bank from The Observer. to more independent planning of their a clean report without any ambiguous state resources ... The 0/:Jseroer will be responsible for ments ... or unresolved differences of opinion." The University advised The Observer to begin meeting its own payroll and expense outside of No members of The Observer staff were ap "maintaining appropriate journals and ledgers." the University payroll system," the officers proached prior to the july I publication. This The Observer has implemented or agreed to decided, according to a letter signed by the vice could not be accomplished "without incurring implement all of the financial suggestions con president of student affairs in 1977. The student unknown delays," according to the report. The tained in the audit report. The newspaper has fee agreement was reinforced that same year the paper's managing editor, systems manager and begun double-entry bookkeeping and shifted when a majority of undergraduates voted to in office manager, however, were available on from a cash-base to an accrual-base accounting crease the student fee for the paper. campus throughout the summer. system. The Obseroer agn·ed to an internal University The University has issued an ultimatum to The While The Observer realizes the need for finan audit last spring after requesting a $1 per semester Observer based on audit findings to which the cial accountability, surrendering Observer increase in student kes to offset rising production paper was not allowed to respond. The Observer finances to the University violates the costs. Father john Van Wolvlear, vice president of has countered the University's threats by propos-, newspaper's integrity. student affairs, recently admitted that the audit ing a program of strict internal controls, third The Observer will not allow the University to also was conducted because of "indications of ir- party accountability and the formation of an compromise its integrity - at any price. The Observer Friday, October 21, 1983- page 2 In Brief Independence on the line A new shuttle schedule will be instituted on Monday, Oct.

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