Secret Ways

Maria Narciso, assistant editor at the University of St. Thomas Cauldron newspaper, showed up for the April 15 Student Government Association meeting with her notepad and two other reporters.

The lunchtime session had been called for a crucial matter, SGA’s review of budget proposals from student groups for the next school year. But the student newspaper staffers barely had time to settle into their seats before they were yanked out.

Moments into the meeting, the SGA passed a motion to close it to the public. By “public,” the SGA could have been more specific. It’s not as though the little room in the student center was spilling over with people. The students ejected were the only three nonsenate members there: the Cauldron reporters and editor. “We need to make decisions freely without worrying about it being reported,” one senator explained.

Brenda Benkenstein, a junior who writes for the Cauldron, walked in shortly after her colleagues had been booted. She had heard a rumor that the meeting might be closed and had done a little research. When Kristie Gerber, director of student activities and the senate adviser, walked over and told her she had to leave, Benkenstein was ready. She pointed out Article 7, Section 2E of the SGA constitution: “All allocation meetings will be open to the public.”

Gerber conferred with SGA president Charles Johnston, and their tune quickly changed: This was now just a “discussion” — not an allocation meeting — and Benkenstein was bounced from the session.

The student government may have been finished with the Cauldron that afternoon, but the Cauldron was not finished with it. The paper lodged a complaint with the student-run Judicial Council. At the hearing, Cauldron editor Marion Maendel blasted the “dangerous and manipulative” form of government being practiced.

The SGA pleaded guilty, netting it an official reprimand, but the budgets had already been set. And come fall, the University of St. Thomas student newspaper can count on $8,400 less than it had hoped for.

To be certain, the SGA faced a tough prospect as budget season approached. Everything was on the chopping block.

According to Johnston, lower projected enrollment had reduced revenues from the student activity fees. The SGA approached the problem of cutting $44,000 from the requested $253,000 by slashing student salaries across the board. For the Cauldron, which publishes a dozen issues yearly, that meant only the top two editors would continue to get compensation. Other staffers would be stripped of all their stipends — ranging from $540 up to $1,350 for the year. The rest, including four editor-level positions that had received $900 each, were also gutted.

Other groups, too, like the Student Activities Board and the literary magazine, had their requested monies cut.

That much the newspaper staff could live with — although they are appealing the budget decision, which has been approved but not finalized. What concerned them more was the SGA’s lack of transparency in making the budget decisions, as well as comments they found in the minutes of the closed meeting. It “should remain closed because things can’t be taken out of context and we’re free to talk without other people around,” one senator was quoted as saying. Another remarked, “I’m worried about the press.”

The SGA may have had good reason to worry; newspaper members say the Cauldron is viewed on campus as overly critical.

“They already have this misconception about the Cauldron. They already think we have a personal vendetta against everyone,” says Narciso. The Cauldron has produced tough coverage of the school’s handling of inflated enrollment numbers, and other stories on underpaid St. Thomas janitors. Another article told how Gerber, the SGA adviser who ejected one staffer from the meeting, had made false statements at an awards banquet last spring (see “The Cauldron Bubbles Over,” by Jennifer Mathieu, May 22).

“I’ve had some people say the Cauldron shouldn’t air the dirty laundry of the university,” says Benkenstein, who adds that the critics are confusing PR with journalism. Compounding that reputation this year, the Cauldron drew criticism for its April Fools’ spoof issue, which was not sufficiently reverent toward university officials, and for running an editorial that questioned the Baylor-esque outrage — following that university paper’s endorsement of gay marriage — that might ensue should they support an issue at odds with the Catholic Church.

“I heard that a paper at a Catholic university should reflect the views of the Catholic university,” says Benkenstein.

“It’s an understatement to say there are more than two sides on this,” says SGA president Johnston.

No one on the newspaper staff says — or even insinuates — that the troubles over the SGA budget process have anything to do with the fact that they exposed the SGA adviser’s misstatements a year ago. As long as the doors remain closed, though, the Cauldron will really never know.

“It puts doubt in the minds of the students of how the funds are being used — fairly and correctly,” says Danielle ShahMansoorian, a former SGA president. “It’s the integrity of the constitution that must be upheld. It’s a document that’s for the students. If the student government doesn’t uphold it, then who will?”