BY MARY PRAGER

In print | Published January 28, 2010

Dear readers of The Phoenix,

In our January 21, 2010 issue, The Phoenix published an article about the Fireside Chat given by the first candidate for Dean of Students to visit the campus. However, we will no longer be providing coverage of the Fireside Chats, hosted by the Dean of Students Search Committee, by request of the Committee and out of respect for the privacy of the candidates. The Phoenix will be covering this story in more detail once a candidate has been formally selected for the position within the next few weeks.

When The Phoenix entered into discussions with the Provost in early January, we had established ground rules for coverage so that our articles would not compromise the search process while performing their functions of informing the student body of the content of the Fireside Chats. Out of recognition of the sensitivity of the search process and the professional risks that candidates run in applying for administrative positions on other campuses, we agreed to restrict publishing the Jan. 21 piece to our print edition, limit our circulation to the campus and our subscribers, and limit our coverage strictly to what the candidate said during the Fireside Chat.

However, a recent decision on the part of the leaders of the Search Committee has limited our ability to cover the chats in any capacity. Part of this decision is based on the potential for our coverage to give other candidates an unfair advantage in the search process, and for coverage to create strong impressions about candidates in readers who were not present at the chats themselves. Another part of this decision has to do with the role that the Fireside Chats play in the search process, which is primarily that of a testing ground for candidate-student interaction rather than an open interview which purpose is to inform the student body of the candidate’s ideas. One more important part is that it is in all of our best interests for candidates to be able to speak freely at Fireside Chats rather than self-censor due to the presence of student media.

As neither student publication will be able to cover the Fireside Chats, we recommend interested students to attend the Chats for themselves.

Sincerely,
Mary Prager
Editor in Chief

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