On Wednesday night, The Bona Venture Editorial Board released a statement to explain why the paper will not appear in print this week and to report that long-time advisor Carole McNall was removed from her position as advisor. There are a few things the editors wish to clarify; the statement from last night was a preliminary explanation.
This semester, The BV was informed that the printing contract with the Olean Times Herald would increase in cost. It was made clear to the Editorial Board that The BV was unlikely to receive additional budget money from the Student Government Association to cover the difference. Since The BV is a student club not directly affiliated with the Jandoli School of Communication, funding comes from SGA.
The BV’s Editorial Board was encouraged to consider adapting an alternative printing schedule, as well as to look into other funding options, including contact with alumni.
Editors at The BV made the decision to contact an alumnus, who generously agreed to donate some money to begin closing the gap. At this point, the editors contacted Rob DeFazio, budgetary officer for SGA, and the Advancement Office at the university to ensure the donation could be properly received.
The editors were informed that The BV had broken budgetary policy by messaging an alumnus prior to filling out fundraising forms. DeFazio stated in an email that the donation would be put into The BV’s account once it was received by the university.
Editors were then called into a Tuesday meeting with the SGA Executive Board to discuss the policy violation. McNall, then-advisor to The BV, was unable to attend the meeting due to a prior engagement. The Executive Board members threatened the paper’s budget in this meeting, stating that they were looking into completely reconfiguring the budget to account for the donation.
The editors of The BV admitted wrongdoing in the meeting with the SGA but also made it clear that there was no malicious intent involved with the decision to contact the alumnus. The BV accepts responsibility for the miscommunication and policy violation, which the editors made clear to the Executive Board in the meeting.
The next day, editors of The BV received news that the budget would stand as it did in the 2018-19 school year. The Budget Committee of the SGA had decided to allocate the full amount, rather than docking the paper’s budget because of the donation. DeFazio explained that the threats against The BV were unfounded; he stated that SGA cannot dock a club’s budget because of fundraising. DeFazio noted that clubs’ budgets are determined by how active they are on campus, which means fundraising is encouraged and should not have any negative impact on a club’s budget.
However, prior to notification that The BV’s budget would remain intact, McNall received a letter from DeFazio and SGA President Lara McCormick. This letter dismissed McNall from her duties as advisor to The BV after eight years of service.
The letter cited violation of budgetary policy as the reason for McNall’s removal.
McNall’s position as a tenured faculty member is unaffected by the decision to remove McNall from her position at The BV.
McNall also serves as the faculty advisor to WSBU The Buzz, the on-campus radio station. The Buzz faced financial problems in the 2018-19 school year, which resulted in a parent setting up a GoFundMe account to support the station. McNall was not directly involved in this parent’s decision but was blamed for budgetary policy violation on The Buzz’s behalf.
DeFazio and McCormick cited this violation, in conjunction with the recent BV violation, as the reasoning behind McNall’s removal, despite the fact that The Buzz and The BV are unaffiliated with one another and act as separate clubs with separate budgets.
McNall has not been removed as advisor to The Buzz.
In a meeting with BV editors, DeFazio called McNall an absentee advisor, noting her failure to appear at meetings on behalf of The BV and The Buzz. However, McNall won the Fr. Bob Stewart, O.F.M. Advisor/Moderator of the Year at the Fr. Joe Doino, O.F.M. Awards in April 2017. The award is presented to an advisor who shows outstanding dedication and service to students.
Neither the SGA constitution nor the SGA bylaws state provisions for removal of an advisor by SGA.
Editors brought this discrepancy to light in a meeting with DeFazio on Wednesday. DeFazio said that the policy for removal was included in a club policy PowerPoint distributed to advisors and club leaders at the beginning of the school year. The PowerPoint has no such provision.
DeFazio told editors that he’s served as a faculty liaison to SGA for 11 years and said no other club advisor has faced forcible removal of an advisor by SGA since he has been involved. DeFazio could not point to a particular piece of SGA legislation that permits the removal of an advisor without the consent of club leadership.
The SGA Executive Board also did not consult the SGA Senate before making this decision, despite the fact that this type of decision has not been made in more than a decade, at least.
Though the editors of The BV admit that policy was broken, The BV staff is disappointed in the conduct displayed by SGA and DeFazio.
For the time being, all BV stories will be posted online. Aaron Chimbel, dean of the Jandoli School, has agreed to serve as the interim advisor to The BV.
The BV intends to print a paper on Sept. 20.
By The Editorial Board of The Bona Venture
bonavent@sbu.edu
