State Hornet Publications Board

10:30 a.m. Monday, Oct. 26, 2009 • Green & Gold Room, Third Floor, University Union

Draft Minutes

In attendance: Nick Burnett, Tom Carroll, Holly Heyser, Adalto Nascimento, Lisa Oman, Todd
Wilson
1. The board unanimously approved the Sept. 28, 2009 minutes
2. Reports
A. Editor in Chief Todd Wilson reported that:
i. The newspaper has been devoting full resources to coverage of the homicide
and shooting at the American River Courtyard, both for online and the
upcoming print edition. He noted that the Hornet has been receiving kudos
from professional journalists for its online coverage.
ii. Many editors are going to the Associate Collegiate Press journalism
conference in Austin, Texas, later this week, but that he would be staying
behind to monitor coverage of the homicide and shooting.
B. Faculty Adviser Holly Heyser reported that:
i. The Jamie Gonzales Memorial Scholarship Fund, started in honor of former
Hornet editor Jamie Gonzales, who died of rectal cancer at the age of 25 on
Oct. 14, 2008, stands at a balance of $3,345, far short of what’s needed for
an endowed scholarship. Tom Carroll suggested working with public
relations professor Tim Howard, who may be able to help generate interest
in the fund.
ii. The Hornet’s new printing company is working fairly well, though there
have been numerous problems with billing. However, the company has
rectified all billing errors promptly when errors have been brought to its
attention.
iii. The Hornet had experienced a problem with theft of its weekly marketing
signs early in the semester, but that appeared to be an isolated incident. The
newspaper has worked with Alysson Satterlund, the new director of student
activities, to ensure its signs comply with regulations, including a requirement
for contact information to be included on signs.
C. Budget Advisory Committee Chair Lisa Oman reported that:
i. The Budget Advisory Committee met on Oct. 13 and will meet again on
Nov. 30.
ii. The Hornet has not yet received any student fee revenue for the year, which
is contributing to negative cash flow.
iii. Most accounts are current, and the only overdue accounts are from last
semester – worth $4,893 total – and have already been written off.
 iv. The BAC will be developing a policy this year for use of its reserves.
3. Budget – review of ad sales trends, spending and savings trends and discussion of options:
Heyser noted that ad sales had stabilized at about 68 percent of average for year to date,
and the Hornet’s projected ad revenue shortfall now stands at $54,000 to $70,000. One
month ago, the projected shortfall was $60,000 to $80,000.
With eight issues done, she had enough information to determine that the Hornet may be
on track to save more than $10,000 on its print contract. That and other identified savings
put the Hornet on track to spend nearly $34,000 less than budgeted.
That puts the projected budget shortfall at $20,000 to $36,000.
Oman noted that the Hornet’s student fee revenue is likely to be $3,000 more than
budgeted, shrinking that projected shortfall to $17,000 to $33,000.
The Hornet’s reserve fund sits at $140,000. The Publications Board has already designated
$25,000 of that – a rollover from the end of the 2008-09 fiscal year – to support this
year’s budget, leaving $115,000.
The board agreed that it is willing to tap that reserve fund to cover the anticipated deficit,
as currently anticipated, and that no additional cuts beyond already-identified savings
would be necessary.
Nick Burnett also noted that the level of tracking, disclosure and transparency at the
Hornet now, compared with five years ago, is excellent.
4. The board adjourned until its next meeting at 10:30 a.m. Monday, Nov. 23, in the Green
& Gold Room of the University Union.