A bevy of new articles on OCC & Bosley

Viking News on collision course?

"There is no communication between you and us," the news editor of the student newspaper at Ocean County College told the college president yesterday.

Alberto Morales accused OCC President Jon Larson of "not communicating with the students," in putting together a soon-to-be-issued statement about press freedoms and a plan for the future of the college newspaper, The Viking News.

By the way, there is something mentioned in this story that caught my attention...

The plan proposes spending $30,000 already budgeted on new technology for the newspaper during the fall semester.
It will be used to produce an online edition hosted by the college to speed up responses over the existing online edition.

This reminded me of something that happened while I was the Web content coordinator at Rider University. The Rider News, for which I served as executive editor in 1996-97 during my days as a student, was looking for a new home for its online edition. It had been hosted on an old server in the communication department, but it was slow and the advisers asked me about moving it to the main Rider Web server. Personally, I had no problems with it, but as a student journalist-turned-administrator trying to "work both sides of the room," I told the advisers that it would be wise to upgrade the communication department server and bring the newspaper site back to it as soon as possible because I didn't like the idea of a student publication being hosted by a server run by administrative personnel. There are all sorts of inherent problems with that and it shouldn't be done. In my opinion, any online edition of a college newspaper should be hosted off campus or on a server administered strictly by the newspaper staff.

Adviser claims probe picks were agreed to by OCC

The embattled adviser to the student newspaper at Ocean County College said yesterday that both administrators and she handpicked the people to be interviewed during a recent investigation by the College Media Advisers into allegations of eroding press freedoms on the campus.

Karen Bosley, who has advised the newspaper for 35 years, said she picked the people she wanted interviewed and OCC President Jon Larson did likewise...

Ousted teacher earned award

Their frontal assault blocked, some members of the English Department at Ocean County College used a flanking movement yesterday afternoon to bring attention to national teaching awards won by four faculty members, one of them just axed by the Board of Trustees.

"We worked on this before this crisis arose," said English coordinator Judith Angona of the teaching programs that brought Diana Hacker TYCA Outstanding Programs in English Awards to her, adjunct instructor Lisa Prothers, and assistant professor Karen Veselits...

OCC fires back, dismisses probe report as "biased"

Ocean County College President Jon Larson dismissed a report that claimed there was an atmosphere of "intimidation and fear" that "permeates parts of this campus" and threatens student press freedoms.

"It's riddled with bias," Larson said.

The claims were among the findings of College Media Advisers after reviewing the decision to oust Karen Bosley from the journalism and newspaper advising posts she has held for 35 years.

That decision was "educationally and legally suspect," the CMA concluded...

OCC report author stands by "unbiased" findings

The author of a highly critical College Media Advisers report on press freedoms at Ocean County College is defending the findings against administration claims he was biased.

"They didn't like the message so they blamed the messenger. I stand by the report," said David L. Adams of Indiana University...