Officials attempt to stifle first amendment rights

Editor’s note: All statements made by the Patriot Talon editorial board regarding Dr. Dennis Cali, the University, and the Department of Communication are strictly the opinions of the editors. These claims have not been proven by a third party but are based on a fact-finding investigation and personal interviews and observations by the editors.

University officials fired Patriot Talon adviser Vanessa Curry on April 18, marking the most recent attempt to complicate the delivery of the student voice.

Photo illustration by Kamren Thompson

Dr. Dennis Cali, department of communications chair, cited egregious complaints from Patriot Talon staff members and students as the reason for dismissal.

After polling the staff, we found Cali did not talk to any current staff members about Curry’s competency as a student adviser.

Cali didn’t speak with Kamren Thompson, editor in chief; Andy Taylor, print managing editor; Lea Rittenhouse, Web managing editor; Hattie Kemp, opinion editor; Haley Bauman, art and entertainment editor; Jake Waddingham, sports editor; or any of our staff writers, including Jacob Bremer, Chris Brehmer, Tina Bausinger, Kelsey Wade, Rachael Roeten, Michael Hale, Lynn Dark, Derek Blain or Clay Ihlo.

It appears to us that Cali did not approach any of our staff members because we would have advocated for Curry to stay as our adviser.

Curry is not only an award-winning journalist but also an award-winning adviser as well. During the 11 years Curry served as adviser, the staff won about 175 awards at Texas Intercollegiate Press Association competitions.

There is no doubt in our minds the decision to fire Curry was made to punish and censor the Patriot Talon because of the Feb. 22 editorial titled, “Secrets, Secrets.”

There seems to be concern that the Patriot Talon only prints what Curry wants to be said when, in fact, the staff is responsible for all the content.

She even refused to stay in the newsroom when we wrote the Feb. 22 editorial. Due to our recent TIPA accomplishments, including a historic Best in Show award, we believe officials should recognize the skills of the staff and Curry.

If anyone is unhappy with that editorial or anything else in the Patriot Talon, he or she should direct his or her complaints to the editor in chief.

University administrators have a history of grievances with the student newspaper because of our desire to publish the student voice, even when that voice calls into question actions that may reflect negatively on the University.

We believe the firing of our adviser is the culmination of a series of blatant attempts to the stifle student voice.

NEWSROOM LOCATION: Attempt 1

In June of 2010, University officials informed the staff the newsroom would be moved to an undecided location. It was not until November that they chose a location and said we would be forced to move, despite initially saying it would be our choice.

After visiting the site, we respectfully declined for several reasons, including the following:

» The new site’s location isolates us from the hub of campus activity. Since the newspaper’s primary purpose is to inform the campus community, it should be nearer to the University Center.

» The distant location not only will discourage journalism majors from joining our staff but also will eliminate the benefit of faculty input.

» Uprooting the Patriot Talon headquarters from the communication department will be a detriment, stunting our growth and productivity as a collegiate publication.

On Feb 16, the Patriot Talon editorial board met with Cali and Dr. Ken Wink, College of Arts and Sciences interim dean, to discuss the issue. We decided to write a proposal to the Space Allocation Committee.

We submitted the proposal to Cali on March 2 per instructions from Wink given to Cali and Thompson.

Cali was supposed to give the proposal to Wink, who would submit it to the provost, who also serves as the committee chair. However, on March 25, Thompson met with Cali, who informed her he was unaware of his duty to pass on the proposal.

BUSINESS COORDINATOR: Attempt 2

On Jan. 5, the Patriot Talon business coordinator resigned to take a position at the Tyler Morning Telegraph.

The business coordinator serves as an advertising adviser and helps sell almost 77 percent of his or her salary in advertising.

On Feb. 16, officials informed the staff we could not hire a new business coordinator due to budget constraints.

However, student fees are the source of funding for the Patriot Talon, which means the money can’t be spent on anything other than student organizations and, therefore, is not subject to University budget constraints or hiring freezes.

Despite this, the University only approved the hiring of a part-time business coordinator, who works 19.5 hours per week at $11 per hour totaling about $11,000 a year.

We do not know where officials plan to allocate the remaining $9,000, but it legally must go to another student organization.

ADVISER: Attempt 3

Despite the fact that Cali did not release the names of the students who made complaints, the Patriot Talon staff interviewed two former staff members who spoke with Cali. Former Patriot Talon staff photographer Jessica Sibbing said she felt Cali specifically sought out negative information about Curry.

We don’t know the information Sibbing told Cali, but she told the Patriot Talon her responsibilities were what actually made her leave.

“I really liked working at the paper, and everything was fine with Ms. Curry on the Talon for the most part, mostly until the second half; we were really short handed,” Sibbing said. “This wasn’t her (Curry’s) fault by any means,” Sibbing said. “As photo editor, I ended up having to do three people’s jobs, which wasn’t my responsibility, and I wasn’t paid any more for it through scholarships.”

One former staff member who criticized Curry’s advising ability asked to remain anonymous because she hopes to use Curry as a job reference in the future.

She said Cali asked her if having Curry as the adviser is bad for the Department of Communication.

“I just told Dr. Cali that when I did start with the Talon that she wasn’t very welcoming to me, and it was very hard for me to get involved,” she said.

However, this student said she left the department “not directly because of Curry but because of the journalism program as a whole.” She said she was asked not to come back to the Patriot Talon at the end of the fall semester.

That is false.

Thompson gave every staff member a letter at the end of the semester to inform each of them of their new positions on staff.

The following is the letter, verbatim, Thompson gave the previously-mentioned, unnamed staff member: “I know how much you want the (name of position withheld to maintain anonymity) position, and I know what it means to you. Unfortunately, I just don’t think you’re quite ready for the responsibility on your own. I think one of the reasons you have a difficult time writing lengthy stories is because you aren’t a writer. That’s OK. I’m not a writer either, but you have so many amazing qualities that we are wasting and would continue to waste if I made you (name of position withheld to maintain anonymity). For example, you are great with people. You network better than anyone on staff. You like broadcast, and you like to go to events on campus and be involved. You would be much more beneficial on the multimedia side of the paper. Now, please don’t get discouraged about the title. Jake and Andy were both promoted this semester. If I’m right about your skill set, and you continue to work hard and make some great videos this semester, we could create a multimedia position that is more suited to you and your skill set. I hope you understand and continue to work for the Patriot Talon. We need you.”

To our knowledge, only one Patriot Talon editor has asked a staff member not to return to the staff. The 2006-2007 Patriot Talon editor in chief Erin Buller fired a photographer who was on probation for missing assignments.

He was given another chance, and Buller assigned him to cover George H. W. Bush’s campus visit.

When this photographer missed the event, Buller fired him as a result. We would like to point out there are countless former Patriot Talon staff members who support Curry.

Former editor in chief of the Patriot Talon, Allen Arrick, who quit midway through the semester, now, believes Curry is one of the best newspaper advisers in Texas if not the country.

“Taking the Talon from a biweekly schedule to a weekly schedule really took its toll on all the members of the newspaper staff, especially Ms. Curry and myself,” Arrick said. “We’ve since forgiven each other and are good friends.” Arrick and said her success as an adviser is due to the fact that she is hard on her students.

Former staff member Travis Webb, who served on the Patriot Talon for four years, agreed.

“Vanessa Curry and I very rarely saw anything eye-to-eye,” Webb said. “And, yes, she’s tough and intimidating—she’s also always been utterly dedicated to getting the best out of UT Tyler’s student journalists."

“She was a tremendous adviser and a great champion of First Amendment rights. She taught me almost everything I know about journalism and a good deal of what I know about hard work,” Webb said.

Arrick said he was not surprised by University officials’ actions.

“The administration at UT Tyler has been trying to gut the newspaper for years,” he said. “They’ve moved the Student Government Association to the top floor of the University Center while moving the Patriot Talon newsroom to a portable building at the back of the campus. It’s insanely obvious.”

Allie Abel, another former editor in chief of the Patriot Talon, said she was extremely shocked to hear University officials fired Curry.

Abel said she wanted to know why and what the reasoning behind her dismissal was.

“When I worked with her, she always did a great job,” she said. “She was there for the students, helping however she could.”

Abel said Curry really cares about the Patriot Talon and her students, and she works incredibly hard.

“This is a tremendous setback for the Patriot Talon,” she said. “Curry wants to help prepare students for the real world. She doesn’t want a program where everything is done for the students. She wants them to work hard and think for themselves.”