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The
Cal State Long Beach campus on a Friday
is normally quiet, empty and uneventful.
However, 25 journalism students met to discuss
the pre-accreditation process for the journalism
department with a member of the Accrediting
Council on Education in Journalism and Mass
Communications accreditation team.
Some students thought it was funny to see
such an important meeting scheduled on a
day that would be so inconvenient for students
— with weekend plans and work priorities
— but these students made it a point to
be present at a meeting that would have
initial effects on the future of a department
they have all become so much a part.
The journalism department lost its accreditation
in 1996 because of low funding, a lack of
diversity among its faculty, a lack of full-time
faculty, not enough research or professional
activities, not providing enough outside
contacts and the newspaper’s inability to
provide public service.
But Friday was the first time many students
were allowed the forum to vent, basically,
about departmental problems to an unbiased
party.
Prior to this meeting, many students had
to ask themselves if the department deserved
accreditation. The editorial staff of the
On-line Forty-Niner disagreed. Even though
receiving accreditation would mean more
funding to the department, which it greatly
lacks, and scholarships to students, which
they greatly need, the turmoil that exists
in the department is enough reason to deny
them that privilege. Conflict exists between
the journalism department chairman and the
On-line Forty-Niner publisher, which has
cost a major emotional and psychological
toll on students. Some students have felt
the pressure of retribution for printing
certain stories.
Broadcast option students spoke out about
the lack of hands-on experience they see
in their classes. They also discussed the
inability to gain internship credit involved
for the on campus radio and television stations
found on campus.
Print option students spoke about the insufficient
equipment, including the absence of television
and radios in the newsroom, and the lack
of confidence they see in their professors.
Classes in the department are extremely
limited in quantity and quality and seem
to reiterate the same skills instead of
honing in on a particular skill set. The
classes that exist in the department — feature
writing, investigative reporting and public
policy — all seem to teach the same general
interviewing and writing skills.
Public relations, however, seem to have
a positive experience with their classes
except for the lack of class availability.
At the conclusion of the meeting, students
were encouraged by the man representing
the accreditation team to simply trust the
faculty and to wait and see what happens
to the department, in terms of accreditation.
Unfortunately, he said this to the wrong
group of students. We are journalists, educated
to question everything, to not soften stories
and to seek the truth. As journalists
and students, these skills are being hindered
when our questions regarding the future
of the department are evaded and faculty
members cannot practice what they preach.
Faculty in the department may say that many
of the problems may be fixed by becoming
accredited. But why do these problems need
to be fixed because of a piece of paper?
The problems should not exist in the first
place. Yes, we do admit that these problems
exist in all departments, however, when
problems begin to have serious consequences
on its students and causes apathy then that
is the immediate sign to fix what is broken.
For this reason, we encourage the department
of journalism to seek out the opinions and
thoughts of its students before praising
the privilege of accreditation.
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