2
BAILEY BALLARD, NEWS EDITOR KATIE FUTCH, ASST. NEWS EDITOR
10.28.2021
NEWS
The Colonnade staff would like to address grievences with a system we hold to be ineffective and unjust Colonnade Staff
control
avoided any risk that stu-
the USG—like the on-
means GC does things
dents will be deprived of
counter to First Amend-
boarding of Colonnade
such as reimburse us for
the onboarding of its
ment principles, our sta-
employees—“must
not
expenses and prevent us
school resources by set-
need to unbiasedly re-
staff, then hid behind
tus as employees strips
undermine the public’s
from realizing a prof-
port on Georgia College.
unclear IRS regulations.
us of copyright own-
trust,” which we con-
it or a loss. They don’t.
In January 2018, GC
Our status as em-
ership over our work.
tend is a consequence
began onboarding The
ployees jeopardizes our
Colonnade staff as em-
First Amendment rights.
ployees of the Univer-
The process of getting
students funded by stu-
the schoolhouse gate.”
tween organizations and
paid for our work has
dents, established indi-
On top of running
robbed us of the jour-
rect censorship through
nalistic autonomy we
Financial
We
receive
reim-
ting up an independent entity under which student journalists are employed, and having the
of getting paid by the
bursement for our ex-
made for hire’ doctrine,
University
we’re
sup-
penses through the SGA
entity contract with the
Garcetti v. Ceballos held
employers own and con-
posed
report
on.
and have an advertis-
university for office space
sity which the school
that First Amendment
trol the copyright on
Not only is our clas-
ing sales division capa-
and equipment,” wrote
communications
office
protection does not apply
works their employees
sification as employees
ble of generating profit.
claims it did to comply
to public employees mak-
create while on the job,”
problematic and harm-
Beyond getting paid
Napoli. “Others, such as
with
regulations.
ing “statements pursuant
wrote
ful to our mission, it’s
hourly and being pro-
Our status as employ-
to their official duties.”
classifying student jour-
based
criteria
vided a place to work,
ees of the University puts
This means we can-
nalists
that
relationship
our relationship with GC
us in a compromising
not preserve our free-
can give the impression
with GC does not meet.
does not meet any of the
position and creates a
dom of speech as em-
that any work they cre-
Per the USG Business
criteria for an employer/
buying subscriptions to
litany of issues for both
ployees of the school.
ate becomes the prop-
Procedures Manual sec-
employee
relationship.
the newspaper for the
The Colonnade and GC.
“If ‘employee’ status
erty of the university.”
tion 5.5 Employee vs.
Blanket status as in-
benefit of the campus
applied,
It’s important we have
Independent Contractor,
dependent
payroll is an indirect
then a student journalist
ownership over our work
the IRS classifies work-
wouldn’t be ideal either
form of censorship and
‘employee’ would have no
so we can use it for ca-
ers as employees or in-
because we would need
compromises our mis-
First Amendment right
reer opportunities like
dependent
contractors
to provide our own of-
sion to hold the pow-
to criticize the college
posting it to job sites or
based on three primary
fice space and equip-
ers at be accountable.
in an editorial column,”
including it in portfolios.
factors: behavioral con-
ment. The state-of-the-
An employer/employ-
wrote Laura Napoli, the
This situation is a
trol, financial control,
art equipment in Terrell
ship is structured more
ee relationship gives the
Student Press Law Cen-
clear conflict of inter-
and type of relationship.
Hall such as podcast
like a vendor relation-
company control over
ter’s legal fellow, in a 2011
est according to the
However, there is no set
gear Mac desktops are a
ship and less like an em-
the
article on the legal issues
University
of
formula for determining
tremendous asset to us.
If GC has the power to
surrounding
Georgia’s
policy.
employment and every
Going forward, we
ployment relationship.”
dictate the content we
journalists as employees.
8.2.18.2.1
case must be looked at
would like to enter a hy-
produce, we cannot ef-
The rights we shed as
of the USG Board of
on an individual basis.
brid relationship with
fectively do our jobs.
school employees run
Regents Policy Manu-
robs
counter to those guar-
al states “An apparent
al
the student body of
anteed under Supreme
conflict
an unbiased and ac-
Court cases like Tinker
a
curate student media.
IRS
GC’s control over our
employee’s
work.
were
strictly
student
“Under
the
‘work
Napoli. as
“Thus,
employees
System own
Section
to
upon our
contractors
Penn State, have avoided the appearance of direct university payment to student journalists by
community, in exchange for the media organization’s payment of rent for university office space. In that way, the relation-
The Colonnade serves to report fair and balanced news to the stu-
behavior-
GC that resembles that
indicative
of an independent con-
when
of employment would
tractor but with some
and inform and to hold
person
mean GC tells us when,
modifications like the
the powers at be account-
v. Des Moines Indepen-
would conclude from
where and how to work
use of school facili-
able. It is the student
Our funding comes
dent Community School
the circumstances that
which
ties
body’s right to know—
from the Student Gov-
District which protects
the employee’s ability to
The Colonnade sets
ernment
Associa-
students’ free speech in
protect the public inter-
its own schedule and
of
tion which is paid for
nearly all circumstances.
est, or perform public
adheres to in-house ed-
ing with student me-
fees.
The court held that
duties, is compromised
itorial
dia groups to create
That means you, the
students do not “shed
by a personal, financial,
procedures. Having this
third-party
students, fund The Col-
their
or
kind of autonomy usual-
that appease both sides.
onnade. GC took a school
al rights to freedom of
states
ly signals an independent
“Some schools, such
newspaper comprised of
speech or expression at
agreements made be-
contractor relationship.
as Virginia Tech, have
This
through
process
student
constitution-
VOLUME 98 | NO. 7
exists
reasonable
business The
interest.”
manual
@GCSUnade
Exerting control
they
do
guidelines
not.
and
and
equipment.
There are examples universities
@TheColonnade
work-
options
dent body, to entertain
our duty to inform. Until we are no longer forced to be onboarded as GC employees, it’s not just our mission they’re
violating—it’s
your right to know.
The Colonnade
Editorial Board Eric Boyd............................Editor-in-Chief Wendy Cravey..................Managing Editor Katie Dean.........................Art Director Bailey Ballard...................News Editor Katie Futch........................Asst. News Editor Ben Grunert......................Sports Editor Raleigh Hutchison.........Arts & Life Editor Lilyana Kovacheva........ Asst. Arts & Life Editor Anjali Shenoy................... Digital Media Editor Carrie Grace Irwin ........PR Manager Rob Trotter.........................Ad Sales Manager William Burke...................Faculty Adviser
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