I was reading through last week?s paper and I came across some interesting items.

First of all, President Donald Gerth and The State Hornet Publication Board cannot agree on something as symbolic and meaningless as control over who has the final approval of the paper?s budget.

The final approval of The Hornet?s budget is not really earth shattering, but I agree with my colleagues that Gerth should not have any say in the matter. The paper should have the right to remain free of any possible manipulation by the esteemed president of this institution.

In my experience as a former member of the Business Advisory Committee and the Publication Board, you listened to Jon Self, who technically is the associate Vice-President of Finance for the college, but in reality is a number crunching idiot savant who makes Dustin Hoffman?s character in the film Rain Man look like an idiot. This is a compliment, really.

The board would discuss the budget and things they want to change depending on the trends in ad revenue. Self would then start talking about moving this line item on the budget to another column and fire would start coming out the end of his pencil. The guy?s mind is a friggin? steel trap. The budget of The Hornet could not be in any better hands than that of Self and the other members that sit on the board. There really is no reason for Gerth to get involved. And unlike Associated Students, Inc., they don?t run a deficit.

This whole issue stems from a memo from former ASI President Jason Bryant and current President Artemio Pimentel, which asked that ASI be released from their financial liability from The Hornet in the event of a lawsuit. Even if they did absolve themselves from the financial responsibility of The Hornet, does it really matter who?s responsible? Does ASI even have any money? The bottom line is the University is going to be on the hook regardless, it?s really just a question of semantics.

Finally, who cares who?s responsible. The lawsuit involving former Editor in Chief David Sommers was the best thing that ever happened to The Hornet. It resulted in a national focus being put upon the University and the paper. The year the paper won the Pacemaker Award for being the best four year college weekly newspaper in the country. But thank God a judge agreed that we were right.

A diversion: To take my mind off this whole mess, I might just take the offer of the Hillel House in Davis, on page B5 of last week?s Hornet, for a free trip to Israel over the summer break. What a relaxing way to spend the summer. If worrying about school is not enough, come to Israel where you can dodge gunfire and pick suicide bombers out of the crowd. Not to sound like a goyim or anything, but for a place that is supposed to be the holiest of holies, there sure is a lot of violence going down. Why don?t they just split the sucker down the middle, or maybe the Palestinians and the Israelis can roshambo for the rights to the land?

Disagree? Give Matt Wagar an earful at [email protected].

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