Fanshawe Student Union moves to shutter student paper, but some students are fighting back

Alessio Donnini · CBC News

· Posted: Mar 07, 2025 6:43 PM EST | Last Updated: 7 minutes ago

The Fanshawe Student Union (FSU) is shuttering the college's pupil newspaper, marking the extremity of a astir five-decade tally of autarkic pupil journalism astatine the school.

The Interrobang, which employs adjacent to a twelve students successful the pursuit of quality sum focused connected Fanshawe College, volition unopen down some its people cognition and its website after circulating its last contented on Apr. 4, according to the FSU.

"There were respective factors considered, and the concern was not taken lightly," said Siddharth Singh, the FSU's president. "It was not to prevention money, but alternatively to allocate the resources toward [other initiatives.]"

Singh was incapable to archer CBC News precisely however overmuch wealth is allocated to The Interrobang annually, nevertheless helium estimated a fig of astir $250,000.

Singh claimed the determination was not a cost-cutting measure, nevertheless helium said helium wants to spot that wealth spell elsewhere, to:

• The enlargement of the people typical programme from 163 representatives to 600.
• The instauration of a caller full-time position, an "Advocacy and Governance Coordinator," with a wage scope of $60,000 to $75,000.
• Using the skills of the reporters and editors to make societal media contented for the FSU.

According to Singh, the decision, made unanimously by three student executives and 8 pupil committee of directors members, is based connected declining readership online and a perceived diminution successful students picking up the carnal paper.

That's not the full picture, said Hannah Theodore, The Interrobang's editor.

She said while a prohibition connected Canadian quality connected societal media platforms similar Facebook and Instagram resulted successful an online readership dip of astir 50 per cent, circulation of the insubstantial itself is increasing year-over-year.

The fig of students picking up the insubstantial bi-weekly went up from an mean of 1,580 successful 2022/23, to an average of 1,740 past year.

In September, CBC London reported that the campus paper saw an mean 87 per cent pickup complaint during the 2023-2024 school year.

Theodore said the FSU's determination is saddening.

"I deliberation it's inactive sinking successful for maine that this is what's happening. I've worked present for six years present successful immoderate capacity. This is my 4th twelvemonth successful the exertion job," she said. "I'm moved by immoderate of the efforts that I'm seeing from students who are trying to bash thing astir it."

Students propulsion back

Those students are seeking enactment for a petition asking for a referendum to determine the paper's fate. They accidental adding a levy of $2 per pupil would let The Interrobang to run independently of the FSU budget.

The petition has already received astir 200 signatures online, and much successful person.

Some students that signed the petition told CBC News they recovered the insubstantial invaluable.

"It's thing ace important present astatine Fanshawe, and they conscionable privation to chopped it retired entirely," said pupil Lucas Dobson. "It keeps students informed present astatine Fanshawe. The existent variation that's retired close present is astir the occupation search, which is ace important."

Singh said if the petition gathers capable signatures, the FSU volition "consider moving a referendum." 

Briar Wilson, an Interrobang newsman who was collecting signatures connected Friday, said the combat volition continue. 

"This is simply a pupil tally program, truthful students should beryllium the fig 1 dependable down [the decision] to unopen it down oregon support it going," she said.

She besides expressed interest implicit the thought to reallocate newsman salaries to societal media contented instauration that promotes the FSU.

"As overmuch arsenic it is important for [the FSU] to person their dependable shared, the pupil insubstantial is an nonsubjective observer. We are a portion of a ideology and it's our occupation to archer you the truth" Wilson said.

"We can't bash that if we're successful societal media selling positions wherever we are catering to definite people."

Andrew Mrozowski, the president of the Canadian University Press, said the FSU's determination was made, unfairly, without pupil consultation.

His statement questioned the thought that the determination isn't intended to chopped costs.

"At a clip erstwhile autarkic journalism is nether threat, and erstwhile the interaction of Bill C-18 has already hindered the quality of pupil newspapers to scope their audiences, this determination lone further weakens the authorities of pupil media successful Canada," Mrozowski said.

While immoderate students combat for the Interrobang's future, Theodore is making plans for its last contented adjacent month.

It'll beryllium a tribute to 5 decades successful print, including contributions from past reporters and idiosyncratic reflections from the existent team, Theodore said.

"It'll beryllium sad, but it'll besides beryllium a celebration."