'UWM Post’ considering name change

**As a matter of disclosure, I held positions at the UWM Post as its assistant news editor, news editor and managing editor between May of 2004 and May of 2006.

BY BRADLEY WOOTEN

The UWM Post's board of directors will meet with university administrators Aug. 10 to discuss dropping "UWM" from the weekly newspaper's name.

Editors from the UWM Post began discussing dropping the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee acronym from its name with administrators earlier this year.

The UWM Post’s slogan is that it is UWM’s “independent, student-run newsweekly.”

Then managing editor Bradley Wooten began questioning whether the newspaper did in fact have independence from the university after the U.S. Supreme Court ruled against a student-run newspaper in Illinois. The 7-4 decision in Hosty v. Carter upheld a dean’s directive at Governor's State University that the student-run newspaper could no longer print without first having administrative approval because it is limited public forum.

The GSU newspaper, the Innovator, like UWM’s Leader, receives money from fees incorporated into students’ tuition. Because the newspaper receives money from the university, the court ruled it is a limited public forum with limited First Amendment rights.

Wooten e-mailed UWM Chancellor Carlos Santiago and asked him to declare the various UWM media public forums, which would disallow UWM administration to censor college newspapers.

Santiago replied in an e-mail that he’d look into the idea with UWM attorneys.

After an April meeting with the vice chancellor of University Relations and Communications, Tom Luljak, Wooten committed to dropping the three letter acronym from the newspaper to better clarify the newspaper’s independence from the university in exchange for declaring the newspaper a public forum.

The meeting arose as a result of the resurfacing of the UWM Times, a project of the Conservative Union that is also without university funding. Administration touted a policy that no student organization could use UWM in its title. The UWM Post, founded in 1956, was allegedly grandfathered in under the policy.

However, administrators can not find documentation of the policy’s author, purpose, or date of creation. As a result the UWM Times has kept the three letter acronym.

Dan Polley, newly elected editor in chief of the UWM Post, decided to uphold Wooten’s commitment. However, he awaits approval from the four remaining members of the board of directors, elected staff members who make financial and operational decisions for the newspaper.

While it did not receive funding, the UWM Post did receive office space, electricity and telephone services from university. However, the UWM Post began moving its office Aug. 1 to the where the Union Outing Center used to be—literally next door.

Polley said he expects the move to be completed Aug. 3 and that the mailing and box office addresses will remain the same.

The Student Association will take over the UWM Post's old office, next door to the UWM Post, but receive the address of the old Outing Center.

Polley said he wasn't sure if the UWM Post will continue to receive lighting and phone services on the university’s tab.

The first issue of the newly branded Post debuts Sept. 5 if its board of directors elects to drop the acronym. The newspaper is celebrating its 50th year.