About UPB

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What is the UPB?

Since 1924, the Undergraduate Publications Board has overseen the production of each of the university's recognized publications (with the exception of The Chronicle and Towerview). The Board also approves and supports emerging publications, known as Independents, runs the Blackburn Literary Festival, and administers the John Spencer Bassett Fund. Our continued mission is to provide diverse forums in which students can engage their creative, intellectual, political and literary faculties.

Undergraduate Publications Board Constitution

last updated and approved 4/22/03

Read the PDF Version of the Constitution

I. Purpose

This organization shall be known as the Undergraduate Publications Board of Duke University, referred to hereafter as the Board.

Sanctioned by the Duke University Board of Trustees, the Board shall be responsible for the official undergraduate publications of the University. An undergraduate publication is any book, magazine, journal, newspaper, handbook, or guide produced regularly by an organization composed primarily of undergraduates whose main purpose is the production of the publication. The Board may grant or withdraw a charter for official undergraduate publications. It shall be the duty of the Board to formulate and enforce policies governing publications and to manage its available funds. The Board shall act to maintain the quality of the undergraduate publications and serve as a forum for the exchange of ideas.

II. MEMBERSHIP

Section A – Voting Members

  1. The Dean of Trinity College of Arts and Sciences shall appoint one faculty member from Trinity College to serve as a voting member of the Board.
  2. The Vice President of Student Affairs shall appoint one member from the administration to serve as a voting member.
  3. Student voting members shall include and be limited to:
    1. Editors of all franchised publications.
    2. The Chair, the Manager, and the Vice Chairs for the Bassett Fund Committee and the Publicity Committee.

Section B – Non-voting Members

  1. The Director of the Office of Student Organizations and Facilities Operations shall appoint one staff member from that office to serve as a non-voting member and advisor to the Board.
  2. Non-voting student members shall include and not be limited to:
    1. The SOFC Chair, or designate,
    2. Editor or editors of any independent status publications.

Section C – Terms of Office

  1. Terms of office for voting members:
    1. Student voting members may serve additional and consecutive terms, but they will need to reapply and re-interview. Editors serve for the year they are elected as editor.
    2. For non-student voting members, length of term shall be at the discretion of the appointer(s).

Section D – Voting

  1. Number of votes shall be limited to:
    1. The Editor or Co-Editors of each publication, hereafter referred to as Editors, under the jurisdiction of the Board, shall have one vote per publication on every issue that comes before the Board.
    2. All other voting members shall have one vote per issue.
    3. There shall be no absentee or proxy votes.
  2. The Editors of any publication affected by a conflict of interest shall not vote.
    1. A conflict of interests occurs when a party will be financially credited or debited by the action being voted upon, or when the interests of a specific publication or individual are being voted upon for any reason.
    2. The existence of a conflict of interests shall be established by the Chair. If the Chair is involved, then the decision shall revert to the Office of Student Organizations and Facilities Operations advisor.
    3. Editors may not be permitted to remain present at in the proceedings as long as the matter pertaining to themselves or their publication is on the table.

III. EDITOR SELECTION AND RESPONSIBILITIES

Section A – Selection of Editors

Selection of Editors shall be made by a vote put to the Board following the proper application process. Selection shall occur at the final Board meeting in the spring prior to the academic year in which the voting members are to serve. In the event of any vacancy (sudden or previously informed) of an Editorship, this process can be enacted at any time at the discretion of the Chair.

Section B – Application Process

  1. Candidates for the position of Editor must file a written application prior to the deadline set by the Board.
  2. Candidates shall be interviewed by three or more members of the Board prior to the final meeting of the spring semester.
  3. Voting members of the Board may present themselves as candidates for the offices of Editor, but they will not be permitted to vote in the elections in which they are candidates.

Section C – Responsibilities

  1. The Editor or appointed representative of each publication shall be present at every Board meeting. The Chair must be notified in advance when Board members find it impossible to attend a meeting.
  2. A voting member of the Board will be expelled after two unauthorized absences of any sort from regularly scheduled meetings during the academic year.
  3. Editors shall be held wholly and solely responsible for the content of their publications, the conduct of their staffs, and the financial status of their publications. As a matter of editorial policy, all publications will adhere to the Code of Ethics of the United States Student Press Association, a copy of which will be distributed to each member of the Board and to the staffs of each publication at the first meeting of the Board each year. The Board shall not

undertake to exercise powers of censorship on any publication, either public or private.

Section D – Editor Removal

By a two-thirds majority, the Board may remove any student member when presented with sufficient cause. The Board may appoint successors at any time during the academic year. No action of a disciplinary nature may be taken against any student member before they have been given an opportunity for a hearing before the entire Board.

IV. OFFICERS AND COMMITTEES

Section A – Officers

  1. The Officer (Non-Editor) positions of the Board are: the Chair, the Manager, the Vice Chair for the Bassett Fund Committee, and the Vice Chair for the Publicity Committee.
  2. All positions are open to any undergraduate currently enrolled at Duke University. Selections shall follow the application and selection process outlined in III.B, but applicants with previous experience on the Board will be given priority consideration.
  3. The Officers shall be nominated and elected by the Board at the end of the spring semester prior to the academic year for which they will serve.
  4. If no candidates present themselves for Officer positions, then by special appointment the Chair may fill the vacant position, subject to Board approval.
  5. The responsibilities of the Officers are as follows:
    1. The Chair shall, above all and in every circumstance, serve as the representative of the Board to the Duke University Community and the Board of Trustees. The responsibilities of the Chair are to plan and oversee all meetings and procedures of the Board. The Chair shall also serve as an ex officio advisor to any committee or publication, as well as serve as the Chair of the Executive Committee. The Chair shall also keep track of the progress of current publications to ensure their efficacy and capacity to publish on time, and their conforming to Board standards, and is empowered to sign any official documents relating to the Board’s business.
    2. The Manager shall take minutes at every Board meeting and make them available to all members of the Board (usually by email), as well as to draft in conjunction with the Editors, budget proposals and recommendations for each publication, and in conjunction with the Chair, budget proposals and recommendations for the Board’s general fund. The Manager, like the Chair, will be empowered to sign off on financial statements pertaining to the Board and its publications.
    3. The Vice Chair for the Publicity Committee shall administer procedures and meetings of the Publicity Committee as outlined in IV.B.3.
    4. The Vice Chair for the Bassett Fund Committee shall administer meetings of the John Spencer Bassett Fund Committee as outlined in IV.B.4.

Section B – Committees

To aid the Board in its responsibilities, the Chair or the Board may form any committee at any time. The committee’s term shall be determined by the Board. Permanent committees shall be the Executive Committee, the Publicity Committee, and the John Spencer Bassett Fund Committee.

  1. The Executive Committee shall consist of the Chair, the Manager, and two voting members of the Board, plus any other positions as may be created as specified in IV.A.4. These voting members shall be appointed by the Board at the first meeting of the fall semester. Between meetings, the committee shall research and prepare recommendations concerning all matters pertaining to the Board. Between meetings, it shall also be empowered to act on matters within the Board’s jurisdiction.
  2. The Publicity Committee shall consist of the Vice Chair for the Publicity Committee and two members of the Board appointed by the Chair. The Committee shall be responsible for:
    1. Ensuring that all publications (both franchise and independent) meet the criteria for representing the Undergraduate Publications Board, including developing and sustaining a Board logo
    2. Serving as the liaison to the independent publications
    3. Regulating and administering the timing of any publicity pertaining to magazine publication (Chronicle advertisements, flyering, etc.)
    4. Regulating and administering the timing of any publicity pertaining to the Board itself, e.g. the editor application process.
  3. The John Spencer Bassett Fund Committee shall consist of the Vice Chair for the Bassett Fund Committee and five members elected each year by the Board and appointed by the Chair. The Committee shall solicit proposals for use of the John Spencer Bassett Memorial Fund and make recommendations for the use of the Fund.
    1. The purpose of the John Spencer Bassett Memorial Fund is to:
      1. Finance (partially or entirely) public lectures, special projects, and/or experimental undertakings in the field of creative writing and communication arts.
      2. Defray honoraria, travel, and other expenses relating to the Blackburn Literary Festival.
      3. Finance or supplement the expenses of any of the official undergraduate publications of the university.
    2. Funding shall be used to support meritorious projects in the fields of creative writing and communications arts that:
      1. Elicit intellectual curiosity.
      2. Benefit the Duke community.
      3. Demonstrate managerial and organizational strength.
  4. These criteria suggest a broad goal of attempting to ensure student exposure to fine arts, sciences, politics, etc. The reason any favor is shown to fine arts is because they often are overlooked by other campus groups. But the committee must show no negative bias toward any group or event because of an ideological conflict. Hence, the funds are available to any group, sponsored by Duke or not, as long as the event is on the Duke campus, is open to the entire student body and benefits the student body.
    1. Responsibilities of the John Spencer Bassett Fund Committee include:
      1. Update the application form as needed and provide application forms at a central location.
      2. Develop an advertising plan to make the student community aware of the Fund.
      3. Review all applications and make funding recommendations to the Board. Provide a brief description of each application, the amount requested, indicate how well the application meets the criteria and the amount recommended for funding. The Board must approve all recommendations. However, if a decision is required before the next Board meeting, the Chair of the Board has the power to review the committee’s recommendation and make a decision.
      4. Notify the applicant of the funding decision. Notification shall be made within twenty-four (24) hours of the decision. If this notification is not in writing, a letter should be sent to the applicant within one week of the decision.
      5. Provide a written summary of all funding decisions for the current year prior to the last Board meeting. The summary should indicate any balance remaining in the Fund and a recommendation for its use.
      6. The committee should also be aware of events taking place on campus since the Fund favors areas not receiving as much exposure.
    2. Application Procedure
      1. Applications should be submitted in writing and no less than one month prior to the event.
      2. Applicants shall complete the application form, answer all the questions, provide any additional materials, and indicate how their activity or event addresses the criteria of the Fund.
      3. The organization or group responsible for the event or the activity must sign a contract stating that the group will submit financial documents to the committee after the events take place, and they will acknowledge the John Spencer Bassett Memorial Fund as a sponsor on advertisements, flyers, posters, programs, and other promotional literature.
      4. Any unused monies shall revert to the John Spencer Bassett Memorial Fund.

V. MEMBER PUBLICATION RESPONSIBILITIES

Section A – General

  1. Each time they publish a magazine, Editors must submit two copies of each issue to the Duke University Archives in Perkins Library in accordance with their guidelines (e.g. as outlined at http://www.lib.duke.edu/archives/).

Section B – Specific

  1. The Chanticleer may not solicit advertising.

VI. INDEPENDENT PUBLICATIONS

Independent publications, once recognized by the Board, shall be treated by the Board as nonmember publications.

Section A – Distribution

An independent publication shall have the right to publish using the Duke name, distribute on campus, and use the services offered by the Office of Student Organizations and Facilities Operations.

Section B – Classification

An independent publication will be classified in one of the following tiers:

  1. Independent A: An Independent A publication will utilize the Publication Board’s resources, including but not limited to, the funding and editor selection processes and facilities. As this is the last tier before becoming a member publication, Editors of an Independent A publications seeking eligibility for franchise membership shall be present at all Board meetings as non-voting members.
  1. Independent B: An Independent B publication has the right to use the Board’s facilities.
  1. Independent C: An Independent C publication does not have to associate with the Board unless they choose otherwise, but are given written consent to use the Duke name and distribute on campus.

Section C – Recognition

  1. The Editor of a publication desiring recognition as an independent publication shall present himself to the Board. A majority vote is required to grant independent status to the publication.
  2. All independent publications must renew their status in a standardized form, approved by the Board, by the November meeting of every year provided that the publication’s past performance has complied with the guidelines set forth by the Code of Ethics of the United States Student Press Association.
  3. Independent publications must remain for at least one year at their current level before applying to advance to the next. At the end of each academic year they may apply to advance one level of classification (e.g. from C to B), which may or may not be approved by a majority vote of the Board, pending such factors as their performance, funding structure, and proposed sustainability.

Section D – Funding

An independent publication may apply for a one-year subsidy from the John Spencer Bassett Memorial Fund.

Section E – Meetings and Voting

The publication’s Editor or designate shall attend one Board meeting per semester, but shall not have voting privileges except in the case of constitutional amendments or by-laws which may affect independent publications.

Section F – Removal

By a two-thirds majority, the Board may revoke recognition of an independent publication when presented with sufficient cause. No action of a disciplinary nature may be taken against an independent publication and/or its constituents before they have been given a hearing before the Board.

VII. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS IN PUBLICATIONS

All publications authorized by the Publications Board (franchise and Independent A, B, C) must include the following statement in their publication on the staff page or acknowledgement page: [Name of publication] is a [status] publication authorized by the Duke University Undergraduate Publications Board.

  • Example 1: The Chanticleer is a franchise publication authorized by the Duke Unversity Undergraduate Publications Board.
  • Example 2: The Commons is an Independent C publication authorized by the Duke University Undergraduate Publications Board.

VIII. AMENDMENTS

Proposals for amendments to the constitution shall be presented in written form for the Board’s consideration at least seven days prior to the meeting at which the voting takes place. Proposals for amendments must be approved by two-thirds of the voting membership of the Board.

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