McMaster Student Union Dismisses Student Newspaper Executive Editor

Joey Coleman reports that the Board of Directors of the McMaster Student Union (MSU) has laid off the Executive Editor of The Sil, the student newspaper of McMaster University. This layoff was apparently in violation of the Operating Policies of the MSU, which give the power of hiring and firing to the Board of Publications, an entity that includes representatives of the student newspaper as well as student politicians. The layoff was conducted by the four-member Board of Directors without consulting the Student Representative Assembly of the MSU, which is the primary governing body of the student union. The Editorial Board of the MSU released a statement asserting that their "autonomy has been jeopardized."

The Eyeopener, student newspaper at Ryerson, has an editorial on the subject.

Meanwhile, the MSU Board of Directors has released a statement claiming "that the decision to dismiss the Silhouette Executive Editor has nothing to do with the content of the Silhouette," and further stating that they would not provide a reason for the Executive Editor's dismissal as "employment procedures are dealt with in closed session" to protect the "confidentiality" of the process.... Hmmm, where have I heard that before....