Campus administrators have still not finalized a policy for the use of Triton Cable after they sent a draft of an “acceptable use policy” to lawyers at the UC Office of the President.
Acting Assistant Vice Chancellor of Student Life Gary R. Ratcliff is close to implementing the “acceptable use policy” governing Triton Cable, which would not be permitted to broadcast some forms of indecent material if the document were approved.
System-wide lawyers have offered suggestions to UCSD officials regarding the document — which bans various forms of sexuality and indecency from the university-owned cable network — who are still mulling the finalization of the plan. Student leaders have criticized the content of the policy draft, with A.S. President Harry Khanna calling it “draconian” and “reactionary.” Acting Assistant Vice Chancellor of Student Life Gary R. Ratcliff outlined the proposal after student leaders bypassed administrators’ desires to see sexual nudity banned in a revamp of the Student-Run Television charter, following several broadcasts of pornography by John Muir College alumnus Steve York.
UC lawyer Steve Rosen began reviewing the AUP in May, and returned the document with “minor revisions,” according to Ratcliff. He added that the Office of the General Counsel concentrated on adapting the AUP to Federal Communications Commission guidelines “to station programmers on how to ensure that no obscene or indecent material or language is improperly aired.”
The only revision the systemwide office made to the AUP was the addition of a reference link to the FCC Web site, so that campus stations could access federal regulations, Ratcliff said. SRTV advocates were hoping for more major changes to the document, which they say impedes student rights.
SRTV co-Manager Andrew Tess has protested the AUP since its inception, specifically the amount of power over campus cable networks it gives to university vice chancellors.
Throughout several drafts of the document, administrators became more lenient. The most recent version of the AUP gives stations violating policy five days after notification from the university to “identify the actions it will take to prevent recurrence of the violation.”
The policies are still vague, Tess said, and will give administrators extreme oversight over campus media.
Ratcliff restored the SRTV signal 6 a.m.-10 p.m., the first time it has been on air since November, and said that he will fully reactivate the station once concrete policies are fully implemented.
While Tess said he is satisfied with the SRTV’s current broadcast time the inevitable approval of the AUP is inherently against station interests.
“Having this signal is better than nothing, but it’s not where we want to be,” Tess said. “We’re not opposed to the idea of policies, but it is unreasonable.”
