Protect our Right to Express Student Stories (P.R.E.S.S.) Fee Referendum 

The P.R.E.S.S. (Protect our Right to Express Student Stories) initiative will fund the operations and longevity of The UCSD Guardian, UCSD’s official award-winning independent newspaper by students for students. The Guardian is the only pre-professional journalism program at UCSD and epicenter of the student voice as the primary source of news for the UCSD community and San Diego public. Since 1967, our journalists have diligently worked to cover key events with our values of timeliness, transparency, and quality. As the one of the only student-run departments left at UCSD, we follow the journalistic missions of accessibility, ethicality, and truth in our work to ensure that student stories are told with nuance, weight, context, and empathy. With thousands of readers online and in print, The Guardian has served the UCSD community:

● Reporting stories from a student perspective across six interdisciplinary journalism sections: News, Features (human interest), Opinion, Arts & Entertainment, Lifestyle, and Sports

● Singular cultivator (outside of administrative oversight) of open and informed dialogue for undergraduate and graduate students to be heard and hear others discuss issues that matter to them

● Recording archival situated community history by students for students in print and online, such as being used in classes, art projects, multimedia presentations, zines, and more

● Training thousands of student journalists who have gone on to become lawyers, doctors, scientists, researchers, professors, and so much more

● Receiving over 93 awards from the California College Newspaper Association (CCMA), including winning the “Newspaper General Excellence Category” multiple times

● Been featured for our stellar reporting in local and national media outlets including KPBS and ABC7

The Guardian PRESS fee will allocate funds by following well-established and similar models for other UC papers at their campuses. The Guardian proposes this fee to be spent on: 

1. Maintaining free distribution and access to our digital and print work by: 
   • Support around-the-clock on-the-ground coverage of student-interest happenings 
   • Compensating our editors appropriately 
   • Covering the cost of digital and print operations
2. Long-term advancement and expansion projects to increase professionalism and quality: 
   • Reinstate a staff and/or faculty advisor for mentorship and administrative longevity and support business staff salary
   • Host pre-professional journalism and media networking events 
   • Provide expansion opportunities in the following sectors: Long-term investigative projects, Multimedia storytelling, Internship programming, Staff and leadership expansion, Training and development

Students Subject to the Fee

Students Subject to the Fee: If passed, this fee will apply to all undergraduate and graduate fee-paying students. The Guardian will continue to report on, hire for, and accept submissions from all undergraduate and graduate students. Quarters Assessed: If passed, this fee will be assessed Fall, Winter, and Spring Quarters, beginning in Fall 2025. The Guardian will be published regularly in print, for free through Fall, Winter, and Spring, with occasional digital coverage in Summer pending budget and staff capabilities. Allocation: If passed, this fee will be allocated by the student-run Editorial Board of The Guardian appointed every Spring. The Editorial Board is led by The Guardian’s student-elected Editor-in-Chief and Managing Editor, who will have final discretion on the composition and management of the Editorial Board with one regulation: students shall be the only voting members on the Editorial Board. If applicable, any professional staff at The Guardian can be consulted to offer advisory support only.

Quarters Assessed

If passed, this fee will be assessed Fall, Winter, and Spring Quarters, beginning in Fall 2025. The Guardian will be published regularly in print, for free through Fall, Winter, and Spring, with occasional digital coverage in Summer pending budget and staff capabilities.

Return to Aid

If passed, the entirety of this fee will be included in the determination of financial aid and 29% of this fee revenue will be directed to the Financial Aid & Scholarship Office to be awarded based on student need. The remaining 71% of the fee collected will be used exclusively for programs and services outlined in the referendum.

Allocation

If passed, this fee will be allocated by the student-run Editorial Board of The Guardian appointed every Spring. The Editorial Board is led by The Guardian’s student-elected Editor-in-Chief and Managing Editor, who will have final discretion on the composition and management of the Editorial Board with one regulation: students shall be the only voting members on the Editorial Board. If applicable, any professional staff at The Guardian can be consulted to offer advisory support only.

Adjusted for Inflation

If passed, this fee will be inflation adjusted every fall quarter, beginning in Fall 2026, according to the annual Consumer Price Index (CPI) for the San Diego Region. Other than the CPI, any adjustment to the quantity of this fee would require a future referendum.

 Voting

“Minimum voting pools” have been determined in accordance with University regulations. A minimum voter turnout of at least 20% of all students eligible to vote in a particular student election. The exact number of students required will be provided by the University Registrar in advance of the election and will be based on the winter quarter 2025 census data. In addition, this referendum requires ratification by over fifty percent (50%+1) affirmative vote for approval.

Fee Modification

Modifications of this fee, other than the specified adjustment for inflation, may only be made by a subsequent student referendum held in accordance with appropriate student governmental and University policies and organized by and from current editors at The Guardian.

Pros of the Referendum Passing

Cons of the Referendum Passing