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

1. Guaranteed and increased access to news: Ensure free access to high-quality, ethical reporting of UCSD matters, in print and online 
2. Expanded coverage: Increased ability to provide timely and transparent scope of coverage of key UCSD events and issues 
3. Educational resources and advancement: Implement further reporting, writing, and media education opportunities by facilitating internship programs, public workshops, programming, professional panels, available to the entire student body 
4. Compensation and internal resources: Increase stipends for student editors, invest in higher quality materials, and provide further opportunities for larger-scale, investigative reporting efforts 

Cons of the Referendum Passing

1. Excessive Budget Increase: The proposed fee would raise The Guardian’s expenditures from a few tens of thousands of dollars to a budget of over $441,000 annually, an >1500% increase, with automatic yearly inflation adjustments (no student vote required). 
2. No Opt-Out Option: Unlike other organizations (ie. CalPIRG) that provide students with the option to support the organization through additional fees, this referendum would add a mandatory $3.50 quarterly fee for all undergraduate and graduate students. The Guardian had 1,000+ signatures on their petition for the referendum, suggesting they would still have support/funding with an opt-in system. All students should have complete freedom of choice as to what newspapers they choose to financially support. This referendum strips this basic freedom from ~40,000 students.
3. Reduced Student Oversight: The Guardian would have control over this budget without input from the general student body. Students will not have significant influence over how this student fee is being spent. 
4. Environmental and Financial Concerns: Continued emphasis on print distribution raises sustainability issues. A digital-only format would be more eco-friendly and save tens of thousands of student dollars. 
5. Low Voter Threshold: Only 20% of students need to vote, with a simple majority required to pass, meaning as few as ~4,400 students could impose a recurring fee on all 44,000 students. 

1. What is the referendum?

A vote to authorize the P.R.E.S.S. (Protect our Right to Express Student Stories) fee, which will fund the continued operations of The UCSD Guardian, the campus paper.

2. What is The UCSD Guardian?

 The UCSD Guardian is the independent and legacy student-run and led newspaper at UC San Diego giving voice to undergraduate and graduate students since 1967. The Guardian is the only pre-professional and academic journalism opportunity at UCSD and the primary news source for and about the UCSD community.

3. Why now?

As the rights of free and independent press degrade, The Guardian is no longer able to sustain itself solely through advertising; it has been relying on the University for funding support since COVID-19, which the campus is no longer able to provide.

4. Why a referendum? 

Funding through a student fee referendum would ensure The Guardian’s ability to maintain its independence and longevity. Though The Guardian has considered other funding structures, none are as reliable or as aligned with its by-student-for-student ethos.

5. What's changing if it passes? 

Students will be subject to an additional fee of $3.50 assessed per quarter. The Guardian will be able to continue free distribution of student news in print and online while expanding its scope and quality of coverage, including expanding the size of its staff and its pre-professional and training capabilities for students interested in journalism at UCSD.

6. How will the fee be used? 

A portion of the fee will be returned to aid (roughly $120,000). As required by the university, another estimated $170,000 will be devoted to salary support of a full-time journalism advisor and business manager. The rest of the fee (an estimated $120,000) will be allocated and made public yearly by the student-run and led Editorial Board of The Guardian, who will decide what funding priorities most support the news needs of the student body spend accordingly on operations and advancement for journalism at UC San Diego.

 These costs will likely include: stipends for our 25+ editors, maintaining print, website maintenance, investigative journalism projects, and pre-professional internship programs.

7.  Who does this affect?

The Guardian is the primary source of by-student-for-student news at UCSD, meaning that the end or continuation of the paper will affect all undergraduate and graduate students at UCSD. In comparison to mainstream media, The Guardian is uniquely devoted to telling the stories of UCSD students. Its work represents and amplifies the UCSD student voice to the world.

8. What happens if it doesn't pass? 

The Guardian may be forced to limit, reduce, and/or lower the quality of its operations as the primary student newspaper representing and serving UCSD. Without a long-term funding structure, The Guardian is at risk of shutdown.

9. How can I vote? 

Vote online at Triton Link via Qualtrics from 10am on April 7th to April 11th at 4:00pm (PST).