The State Hornet

Journalism 197a & 197b

Journalism 197a | Journalism 197b | Staff Handbook | State Hornet Charter

General Syllabus

About the State Hornet
The State Hornet is the independent student newspaper for CSUS. The print edition is published on Wednesdays and an online website aims for daily publication (www.statehornet.com).

The newspaper office is located on the second floor of the student union, near the second floor exit facing the library quad. The main office phone number is 278-6353.

Goals of the newspaper
To cover the news and interests of the entire CSUS campus community, including students, staff, faculty and administration.

To honestly report with balance, trying at all times to give voice to all sides of the story or issue.

To provide a realistic newsroom experience so members may make a transition to a working news agency after graduation, including all aspects of publishing a newspaper.

To follow the Society of Professional Journalists Code of Ethics.

Application Process
To enroll in either J197a or J197b, a student must:
• apply to and be hired by the State Hornet Editor in Chief.
• be added to the class with the permission of the instructor.
Application forms are available in the State Hornet offices (second floor, Student Union) and in the Communication Studies department office (Mendocino Hall 5014).

Students may enroll in J197a and b through CASPER or by adding the class during the first class period. But students who have not followed the application process will be administratively dropped from the class rolls after the first class meeting.

All students working on the State Hornet must be enrolled in credit associated with the newspaper. All courses offer 3 units of graded academic credit per semester.

Communication

Each student must have an e-mail address, and you must check it often – preferably every day.

List Proc
You are required to sign up for the Hornet list proc to receive important messages (or send them). To sign up, send a message from the email you check most often to Listproc@csus.edu with the message line, subscribe.

In the text of the message, write
Subscribe statehornet-L firstname lastname
End

Do not include any other text with this message. If you have been successfully added to the list you will receive a welcome message. If you have not been added, usually you are using an e-mail that sends in HTML. You must use a text-based e-mail account. (Your saclink account will work).

Messages
Staff members should also be assigned mail boxes at the Hornet office. After the second week, you will receive a staff list with phone numbers and e-mail addresses. This list is confidential and should not be shared with anyone outside the Hornet staff.

Staff Meetings
As in any newspaper, the staff meetings (3 p.m. on Wednesday), are mandatory for all staff. Make sure you sign in when you arrive. You must also attend a weekly section meeting with your section editor, who will keep track of your attendance. If you cannot make a meeting during the semester, contact your section editor.

Grades
Every student will have a syllabus appropriate to their job at the Hornet, a job description and a weekly evaluation.

Your superviser is responsible for keeping a signed weekly evaluation in a a folder or section in your portfolio. If you are not receiving weekly evaluations, let the Editor in Chief or Faculty Adviser know right away!

Read the appropriate syllabus carefully to plan for attaining the A grade that you want. Simply being a Hornet staff member and doing the minimum will get you the minimum –– a C grade. If you want the A, work hard, do your best. exceed the minimum standard and you will be rewarded –– with an A here and with a successful career when you leave.

Office Policies
Keys
The adviser, business manager and editors have keys assigned to them. As there are ample building hours, late hours will only be for the needs of the publication.

Mail, messages and drawers
All staff members will have a mailbox for messages and assignments. Mailboxes and personal e-mail should be checked a couple of times every day when school is in session. The excuse concerning not getting an assignment in time to cover a story is unacceptable. DO NOT look or take material in other people’s mailboxes –– even if that CD in Features is calling to you.

Phones and faxes
All long distance phone calls must be State Hornet related. To dial out for long distance, 800 numbers or local calls, dial 9 then proceed as usual. Within the university, dial 8, then the four digits corresponding to the office or department you are seeking. Remember the Hornet is charged for every call you make, even local ones, so be conservative.

Answer the phone!
Messages are a vital aspect of both the news and business branches of the State Hornet. All staff members should be capable of answering phones and taking messages.

Please answer the phone “State Hornet, (your name) speaking.” If a person is unavailable, take a message and put it in their mailbox. All phones except the editor in chief’s, adviser’s and the business manager’s phone need to be answered.

If the phone rings anywhere in the newsroom, please answer it by lifting the receiver, pressing the # sign, then 4 which will transfer the call to your phone.

If the caller has a question and you do not know the answer, refer the caller to someone who does. If the caller has a complaint or wants information about a particular story, always refer them either to the section editor or Editor in Chief.

Do not respond to a hostile caller other than to refer the phone call and do not disclose information about any story in process, or name who wrote an editorial. Refer everything!

Take a message! If there is no one in the office to take the call, take a message including the caller’s name, phone number, the time he or she called, the date, who took the message and to what the call pertained. The message can be sent electronically to staff members.

To transfer a call, press down once as if to hang up and let up quickly. You will hear a dial tone. Dial in the number to transfer, then hang up. If no one answers, the call will return to your phone.

To dial any campus number, you must first dial an 8. To use an outside line, dial 9, then the number.

The various sections of the newspaper have just been assigned voice mail, so if no one is available in the section the caller is trying to reach, transfer the call to the appropriate voice mail. Remember that editors can be checking the voice mail remotely, so it will expedite messages getting to various reporters.

Personal Possessions
The State Hornet is not responsible for personal materials left lying around in the office. If you have something you don’t want thrown away, keep it with you or ask an editor for a space for storing staff material.

Materials
Section editors who need certain materials, such as layout paper, photography paper, or toner cartridges should request them from the business manager. Photographers will be expected to obtain and maintain their own photography equipment.

Newsroom conduct
The State Hornet office is one of the few student–run offices on campus. Staff members should conduct themselves in a professional manner at all times. First impressions count.

If you are going out on an interview, be dressed appropriately, be courteous, be prompt and be prepared. Use a mature sounding e-mail for contacting sources. Probably Lucious1@hotmail.net isn’t going to get the response from the source that you would like.

All visitors should be greeted promptly and courteously in the reception area. All guests must be accompanied by a staff member when in the newsroom.

Former Hornet employees may not use the newsroom as a hang-out between classes, so meet your friends elsewhere.

All employees should help out by answering or directing questions.

Because the noise level can get extremely high when employees are in the office, when the phone rings, please remember that all the noise can be heard on the other end of the phone

.Also, if you want to listen to music during business hours, wear headphones. While you might be able to write a story while rocking out to Papa Roach, your office mate may be more into Beethoven. Be considerate of the work environment.

DO NOT move, change or reconfigure any computers, wiring, networking, etc. We are relying on technical support for the newsroom network support and when you change something, it confuses the network and makes it hard to give network support. Don’t do it!

The University Union is a tobacco-free building. Smoking or the use of other tobacco products is not permitted in the office.

Staff relations
Any staff member with a complaint, personality or scheduling conflict should talk with the other person involved. If the problem cannot be resolved, the staff member should talk with their editor. The Editor in Chief should be consulted if no resolution is reached.

The Faculty Adviser is available to facilitate any problems by request of any staff member.

If you need any information about the State Hornet or about things that are being done that you think will affect your job, ask your supervisor.

Don’t depend on rumor; get the facts. You are expected to discourage the practice of starting or spreading rumors.

No problem should be taken external to the paper unless all internal avenues have been exhausted, and the staff member is then expected to follow the Publication’s Board, ASI and University Policy.

Office Hours
All staff members are required to keep set office hours during business hours. Office hours should be realistic and maintained.

A copy of all hours will be posted by each section editor’s desk. A copy of these hours should be given to the editor in chief, and the adviser.

Only post hours you are positive you will serve. This ensures a definite time you are available so you may be reached if needed. Staff members must notify their immediate supervisor if these hours cannot be met. Long-term absences from the office will not be tolerated.

When in doubt –– about anything --–– ask your editor.
Still confused? Ask the Faculty Adviser or the General Manager. But ask!