STEELER

eT

 

a eC psooasa IS

ANNETTE MARTIN

The memo, signed by Kelli Semple
and other members of the executive,

 

 

Vanishing magazines

states, “the
only reason
we are

 

 

Only one day after last month’s pub-
lication appeared on news stands
around the New Westminster cam-

requesting
this is to ensure that the views of
the Union are consistent with what
is being portrayed in the public.” The
message continues, “The public must

Coordinator, claim, “We have had sev
eral College personnel inform us that
they took part in disposing of the
OPs and [we] were also warned that
the college was going to try to blame

a”

us.
he memo, however, goes on to
T=" security personnel of
misinformation, claiming that
Melinda Read had been named as the

 

pus, copies of the Other Press
summer magazine vanished—
removed by.a.person (or persons)

 

CC

 

ying rumours

person seen removing magazines.
And that Melinda, along with five
other members of the DCSS

executive and rep committee, was

 

 

unknown.

hat triggered such a
Wiiczes attempt to control
the autonomous paper?

The controversial summer issue
contained stories questioning the
validity of the March DCSS elections,
which were held under new bylaws
that have not yet been filed and
approved by Victoria.

It also contained a spoof on YM
magazine, which generated several
complaints to the Other Press.

The disappearance of the maga-
zines, and the ongoing investigation
into who removed them, produced a
flurry of innuendoes, rumours and
memos.

he first memo from the DCSS
i advised

representatives and staff that
communication with “non-members
of the Students’ Union” should be
restricted to the executive.

(Editorial note: Membership in the
DCSS is not restricted to executives
and representatives. Any student
enrolled in any Douglas College class
is automatically a paid-up member of
the Student’s Union.)

see the DSU as having one solid
opinion of the current issues.”
At least two members of the DCSS

out of town at the time of the
alleged incident and could not,
therefore, have been responsible.
The person who was allegedly seen

 

Representative
Committee—
who declined
to identify

 

and Speeding memo:

 

themselves—interpreted this memo
to mean, “We can’t talk to anyone at
the Other Press.”
embers of the newspaper
Me were then informed
that a Security guard :
had witnessed the (
wholesale removal of
magazines from the
news stand closest
to the Security
Booth, and that the
female perpetrator
was recognizable, ” 8
although her identity
could not be absolutely
verified.
The DCSS had also heard
rumours and sent out another memo
addressed to Terry Leonard, Director
of Facilities at the college.
In this memo, Amanda Wheeler,
External Relations Coordinator, and
Kelli Semple, Internal Relations

June 1999 the Other Press page 6

  
 
 
 
 
  
  
  
  
 

scooping the news stand is not one
of the people named by the DCSS
memo as being out of town at the
time of the incident.

Armando Fernandez, Security
Supervisor for the New
Westminster campus,
said he’s not con-
™ cerned about the
unsubstantiated
accusations.

“T wouldn't
know Melinda,” he
said, “And neither
does the guard who
witnessed the person
removing the papers so we

didn’t bring up her name.”

In a letter to Leonard dated May
25, 1999, Fernandez states, “At no
time did security ever accuse any-
body by name for the removal of the
news letters...we did witness some-
one removing the letters and gave