The Hilltop Remains Daily

The Hilltop Policy Board, which serves as the newspaper’s board of directors, voted yesterday to continue printing The Hilltop as a daily publication. All but two members of the policy board, Director of Student Activities Lennon Jackson and Dean of Student Activities Tonya Guillory, voted to keep the newspaper printing five days a week for the 2008-2009 calendar year based on a pledge by The Hilltop’s management to generate more ad revenue, according to Howard University student leaders. New members of the policy board, who represent all of Howard’s schools and colleges and the different sectors of Howard community at are, were also welcomed to the board yesterday

The Hilltop was forced to stop publication, a decision made by Jackson and Guillory and approved by policy board chairman Nicholas Owen. The decision was met by widespread disapproval by current and former Howard students and different community activists, including Dick Gregory.

Courtney Eiland, a former sports and managing editor for The Hilltop, was on the staff when the newspaper began printing daily on February 28, 2005 and said the decision was risky at the time.

“But we ended up making history as the only black collegiate paper to print daily and its comforting to see that the legacy continues,” Eiland said.

Thousands of Howard University alum expressed concern over the decision and a willingness to donate directly to The Hilltop instead of donating to the school. Several alum said they did not want to donate the money to Howard University’s administration but to The Hilltop privately and separately to ensure that the paper received the funds.

The news of the decision to stop publication was first broken on BisonRoundup, a forum for Howard University alum where many initially expressed willingness to donate.

“I was surprised to hear that printing stop because I read the Hilltop online regularly,” said Kristina Thomas, a Howard alum and graduate film student at University of Southern California. “So when I got to campus and heard what happened, I was really upset. This should never happen in the first place because the newspaper and the yearbook are important for keeping record of what happens at Howard.

The Hilltop broke the news about the policy board’s decision between 7 p.m. and 12 a.m. yesterday on their website, The Hilltop Online.

“I am so pleased by the advisory board to not allow this historic publication go less than daily. This is a call of faith in the new Hilltop staff, which includes the Editor in Chief, Vanessa Rozier, and those who manage the business and financial operations of the paper, to take advantage of the “second chance” given to them and not only do it right but do it well. This is also a call to the Howard Alumni, especially those who own businesses, to support the paper through advertisement. I look forward to new beginnings at the Hilltop for 2008-2009!” said one regular reader of The Hilltop Online, Veronica Carter, in a comment on the story.

~ by talkiscostley on 05/22/2008.