Senior HOYA staff members are optimistic about the newspaper’s plans to become an independent publication following a meeting with university administrators two days after the GUSA Senate passed a resolution supporting their goal. On Wednesday, HOYA Editor in Chief John Swan (COL ’09), Chair of the Board of Directors Alex Schank (COL ’08), Business Director Mike Masterson (MSB ’08) and Max Sarinsky (COL ’09), a member of the Board of Directors and former editor in chief, met with university officials regarding the newspaper’s future. Vice President for Student Affairs Todd Olson, Associate Vice President for Student Affairs Jeanne Lord and Director of Student Programs Erika Cohen-Derr were present, along with attorneys representing both parties. Schank said the parties discussed substantial issues during the meeting, with both sides expressing their views on the newspaper’s desire to become independent. Olson said he thought the meeting represented a positive step in the negotiations. “I believe the meeting was an open and valuable one,” he said. “I have been involved in conversations with students about an independent newspaper for a couple of years now.” On Monday, the GUSA Senate approved a resolution supporting THE HOYA’s independence by a vote of 15-9-2. Zack Bluestone (SFS ’09), a representative on the Media Board, the advising and funding board for student media outlets, and a student association senator who voted against the resolution, said he thinks THE HOYA’s move toward independence is ill-timed and that the potential for failure is too great. “I’m not saying that independence should never happen, I just don’t think at this time it is the right direction,” Bluestone said. “The [risks] are possibly going out of business and possible libel issues.” “We’d have to be very conscious [of the risks],” Schank said. “We’ll plan well and we’ll make the best decision.” This is not the first time THE HOYA has attempted to disaffiliate itself from the university. Schank said there was a major push for independence in 2006, but negotiations between the university and THE HOYA stalled because of disputes over retention of the name “THE HOYA.” University administrators said then that in order for THE HOYA to be an independent newspaper, it would have to choose a new name. After the most recent round of talks, Swan said that the name remains important to the newspaper. “I would say it [the name] is still as important,” Swan said. “That is one of the main reasons we changed the slogan from `Free THE HOYA’ to `Save THE HOYA.'” Olson said the university administration is supportive of an independent student newspaper. “The university has made it clear to students that we are supportive of an independent newspaper,” Olson said. “The issue of the name has been one of the key points of discussion.” Other student newspapers, including The Georgetown Voice, The GW Hatchet and The Eagle, American University’s student newspaper, recently weighed in on independence for THE HOYA. The Boston College Heights printed an editorial yesterday in favor of THE HOYA’s independence movement. “For those of us who currently work at The Heights, trying to imagine a paper still under financial and editorial control of the university seems next to impossible,” the editorial said. “That makes for a huge conflict of interest: A newspaper cannot provide accurate reporting on an institution to which it is so intimately tied.” ike Stewart (COL ’08), editor-in-chief of The Voice, said he thinks the name will be too big a concession for the university. “I think at this point [THE HOYA] is going to have to be willing to give up the name in order to go independent . I don’t think the university is going to relinquish the name.” Swan said THE HOYA is trying to gain attention for the independence movement through the `Save THE HOYA’ Facebook group, the `Save THE HOYA’ online petition and a new Web site. As of early today, the Facebook group had reached 672 members, while 503 had signed the official petition. In a recent edition of The GW Hatchet, Cohen-Derr noted that the university bailed out THE HOYA the last time it was in financial trouble. “Several years ago the Media Board aided THE HOYA when the paper had a shortage of funds,” said Cohen-Derr, as quoted in the Jan. 14 edition of The GW Hatchet. “When that happened, had they been an independent organization, they might not have been able to cover their costs, so they were running a really big deficit and at that point the media board covered their deficit,” she said. Swan said THE HOYA would not have run in to the trouble had it been allowed to control its own finances. “Every year THE HOYA was forced to go back to zero,” he said. Stewart said an independent HOYA would have an effect on The Voice. “[If THE HOYA became independent], it would obviously change the role [The Voice] would play on campus. We would then turn into the main school paper,” Stewart said. “But on a daily basis I don’t think it would change much of what we do.” – Tim Fernholz, former editor in chief of The Georgetown Voice, replaced HOYA editor in chief John Swan in the editing of this report.