Student supporters of the Interrobang newspaper are expressing frustration after attempting to speak out at the Fanshawe Student Union’s (FSU) Annual General Meeting (AGM), only to be met with surprise restrictions and what they referred to as a lack of genuine discussion.

During the meeting, Board of Directors Chair Kara D'Arcangelo informed attendees of procedural rules not previously communicated, including a two-minute speaking limit per Member, as well as a rule that Members would only be allowed to speak once during the “new business” section of the agenda. This directive prompted frustration among students who attended specifically to voice concerns about the newspaper's closure, as they had to significantly shorten prepared statements.

Students like Interrobang reporter Jack Sutton had hoped to speak on concerns about transparency in the FSU’s decision-making and lost job opportunities for students, but said he was “not aware of the two-minute limit.”  Photography student Greg Crossman, meanwhile, who also spoke in favour of reviving the Interrobang, agreed that the two-minute restriction felt like an insufficient amount of time to properly express himself.

“Two minutes is not even scratching the surface of getting into details about how important Interrobang is for the college,” he said.

In his remarks, Crossman emphasized the paper’s significant contribution to students’ career opportunities.

“The amount of doors that open up as a student working for the Interrobang…we can't get that outside of college now because so many media places are shrinking, they're closing down,” Crossman said, underscoring broader concerns regarding reduced opportunities for journalists across Canada.

FSU President Siddharth Singh insisted that the decision to cancel Interrobang resulted in “no job losses,” however, any future positions formerly offered through the Interrobang for reporters, artists, and writers will no longer exist following the paper’s closure. 

Sutton spoke to this loss for future students during his statement to the Board.

“This isn’t just some small group of amateurs,” Sutton said. “Our writers have had impressive careers after their time at Interrobang.”

Sutton also emphasized a lack of transparency with the decision to cut the newspaper, citing the FSU’s recent move to making Board meetings private and Board meeting minutes no longer publicly accessible.

“We were not consulted,” Sutton said, adding that he felt betrayed and disillusioned by the FSU’s decision-making process. “We can’t even see a record of the decision. It’s a small group of people making decisions behind closed doors.”

Up until Feb. 2024, the FSU had been sharing Board meeting minutes publicly on its website. But Advocacy and Communications Coordinator Gabriel Agostini defended the FSU's decision-making process as standard practice, citing Ontario’s Not-for-Profit Corporations Act (ONCA). 

“It’s a common practice that Board meeting minutes are not released in not-for-profit organizations; we have laws regulating that,” he said.

Sutton’s response: “Just because you can make that decision behind closed doors, doesn't mean you should.” 

That sentiment was also echoed in Sutton’s response to the lack of communication surrounding Members’ ability to make motions at the AGM. As per the FSU’s by-laws, Members are required to submit any new motions in advance of the AGM, something he feels was not adequately detailed ahead of time. 

“The original hope was to put forward a motion and to be able to actually vote on something substantial. It wasn't communicated to us very well about putting in motions in advance and what the requirements were. So, unfortunately, we weren't able to do that, but I still want to make sure that someone was here to make our points heard and voice our concerns,' Sutton said. 

Crossman shared in this frustration surrounding communication in his speech, expressing his shock at having initially learned of the newspaper's closure externally rather than through the FSU itself.

“The way I found out about this was not through the college—it was actually CBC News,” Crossman said. Crossman, who recently produced a documentary on the Interrobang, emphasized the publication's consistent historical value and student engagement since its inception in the 1970s. He described the decision to close it as “cataclysmic” for student expression and local journalism.

Newly-elected FSU director Gurmeet Singh Kalra suggested transitioning the Interrobang into a fully student-run platform to reduce staff salaries and ensure financial sustainability. President Singh responded to the suggestion, stating the FSU may be open to revisiting the decision should there be significant student backing via a petition for a referendum requiring signatures from at least 10 per cent of the student population. He stressed that genuine student engagement would be crucial for any reconsideration.

However, Sutton was not so hopeful.

'If we got to the amount of signatures, that would be up to the FSU's discretion. They've raised some concerns about the complication of having a referendum between semesters at an awkward time of the year. They tend to happen with the election. So, it’s pretty up in the air if we get to that point, when it will take place. But I think it's clear that the Interrobang will not be there this upcoming year,” Sutton said.

The next opportunity for student Members to meet with the Board of Directors will be at the Special General Meeting (SGM), set to be held in September.