The Star: September 19, 2019
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<strong>The</strong> <strong>Star</strong> Thursday <strong>September</strong> <strong>19</strong> 20<strong>19</strong><br />
24<br />
OUR PEOPLE – SAMANTHA MYTHEN<br />
Paving the way for editorial independence<br />
FREEDOM: Canta magazine editor Samantha Mythen<br />
is on a mission to gain editorial independence from the<br />
University of Canterbury Students’ Association.<br />
Student magazine Canta<br />
is on a mission to gain<br />
editorial independence.<br />
Editor Samantha<br />
Mythen said the<br />
University of Canterbury<br />
Students’ Association<br />
having the final say<br />
on the publication<br />
was censoring the<br />
student voice. She has<br />
started a petition for<br />
independence from<br />
the student association.<br />
Louis Day talks with the<br />
student magazine editor<br />
Why do you think it is<br />
important for Canta to have full<br />
independence?<br />
If Canta had full editorial<br />
independence from the UCSA<br />
it means students would see<br />
Canta as a publication where<br />
they can share their views and<br />
come to us with issues that we<br />
can investigate, look in to and<br />
try to address. At this current<br />
point in time, there seems to<br />
be a bit of a push back from the<br />
UCSA if any students want to<br />
write about any issues to do with<br />
them or UC. <strong>The</strong> process seems<br />
to take a lot longer and issues<br />
seem to be pushed aside or they<br />
aren’t addressed as properly as<br />
they should be. <strong>The</strong> other student<br />
magazines are for the majority<br />
independent or editorially<br />
independent and that is why you<br />
see them hitting the hard issues<br />
affecting students today.<br />
How has this censorship and<br />
proofing been impacting on the<br />
magazine?<br />
In general there is a good<br />
relationship between Canta and<br />
the UCSA but because we have to<br />
get our copy proofed it means we<br />
lose time because we have to get<br />
it into the UCSA by a certain date<br />
so it puts a lot of pressure on our<br />
students and I feel like that impacts<br />
on the quality of our magazine. It<br />
is just this whole extra push back<br />
with certain issues and I have to<br />
organise meetings, it is just a whole<br />
lot more of a process and it takes a<br />
lot longer.<br />
‘It should be a place where<br />
they can share their views<br />
and gather some support.’<br />
What do you see as the<br />
fundamental role of a student<br />
magazine?<br />
I hope to make Canta a student<br />
magazine where any student can<br />
pick it up and find something<br />
they can relate to. Coming from<br />
that, I see student magazines as<br />
a place where students can share<br />
their passion and tell all the other<br />
students about it. It should be a<br />
place where they can share their<br />
views and gather some support and<br />
figure out issues and problems.<br />
What are some of the stories<br />
that need telling at Canterbury<br />
University?<br />
Ever since I started at UC I<br />
have had a lot of complaints<br />
about the USCA, a lot of people<br />
asking where is the S in the<br />
UCSA? Where are the students?<br />
I believe because of the way it has<br />
been set up after some legislative<br />
changes in 2011 it became quite<br />
business-orientated and so there<br />
is just a whole lot of complaints<br />
from unhappy students around<br />
this. Otherwise we have had<br />
students writing in and criticising<br />
and comparing the new Haereroa<br />
building with the old students<br />
association building. We have<br />
had students writing about this<br />
expensive parking on campus<br />
and whether what we are paying<br />
is going back into the students<br />
and just stuff to do with student<br />
support services and the way<br />
people have been treated and how<br />
the exec runs. <strong>The</strong>re are a whole<br />
lot of people complaining and I’m<br />
trying to figure out if there is any<br />
evidence to this.<br />
What kind of editor are you?<br />
I really like creating a team<br />
environment because we rely so<br />
much on our volunteers and our<br />
amazing contributors. I really<br />
love feedback and criticism<br />
flying around the newsroom<br />
and I would love to call myself a<br />
mentoring editor. I really want to<br />
help people improve with their<br />
writing.<br />
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