Maria Shaikh | Acting Editor-in-Chief
Former Editor-in-Chief Gregorio Olivares Gutierrez filed an appeal of his termination with the Student Media Operating Board 11 a.m. Sept. 17. SMOB has until Thursday evening to review his appeal and decide whether to overturn or maintain their verdict to terminate him as Editor-in-Chief. If SMOB cannot come to a decision, then Jenni Huffenberger, senior director of marketing and student media, will make the decision unilaterally.
In a Sept. 16 memo sent by Director of Student Media Lydia Lum to Mercury management, the Student Media Operating Board said it will meet with all current management members to decide on their continued employment at The Mercury and “privileges associated with [their] positions.” SMOB has no legal jurisdiction over management members other than the Editor-in-Chief and Managing Editor.
Mercury student leaders elected to make The Mercury’s former Instagram account into a personal account unaffiliated with The Mercury’s official brand to disseminate the same information. The account was originally created by a student and ownership has been passed between students for over seven years. The owners of the account have elected to repurpose it after the Office of Student Affairs requested access to The Mercury’s official social media accounts.
Individuals interested in keeping up with The Mercury’s strike and Olivares’ appeal process can follow the student-owned and operated @comet.news Instagram account, which is dedicated to providing news to students during this unprecedented period.
Editor’s Note: For full transparency, The Mercury has decided to publish Lum’s memo to Mercury management; the email Olivares sent to SMOB officially requesting an appeal; and the full appeal Olivares sent as an attachment in the email. See below for all relevant documents.
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