Students and administration at Hawai'i Pacific University are working to define the purpose and usage of the school's student newspaper, Kalamalama.

"About a month ago, there was a student concern brought to the Associated Students of HPU, where the person who was talking stated that they felt that maybe the student-run newspaper wasn't as student run as it should be," said AS-HPU freshman representative Saige Martin, who chairs the newly formed Kalamalama Review Committee.

According to Kalamalama faculty adviser Larry LeDoux, students write Kalamalama stories, and student editors choose and reject the stories intended for publication. An editorial board consisting of faculty and administration members reviews each edition for accuracy.

"Our policy is that this is a student newspaper," LeDoux said. "If a student has written something, we'll do our best to make sure it's published. What we require first is that you do a thorough job."

The publication, which also accepts contributions from university departments and faculty, is funded by HPU as an "instructionally related activity" to train students in journalism and business skills as well as share information with the university community.

The review committee was formed because some students feel that anything controversial or negative about the university is edited out of articles.

"Two journalism students I've talked to say that they've been censored (in Kalamalama articles), but are afraid to use their names because they think they might lose their scholarships," said HPU senior Tim Lussier.

Kalamalama associate editor Janel Foster said it is simply a matter of writing quality, not censorship.

"We try to put in as many stories that are balanced and well written as we can, regardless of whether they be uplifting or negative," she said. "In the two years I've worked (at Kalamalama), I have not once seen a story thrown out because it's negative to the school."

LeDoux said the university is very accepting of anything that appears under a student name on Kalamalama's editorial page, as long as the piece has been vetted for accuracy and fairness.

"I just don't think it's fair to call it a student newspaper," Lussier said. "If your student editors aren't free to allow what goes in, if the vice president decides what is published, then it should be called the university paper of HPU, because calling it a student paper is disingenuous to our student journalists."

The review committee is circulating a student petition asking the university to allow students more editorial control over Kalamalama content. Martin hopes to collect 1,000 signatures, but said he is also tracking how many students do not sign in order to gauge the level of student concern.

"We've been doing some fact checking, trying to gather as much information about the issue at hand as we can so that we are as informed as possible before we make any judgments on what should be done," he said. "It's something that we're definitely working hand in hand with the administration to try and see what the best possible outcome is."

Martin plans to meet with journalism faculty and students before compiling a report of the committee's findings and suggestions.

"I want to make sure that whatever we choose to do — if we choose to change anything at all — that it's the best choice and it's going to last the longest, and that it's not going to have to be changed five years down the road. We really want to make it sustainable," he said.

HPU College of Communication dean Steven Combs said now is a good time to address concerns. Changes to the journalism program, such as the embrace of new media, have created a period of media transition.

"I think this is an opportunity for the students to get their voices together and come to a consensus about what they want, and then to articulate that to us," Combs said. "I hope that they realize that the climate is such that we welcome that. We really want to hear from them."