By Anne Baker

Media board advisor Sandra Miller has resigned from her position, leaving some students questioning the fate of media at Northeastern.

Miller cited a desire to return to her work as a freelance journalist as the reason behind her leave.

“I’ve been here for almost seven years and I’m ready to go back to my roots being a writer and an editor,” Miller said.

As media advisor, Miller played an active role to advance and protect student media on campus, said media board chairman Stephen Asay. She oversaw nine student media organizations, including The News, Times New Roman and WRBB radio station.

“I’m not happy that’s she’s leaving,” he said. “She has been a very strong proponent of student media on campus, so I think it’s a loss for the media board as a whole.”

Asay said Miller was “limited” by her position, but did what she could in her role to advocate for the students and media.

“She was always constrained by her job description and she had to listen to what her bosses told her to do, but within the constraints of her position, she did all she could do to advance student media on campus,” he said.

Miller said that although she was moving on from her position as media board advisor, she would not rule out working at Northeastern again in the future.

“I love it here at Northeastern,” she said. “I would not turn down another position.”

Chris McGill, director of student activities, leadership and scholarship, which oversees student media, said she expects to have a new media board advisor by the fall. McGill will act as temporary advisor until then. She took on her current position in December 2006 after holding various positions relating to Greek Life at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and the University of Virginia.

Asay said that although McGill does not have a background in media, she has an understanding of the issues the publications of media board face.

“Chris was essentially Sandra’s boss,” he said. “Chris was the next level up and we were reporting to Chris through Sandra. So she knows what’s going on.”

However, Candice Springer, editor-in-chief of the Onyx Informer said McGill’s lack of experience with media poses a potential problem.

“The fact that she doesn’t have a background in journalism isn’t the most beneficial for us as a group,” Springer said.

The possibility of media advisors’ prior review of student publications has been a general concern of those on media board in recent years, Asay and Springer said. Questions of prior review were raised this past spring in connection with the reprinting of comedy magazine Times New Roman.

McGill said prior review was not in the future for publications at Northeastern.

“I do want to assure you that prior review will not happen,” McGill said.

Student media members worry they will have to submit their publications for approval before publication, essentially taking away their ability for an open and free press.

“Because of little things that we’ve been hearing all over campus, I can’t say that I don’t think it will never happen,” Springer said. “I don’t know how the university could encourage us to be good journalists but force us to submit our writing in advance or to have them preview our issue beforehand.”

However, Asay said the media board charter has checks in place to prevent prior review. He said he is not worried McGill would attempt to enforce it on Northeastern’s student media.

“I think several media board members, in speaking with Chris, were able to convince her [prior review] wasn’t the greatest thing in the world,” he said. “I think she doesn’t have a background in journalism and just didn’t understand. But she was definitely open to talking about it.”

Springer, however, said she has prepared herself for the possibility of prior review.

“I wouldn’t put it past the administration to make this sort of change and we’re ready for it if it comes,” she said.