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Author: Jonathan Phelps

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  • Jonathan Phelps
SATIRE: Mysterious pumpkin patch puts students on edge
  • Opinion

SATIRE: Mysterious pumpkin patch puts students on edge

  • Jonathan Phelps
  • October 29, 2018
  • 0

Unnerving accounts of a mysterious pumpkin patch near campus have alarmed students.

OPINION: Students should vote in state-level elections
  • Opinion

OPINION: Students should vote in state-level elections

  • Jonathan Phelps
  • September 17, 2018
  • 0

Voter turnout is crucial in our democracy, and helping each other vote is an important civic duty.

OPINION: Student Democracy Wall must go
  • Opinion

OPINION: Student Democracy Wall must go

  • Jonathan Phelps
  • August 27, 2018
  • 0

Having constructive disagreements in our polarized climate is hard, and bad public forums are making it harder.

Opinion: Reporting is power, power has repercussions
  • Opinion

Opinion: Reporting is power, power has repercussions

  • Jonathan Phelps
  • March 12, 2018
  • 0

Poor reporting and misleading information can deceive, demean and undermine the validity of institutions and marginalized peoples.

Opinion: A payment system divided cannot stand
  • Opinion

Opinion: A payment system divided cannot stand

  • Jonathan Phelps
  • March 5, 2018
  • 0

With K-Cash and dining dollars fulfilling nearly the same functions, why shouldn’t they merge into one electronic wallet?

Opinion: Introducing politics with purpose in the classroom.
  • Opinion

Opinion: Introducing politics with purpose in the classroom.

  • Jonathan Phelps
  • January 29, 2018
  • 0

In a heated climate of social divisions, how and when should we talk politics?

Opinion: Safety more important than convenience
  • Opinion

Opinion: Safety more important than convenience

  • Jonathan Phelps
  • January 15, 2018
  • 1

While the campus closure on Monday bothered some students, the weather reports and student safety drove the decision.

Opinion: Final exams are not as bad as people think
  • Opinion

Opinion: Final exams are not as bad as people think

  • Jonathan Phelps
  • November 13, 2017
  • 0

You might hate final exams, but they’re easier to manage than you may think.

Opinion: Halloween hones imagination
  • Opinion

Opinion: Halloween hones imagination

  • Jonathan Phelps
  • October 30, 2017
  • 0

Break out the skeletons and candy, folks, because the best holiday of the year is here.

Investiture eclipsed by kneeling protest
  • News

Investiture eclipsed by kneeling protest

  • Jonathan Phelps
  • October 19, 2017
  • 0

On the day of President Sam Olens’ investiture, the celebration was overshadowed by protests and heated controversy.

Protestors show support for cheerleaders kept off field
  • News

Protestors show support for cheerleaders kept off field

  • Jonathan Phelps
  • October 16, 2017
  • 1

A gathering of about 40 students collected in a semi-circle on The Green at 1 p.m. on Oct. 16 to show support for the five Kennesaw State cheerleaders who took a knee at Sept. 30’s football game.

Songs of the season: The Sentinel’s fall playlist
  • Arts & Living

Songs of the season: The Sentinel’s fall playlist

  • Jonathan Phelps
  • October 9, 2017
  • 0

In the spirit of the season, The Sentinel has put together a Spotify playlist to cover the feelings of fall in all its moody beauty.

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The Sentinel is the student newspaper of Kennesaw State University. Since 1966, The Sentinel has provided an open forum to the campus community. It is published in print monthly and online weekly.

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Accessibility Statement

Copyright © 2025 The Sentinel Theme: Fact News By Adore Themes.

KENNESAW, Ga. — Since October 1963, KSU Student Media has dedicated itself to authentic storytelling and exceptional journalism written by the students, for the students. Over the past two academic years, Student Media at Kennesaw State University has seen significant traction and promise through strong student leadership and ambitious
initiatives.

OWL Radio, The Sentinel Newspaper and The Peak Magazine have grown into organizations whose reach, whether through written word or radio broadcast, touches tens of thousands of students.

Despite the lack of institutional support, Sentinel and OWL Radio have been nominated for the Atlanta Press Club 2026 Awards of Excellence and the GABBY awards for Student Radio, respectively.

Kennesaw State University administration is hindering progress by stripping the key funding for The Sentinel, The Peak and OWL Radio.

On March 23, KSU announced that there were no remaining funds for Student Media. This eradicated the possibility for additional physical prints for The Sentinel or The Peak and drastically cut funding for OWL Radio’s event programming. The justification of the funding removal does not come with a promise of better housing, parking, or safety on campus for students. Rather, it comes with KSU’s neglect of their debt to their music licensing budget.

For the fiscal year, Student Media was allocated a $97,000 budget by the Division of Student Affairs. However, instead of the entirety going to Student Media, $61,185.99 of the budget paid for music licensing fees for Registered Student Organizations (RSOs), Fraternity and Sorority Life (FSL) and Student Affairs as a whole.

This move through budgeting resulted in Student Media paying not just the debt for the music licensing, but Kennesaw State University’s ability to play music across campus freely.
Despite only being responsible for part of the music licensing costs, Student Media’s budget covers almost all of KSU’s music licensing fees, excluding athletics. These fees take up 63.08% of Student Media’s total budget, meaning OWL Radio, The Peak and The Sentinel are only receiving a fraction of the funding they need to function.

Here’s the truth: Kennesaw State is disinterested in the growth of Student Media.

We are in a dangerous and pivotal time in American History. According to the Committee to Protect Journalists, under the Trump Administration, Press Freedoms have been dubbed “no longer a given” by the organization.

Student reporting and radio operations are becoming more crucial by the day to cover important topics larger media outlets look away from, and the stripping of funding follows a dangerous step for KSU’s perspective on Press and Broadcasting Freedoms.

This follows a concerning enrollment pattern in KSU’s journalism program while other university papers, such as the University of Georgia’s Red & Black and Emory University’s The Emory Wheel, continue to thrive. Editorial Board: KSU’s Neglect of Student Media Is Unacceptable

The university’s journalism program, which did not exist until 2017 according to Campus Enrollment Data, saw early success, with peak enrollment numbers in 2018 and 2020. However, the program has seen a steady decline since 2021.

Instead of taking the time to invest in its journalism students, KSU has opted to invest into their athletic department, pouring millions of dollars into sports and freshmen generations, including a $15 million dollar naming deal with FifthThirds Stadium and a lack of housing or class priority for students who classify as non-freshman.

Fundamentally, Kennesaw State’s recent history has been defined by an administration that has neglected the student body and proven repeatedly that KSU’s priorities are financially tied to athletics and tuition revenue from incoming classes.

To have a thriving campus community, KSU must invest in its student body. Students want a university that cares for each student, not how many students it can accept and pack into a classroom or a stadium. A university is only as great as its students’ success, and without true support, KSU will always fall short.

OWL Radio, The Sentinel and The Peak are calling for the support of the student body, faculty and alumni by donating to Student Media through KSU’s Giving Day. Any amount helps and will allow Student Media to continue quality, student led content.

Signed Kennesaw State University Student Media Editors and Managers, Zaire Breedlove, Devyn Byers, Alexis Barton, Tye Brown, Devyn Woodard, Joey Hawthorne, Mary Wingate, Mafe Gomez, James Harris, Jordan Scruggs, Scott Daniell, Jackson Louneoubon

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