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Governing board reacts to SCC Chronicle cartoon
By Rio Christoffersen
News Editor

  On Feb. 11, the Scottsdale Community College student newspaper, the “Scottsdale Chronicle,” ran a cartoon generating a response from the Maricopa County Community College District’s Governing Board.

  In a caricature, the cartoon illustrates President Barack Obama holding a rope and staring up at a mountain labeled presidential duties. The drawing of Obama, exaggerates his features in a way that could be perceived as ape-like. As a result, the newspaper had received complaints leading to the board’s request of all college presidents to report on the oversight of student publications at their colleges.

  “We looked at the cartoon several times before it went to production and we
did not see a monkey,” said SCC editor-in-chief of the Chronicle, Kasia Michalik, “We see why people are upset, but we did not mean for the cartoon to be portrayed that way.”

  On March 4, the Chronicle released an editorial in response to the issue expressing their intent in running the cartoon and apologizing to any who were offended by it. Scottsdale Community College journalism advisor, Julie Knapp, along with two editors, attended the March 10 governing board meeting in hopes of a dialogue about the cartoon. The meeting resulted in the board’s inquiry regarding oversight of student publications.

  Done by artist John Cole of the Scranton Times-Tribune, the controversial cartoon is title “The Ascent .” The cartoon was likened to another controversial cartoon recently published by the New York Post. Complaints about the Cole cartoon came from an SCC faculty member a week after the New York Post ran its cartoon.

  “We see how some would be offended, especially in light of the NY Post cartoon,” said Knapp.
  The next governing board meeting is on Tuesday, April 28 and more is expected to be discussed concerning the oversight issue.