From the desk of Ren LaForme

There are now only two student-run publications on campus and that makes me a little sad.

Sure, Generation, Visions and The Spectrum have typically been at odds with each other, but that was generally all in good fun. Sure, we had our issues in the past, but we always seemed to resolve them. Even if we didn’t, the editorial boards refreshed themselves every couple of years and we sort of forgot what we were fighting about.

The simple fact of the matter is that any time a publication dies, we all lose something.

The circumstances surrounding Generation Magazine are murky, at best. Both sides mishandled the situation and now UB students are going to lose out because of it.

In late April, Sub-Board I, Inc. met and decided to pull Generation’s charter. While they have since offered numerous reasons for this decision, the main issue seems to have been that the “I’m Right, You’re Wrong” and Personals sections of the magazine offended a smattering of people.

Sub-Board decided to hire a new editor in chief for Generation in order to change its direction. In a decision that would lend a hand to the downfall of the publication, Sub-Board allowed Bobby Pape, former editor in chief of The Spectrum, to serve on the hiring board.

The board chose Josh Boston, former managing editor of both The Spectrum and Visions, as the new editor in chief. The problem is that Pape and Boston are close friends.

While we can’t report on whether Pape’s relationship with Boston played a role in his election, anyone would agree that it doesn’t look good for the board.

When Generation’s fans caught word of the hiring process and Boston’s new direction for the paper, they were furious. They took to the Internet and created several Facebook groups against Boston and Generation’s new direction. Andrew Blake, Generation’s former editor in chief, said he received an outpouring of support from the Buffalo community and people across the country.

However, due to the backlash, Sub-Board decided to pull Generation’s new charter on Sept. 7, meaning as of right now, Generation will no longer be printed.

College students are supposed to embrace the ideas of change and progression, but in this situation they chose to turn their backs on those ideals.

How can hundreds of students choose to boycott a publication they have never seen or read? Sub-Board should have allowed Generation to print more than one issue before they pulled the plug for an entire semester.

Regrettably, due to mismanagement on both sides, the student body is short one publication.

Generation, we’ve had our problems, but we hope to see you soon, in some form or another.