Two on-campus political publications are vying for independent recognition after an Undergraduate Publications Board ruling last week.
Last week the UPB asked the Duke Political Review, which was granted independent status last year, and the Duke Journal of Public Affairs, created this year, to merge.
As the result of a new policy created in May, UPB asked all recognized publications to reapply for independent status this semester.
Editors from the two publications met Oct. 17 to discuss a possible merger and determined that such a collaboration was not feasible, they said. UPB officials said they will decide by the end of the week if the journals will be allowed to remain separate.
"Given the limited academic, monetary and intellectual resources available at Duke, the Undergraduate Publications Board believes that the editors of DJOPA and DPR must work together-as opposed to competing with one another-in order to create a truly viable publication," junior Ragini Srinivasan, UPB co-chair, wrote in an e-mail.
She added that the publications have been asked to "combine forces" and print under one name that will draw from the disciplines of political science, public policy and economics. "The applications filed by both sets of editors reflected similar-if not identical-interests, intentions, potential collaborators and funding sources," Srinivasan wrote.
UPB grants independent status to new magazines once they attempt to collaborate with existing publications, other interested student groups or relevant academic departments. Once a publication has independent status under UPB, it can receive University funding and distribute on campus.
Although both publications discuss public policy, their founders believe the periodicals address different audiences.
"Both publications, in the eyes of DJOPA's staff, fill separate niches on Duke's campus and are necessary for a complete and stimulating intellectual debate on politics and public affairs at a higher level," freshman Alex Crable, Duke Journal of Public Affairs co-founder, wrote in an e-mail.
As an extension of the Duke Political Union, Duke Political Review plans to publish developed opinion-editorials of 1,000 to 2,000 words, as opposed to the more comprehensive, research-based Duke Journal of Public Affairs pieces.
"The DJOPA seemed to want to publish articles that were longer and focused on scholarly debate. They had plans for a faculty vetting board that would review the articles for their academic quality," sophomore Jenn Tanaka, co-founder and co-editor in chief of Duke Political Review, wrote in an e-mail. "The goal of the DJOPA also seemed to be improving the policy debate on campus but in a much more academic sense. They wanted to publish articles that could be cited in other academic pieces."
The Duke Political Review editors envision a magazine that facilitates the on-campus political debate in print.
"The purpose of our publication, therefore, is to get student analysis of the important political issues facing us today," Tanaka wrote, adding that it would give readers a chance to see what other students are saying about important political issues.
"In my opinion, Duke needs both voices. Duke needs the fast-paced, exciting coverage and analysis of the DPR, but it also needs the careful and meticulous brilliance of a scholarly journal like the DJOPA," Tanaka wrote.
Its founders said the Duke Journal of Public Affairs focuses on a thorough discussion of economics, public policy, law and ethics. Articles published in the Duke Political Review would be edited through peer reviews, whereas Duke Journal of Public Affairs pieces would undergo a series of both peer and faculty reviews.
"DPR did not wish to misrepresent its constituents by agreeing to transform their politically-interested op-ed publication into a journal such as that envisioned by DJOPA," Crable said.
Furthermore, Duke Political Review plans to publish shorter periodicals four times a year, and the Duke Journal of Public Affairs is a longer biannual publication.
Despite their differences, the UPB said both journals' applications reflected similar interests, intentions, potential collaborators and funding sources.
If the founders of the two publications do not collaborate, neither can gain independent status at Duke, Duke Journal of Public Affairs editors said UPB told them. Although no precedent for this exists, publications that are printed off campus can distribute on campus, as long as they do not claim University affiliation or distribute in the UPB bins.
UPB does not provide a reapplication process for unapproved publications.
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