The Phoenix back on campus

Photo: Contributed

Several months of less than ideal conditions later, the student-run UBC Okanagan newspaper is back on campus.

After 25 years on campus, money issues forced The Phoenix into the editor's Rutland living room last August.

Months of deficits left the paper in the red, but it returned to campus in November.

“We are back, we are alive, and we are happy to back,” says news editor Alex Barberis. “Everything is going very smoothly. We are producing a paper like we are supposed to be, and we produced a balanced budget, so everything is operations as usual.”

The paper now shares its office with the new UBCO radio station.

Prior to the radio station's creation, the paper received all funding from the media fee charged to UBCO students; money they now share with the radio station.

The paper receives a larger chunk, but the change still cut its financing significantly, forcing cuts to be made.

“We still have to make up for it in external ad sales. We've had to cut a few issues and we have cut back pay, honorariums, to make sure we don't have a deficit as large as last year,” says Barberis.

Previously, The Phoenix produced 14 publications a year, but with the cuts they are looking at 10-12 this year.