Staff Job Descriptions

March 1, 2026 12:41 AM

APPENDIX A (of the Xaverian Weekly Publishing Society constitution)

XAVERIAN WEEKLY STAFF JOB DESCRIPTIONS

i. All staff members of the Xaverian Weekly shall sign a contract outlining their job descriptions as well as the dismissal policy. This document shall inform the staff member about the terms of their honouraria. Should these terms change during the academic year, the contract shall be amended.

ii. The Editor-in-Chief is responsible for acting as interim for any position that is unexpectedly vacated until a suitable replacement is found.

iii. When the position of Editor-in-Chief is being filled by two individuals, one of the two may report the other to the board if the job description is not being completed as agreed upon.

Editor-in-Chief

• Ensure the regular publication of the Xaverian Weekly.
• Ensure the implementation of the Bylaws of this Constitution and adherence to the Policy Manual.
• Read all content of the Xaverian Weekly prior to print and ensure content conforms with the standards set forth in the Policy Manual, StFX Community Code, Nova Scotia and Canadian laws.
• Write a weekly editorial of at least 400 words.
• Be responsible for the managing the content of the letters section.
• Advertise and ensure the hiring of all Staff positions.
• Coordinate staff efforts on a weekly basis.
• Act as the Xaverian Weekly’s liaison to all external organizations, including the StFX Students’ Union, StFX Students’ Representative Council, StFX administration, Canadian University Press, and the Xaverian Weekly’s printing company.
• Host weekly general meetings open to volunteer writers, photographers, etc.
• Act as the contact person for all external inquiries concerning the newspaper that do not fall within the jurisdiction of other editorial or staff positions.
• Attend all meetings of the Staff and the Board.
• Ensure Board meetings are held once per semester
• Ensure that the newsroom is kept clean
• Dealing with all legal problems that may arise with respect to the Xaverian Weekly
• Mediate disputes between Staff members
• Provide adequate training to incoming Editor-in-Chief
• Provide a transition report to the incoming Editor-in-Chief
• Help ensure section editors’ deadlines are met
• Hold at least ten (10) office hours per week outside of the production schedule
• Hold monthly individual meetings with each staff member.
• Inform staff of honourariums in the first individual staff meeting.
• Manage online articles through CUP.
• Perform any position that is not covered by another staff member.

Managing Editor

• Ensure that copies of the Xaverian Weekly are mailed to CUP, Campus Plus, and the former Editor-in-Chief on a weekly basis
• Solicit advertisements for the Xaverian Weekly on a weekly basis
• Design ads when applicable
• Ensure ad deadlines are met, and operate within the production schedule decided upon by the EIC and Production Manager.
• Co-ordinate ad placement in consultation with the Editor-in-Chief and the Production Manager
• Invoice advertisers and collect payment
• Hold at least six (6) office hours per week outside of the production schedule
• Operate within production schedule that is set out by the Production Manager
• Assist and advise staff in all issues regarding fundraising
• Provide advice for the Editor-in-Chief on matters regarding the budget
• Provide the Editor-in-Chief with a report each semester as an update on the paper’s advertising situation
• Provide a transition report to the incoming Managing Editor
• Perform all other duties, if asked, within the reasonable scope of their employment
• Send copies of the Xaverian to CUP and Campus plus on a weekly basis
• Advise EIC on matters related to budget
• Assist and advise EIC/staff members on issues pertaining to fundraising.

Production Manager

• Must provide training in photo shop and web training to staff members
• Select general design for the Xaverian Weekly [typeface, flags, etc] in consultation with the Editor-in-Chief
• Ensure consistency in the layout of the Xaverian Weekly as the volume progresses
• Develop a production schedule in consultation with the Editor-in-Chief
• Co-ordinate and manage the production process
• Provide training to Staff members and/or volunteers on how to use layout software
• Archiving computer files on a regular basis
• Provide a transition report to the incoming Production Manager
• Perform all other duties, if asked, within the reasonable scope of their employment

Section Editors (including but not limited to News, Culture, Sports, Features, Online, Opinions & Distractions)

• Solicitation of contributors to a particular section
• Be responsible for content of a particular section
• Assign articles to contributors
• Assign graphic and/or photographic assignments to photo editor
• Ensure deadlines are met and operate within the production schedule as outlined by the EIC and Production Manager.
• Edit content according to the Xaverian Weekly Style Guide and CP Style
• Select content from the CUPwire to appear in section
• Provide a transition report to the incoming section editor
• Perform all other duties, if asked, within the reasonable scope of their employment

Senior Reporters

• Submit two articles each week, one of which must be for News
• Be available to complete last minute stories at the request of a section editor
• Provide a transition report to the incoming Senior Reporters
• Perform all other duties, if asked, within the reasonable scope of their employment

Photo Editor

• Solicitation of contributors for photos and graphics
• Assigning responsibilities to Senior Photographer and contributors
• Ensure all photos and graphics conform to legal and ethical standards
• Ensure all photos are properly captioned and credited.
• Develop the cover in consultation with the Production Manager
• Provide a transition report to the incoming Photo Editor
• Perform all other duties, if asked, within the reasonable scope of their employment

Senior Photographer

• Accept assignments from the Photo Editor on a weekly basis
• Provide a transition report to the incoming Senior Photographer
• Perform all other duties, if asked, within the reasonable scope of their employment

Copy Editor

• Read all content of the Xaverian Weekly prior to print, checking for spelling mistakes, grammatical errors, breeches of Xaverian Weekly Style or CP Style
• Notify the Editor-in-Chief of potential cases of libel or violations of the newspaper policy
• Proofread the Xaverian Weekly’s official documentation at the request of the Editor-in-Chief
• Provide a transition report to the incoming Copy Editor
• Perform all other duties, if asked, within the reasonable scope of their employment

Distribution Manager

• Deliver appropriate number of copies of the Xaverian Weekly to distribution locations on and off campus every Thursday
• Refill newsstands throughout the week
• Develop, in consultation with the Editor-in-Chief, a plan for maximizing distribution
• Provide a transition report to the incoming Distribution Manager
• Perform all other duties, if asked, within the reasonable scope of their employment