Statement of Commitment to Democratic Management Principles
CFRU-FM Guelph

20 May 1992

Over it's twenty year history, CFRU-FM Radio has evolved from a traditional, hierarchical organization into a network of people and activities connected by lines of communication and accountability. As an accessible community and student organization, we have come to be guided by the following principles:

• that CFRU-FM and its listenership is made up of many different people with many different needs, all of whom will be treated with respect and fairness. We recognize that differences of opinion are helpful in creating stronger, more inclusive decisions, and endeavour to provide supportive feedback to everyone with whom we are dealing.
• that individuals within the organization, as well as listeners, will have input into station decisions which affect them, and that station policies and procedures shall be determined in a manner which involves those it affects.
• that information about station activities will be shared with and accessible to all members of the organization.
• that decision making within the station will be functional, and that while controls and authority do exist within the structure of work, they will be subject to democratic checks to ensure fairness.
• major programming and policy changes are made by the core staff through consensus.

The CFRU-FM's staff shall endeavour to make these principles part of everyday work at the station.

The station's current policies and procedures reflect our commitment to these ideas:

• The importance of each and every person actively involved in CFRU-FM Radio is recognized in the station's Staff Rights and by the Discipline and Remedial Action section of the Programming Policy Creation procedures (November 1991). Although the contribution of each staff person is different, each will be afforded the same amount of respect and fairness.
• The station's commitment to resolving conflicts in a positive manner and creating "bottom-up" accountability is reflected in the station's Conflict Resolution Committee procedures (November 1991). The committee has both the responsibility and the power to mediate between conflicting parties and to take action to resolve any grievance fairly.
• The responsibility of core staff to draft policy and procedures collectively through consensus is reflected in the Core Staff Committee and Programming Policy Creation and Discipline procedures (November 1991). The core staff committee has the authority to draft station policy and procedures, and it is the responsibility of individual staff to fairly apply these to day-to-day station activities.
• The station's commitment to fairness and involvement in employment issues is reflected in the CFRU-FM Personnel Policies (April 1985) and Affirmative Action in Hiring procedures (January 1991). The policy provides for staff input into hiring, fairness in discipline and termination, and appeal procedures if termination is considered unfair. Hiring at CFRU-FM is done by committees which involve those who will be affected by the decision.
• Part of CFRU-FM's commitment to create a workplace which is fair, humane and responsible is demonstrated by the station's Sexual Harassment Policy and Procedure (November 1991).

As CFRU-FM grows and develops, it's policies and procedures will continues to grow and develop to reflect these principles.