The Lantern’s Publications Committee passed a resolution Thursday commending Lantern photographer Alex Kotran for his behavior while photographing cows that escaped on campus April 21.

But the committee rejected a resolution urging the School of Communication to institute a policy for providing legal assistance for Lantern journalists.

Kotran was handcuffed and detained by Campus Police while photographing the cows. Police say the scene was dangerous and that Kotran did not comply with orders to move. He is facing the possibility of criminal trespassing charges.

Although the committee rejected the resolution urging legal support for Kotran, it requested more information from the university about OSU’s policy of legal representation for Lantern staff.

The Publications Committee, comprised of School of Communication professors Felecia Ross, Michael McCluskey, Erik Nisbet, Thomas Schwartz and Prabu David, Lantern Editor-in-Chief Collin Binkley and Lantern Adviser Tom O’Hara, met to discuss how The Lantern and university should deal with such incidents in the future.

In a 3-2 vote, Binkley, O’Hara and McCluskey favored the proposed resolution to commend Kotran. Nisbet abstained and Ross and Schwartz voted against it.

“Anybody that cares about quality journalism needs to support this,” O’Hara said. “The Lantern is a real newspaper. The staffers are real journalists. This story has gone around the country now.”

In a 4-2 vote, the committee rejected the proposed resolution to have the School of Communication provide legal assistance to Lantern journalists. Binkley and O’Hara voted in favor of the resolution.

After much debate about defining Lantern staff, policies, guidelines and handbooks, Kotran asked one question that seemed to be at the heart of the meeting.

“If I’m charged, will The Lantern support me?”

And by support, he is talking about free legal counsel.

Schwartz said it would be in Kotran’s best interest to find a lawyer who specializes in this type of case. But O’Hara wanted better than that; he wanted the School of Communication to provide free legal aid to Kotran.

“I think it’s sinful,” O’Hara said, “that a staffer is facing possible criminal charges and he is not being represented.”

Police are asking Kotran to come in for questioning Tuesday or Wednesday, but he has yet to obtain a lawyer.

“It caught me off guard,” Kotran said Sunday. “I was hoping they’d (OSU) provide me a lawyer and now I’m struggling to find someone by Wednesday.”

Kotran said he hopes to postpone the questioning until he hears back from OSU Legal Affairs.

“It’s been up in the air long enough that it will be too late (by the time I hear back from them),” Kotran said. “I can’t wait any longer.”

As of Sunday, there is no definitive answer as to whether The Lantern will provide legal counsel to Kotran.

“There is no definitive answer because nothing has been definitively asked,” said John Milliken, Lantern general manager. “There has been no clear answer from Legal Affairs as it (providing Kotran with legal aid) does present conflicts.”

Milliken said The Lantern and OSU are “in essence from the same organization. It would be as though Ohio State were suing itself,” he said.

Much of the discussion at Thursday’s meeting was about the degree of student affiliation with The Lantern. Kotran is not enrolled in Communication 423: The Lantern Practicum, which requires journalism students to write for the paper. However, Kotran is enrolled in an independent study photojournalism program under Leonardo Carrizo, an instructor in the School of Communication and photography adviser to The Lantern.

The Publications Committee formed a subcommittee to draft a policy that would define who is and who is not a Lantern staff member.

“We need to determine who is a writer and a photographer versus a citizen journalist,” Ross said. “This is what we mean by clarity.”

Nisbet added that there must be more structure in terms of defining who is a regular contributor to the paper and who qualifies to carry a press pass.

“(OSU) wants documentation,” Nisbet said.

O’Hara pointed out that, in fact, Kotran had Lantern photo credentials in his wallet when he was detained.

The committee refused to consider a third proposed resolution asking police not to pursue charges against Kotran. They concluded that such a request was outside their jurisdiction.

The committee said The Lantern needs to make sure its staff members understand media law.

“By June 10,” O’Hara said, “every Lantern news gatherer will be provided with a handout of how to avoid legal trouble.”