The UCSD Guardian is a student-operated newspaper at the University of California, San Diego. Originally named the Triton Times, it is published once a week during the regular academic year, usually Mondays. Although The Guardian is officially a university department, it is funded solely by advertising. Unlike many college newspapers, The Guardian has no faculty advisor and is not formally tied to any academic program. Staff structure The Guardian's editorial staff consists of UCSD undergraduates. The Editor in Chief is elected in the late spring by a vote of the current year's staff; the Editor in Chief-elect then selects new senior editors, who make up the paper's Executive Board, which is ratified by the outgoing editors. In contrast, the paper's business side is operated by several longtime university employees. A Business Oversight Board, which includes the paper's general manager, Editor in Chief, and managing editors, is responsible for setting long-term policies for the business and overseeing their implementation. University relationship Though The Guardian is technically a self-supporting enterprise under the university's Student Affairs department, it operates with complete independence and autonomy from the university. Under the paper's constitution, the Executive Board operates as the sole publisher of the paper. The newspaper's student editors have formally resolved to cease its production and operations in the case of any university interference. Recent history In recent years, the paper has undergone a series of crises and resulting restructurings. Between 2001 and 2004, The Guardian saw its annual revenue plunge, from above $400,000 to less than $320,000. The resulting budget deficits nearly wiped out the paper's financial reserves and resulted in page reductions for its editorial operations. As part of an effort to stop the bleeding, the paper's general manager implemented a strict 50-50 division between editorial content and advertising. The Executive Board of the paper responded to the crisis by carrying out a reorganization of the business department and a reduction in the compensation of its student staff. Editorial success Throughout the years, The Guardian has won many local, regional, statewide, and national awards. In 2006, The Guardian won nearly a dozen and a half awards from the California College Media Association, in categories ranging from design and illustration to writing and photography. Shortly after, the paper was also named an honorable mention in the competition to be named Newspaper of the Year by the Associated Collegiate Press. In 2020, The Guardian won