since its founding, the paper had been owned, operated, and funded by carleton's undergraduate student government. editors and cusa had several disputes over funding and editorial policy throughout the early 1970s, and to mediate these conflicts the two sides created a joint publishing board in 1975 (which cusa first considered in june 1974). the joint board consisted of two representatives each from cusa and "the charlatan", who appointed an independent fifth person, usually the university ombudsman, as chairman.