SGB halts the Collegiate Readership Program
By: Michael Ringling / Staff Writer
Posted on 04. Jan, 2012 in News
Students can expect to see empty spaces where they once picked up their copies of The New York Times and USA Today.
The new Student Government Board President James Landreneau, along with an agreement from SGB advisor Kenyon Bonner and a unanimous vote from the incoming Board, has decided to halt the distribution of the two newspapers through the Collegiate Readership Program until locked drop boxes are brought to campus.
Landreneau said that he will meet with Bonner, Pitt’s director of Student Life, during the first week of January to discuss the implementation of the drop boxes, but as of now, he did not know when the boxes and newspapers would return to campus.
The newspaper pilot program began last spring semester. The campus-wide subscriptions cost non-College of General Studies students a yearly $30,500, which came out of the Student Activities Fund. However, the Board ran into difficulties in barring other students, faculty and Pittsburgh residents from picking up the papers.
The only thing keeping the public from picking up the newspapers this past year was a paper stop sign taped on all seven stands. The papers informed passers-by that the newspapers were for undergraduate students only but did not specify that the newspapers were only for non-College of General Studies students.
Unlimited access has been an ongoing issue for the Student Government Board.
Former SGB president Molly Stieber acknowledged the problematic part of the program and spoke in support of installing boxes for the newspapers.
The proposed drop boxes would limit the papers to only the students who pay the $80-per-semester Student Activities Fee through an ID-swipe system. But as of now, Landreneau said that the University does not have approval for the drop boxes and doesn’t know if Pitt IDs are compatible with the drop boxes.
“The way I see it, if [the program] continues down the path as it has this year, it’s going to be unsuccessful,” Landreneau said. “I don’t want to waste any of the Student Activities Fee foolishly.”
Incoming Board member Julie Hallinan said that, according to a representative from The New York Times, 99 percent of the newspapers have been picked up during the pilot year of the program. She said that she herself picks up The New York Times multiple times during the week.
“I think it is worthwhile and definitely something we should continue to have on campus,” she said. But she also added, “We don’t want to use the activities fee to fund for something that everyone could use.”
Halim Genus, another incoming Board member, also had concerns about continuing the Collegiate Readership Program. “Before we go and spend this money again, we need to talk to students,” he said. “Is [the program]
something the Student Activities Fee should pay for?”
Genus said that the Board needs to discuss “whether or not [newspapers are] philosophically something the Board should fund for.”
Landreneau said that the 2012 Board will speak with other schools in Pitt, such as the College of General Studies and the graduate schools, and ask if they are interested in also providing funding for the Collegiate Readership Program.
6 Responses to “SGB halts the Collegiate Readership Program”
Leave a Reply
Don’t force everyone pay for something only a few can use and is of dubious quality and limited value. If you want to read the Rag of Record and are on a limited budget, buy one less Primanti sandwich and a sixer a week. and go and buy it yourself.
SGB had over $200k left in their allocations budget at the end of last semester. They’re not low on funds.
Nice assumptions you’re making there.
THE LITTLE PEOPLE, Learn to read. I did not say that the SGB was low on funds. I said if “YOU want to read….and are on a limited budget”. I certainly hope your reading comprehension is not the norm these days.
THE RIGHT OF THE PEOPLE, I’d suggest you do the same–though I’ll admit I’m rather doubtful that’s possible, as you can’t even remember what your own words. Here’s a refresher: “Don’t force everyone pay for something only a few can use.” The Student Activities Fee hasn’t gone up to cover the cost of the newspapers, nor will it decrease after the Collegiate Readership Program ends. As I said, Allocations has more than enough money to cover the papers. Were there some other program (a program, say, that meets your oh-so-objective standards) threatening to be cancelled because of a lack of funds, your argument might have a leg to stand on. But there isn’t. Cancel the Readership program, and the money just goes back in the pool along with the rest of the unspent allocations.
You’ve already paid your fee. So have I. So has every other non-CGS undergraduate student. Perhaps you’d rather the money just sit there rather than support a source of information of “dubious quality,” but judging by the way the papers disappear off the racks, not many people agree with you.
Nice of you to completely avoid the issue, which is that you put words into my mouth. You also seem to have fallen into the typical government redistribution trap – “hey, they already took my money, so I want it back on MY PROJECT!!!!”
and the old “They have the money, so let’s spend it ” trap. Let’s address the root of the problem and eliminate this divisive fee altogether and let the students decide to spend THEIR money on what THEY want and value. Having the University TAKE it and then REDISTRIBUTE it wrong.
Kindly show me where in your original post you said ANYTHING about having an issue with the student activities fee.
While you’re searching, I will continue to enjoy my glorious socialist newspapers.
Good day, sir.