Pitt students speak out about halt of Collegiate Readership Program

A student push for a reinstatement of the Collegiate Readership Program has begun.

At Tuesday… A student push for a reinstatement of the Collegiate Readership Program has begun.

At Tuesday night’s Student Government Board meeting in Nordy’s Place — the first public meeting of the 2012 Board — Pitt students used the open floor segment of the meeting to address the Board about the postponement of the continuation of the pilot program that distributed copies of The New York Times and USA Today across campus.

“Why is there no student input for the change to the Collegiate Readership Program?” Benjamin Robinson, a senior studying economics and urban studies, asked during the open floor portion of the meeting. “[The Board] promised transparency. They promised accountability.”

The Collegiate Readership Program cost non-College of General Studies students $30,500 a year, a sum that came out of the Student Activities Fund.

SGB has the power to allocate the Student Activities Fund — about $2.3 million in total — to certified student organizations. The fund is replenished by the $80 fee non-College of General Studies students pay each semester.

SGB president James Landreneau said that the Collegiate Readership Program’s contract ended during the first week of January. Prior to winter break, he conducted a meeting with the current Board and the 2011 Board, including former President Molly Stieber.

Landreneau said that Stieber passed the responsibility of the program’s future on to him, and he discussed the issue with his Board. He said that some members of the Board wanted to drop the program completely, but that a majority wanted to continue the program with a more secure method of distribution.

Their reasoning for not renewing the program was that only non-College of General Studies undergraduate students pay into the Student Activities Fund, but other people were picking up the papers as well.

“There needs to be a secure method for picking [the papers] up,” Landreneau said. “If you sit by any [newsstand], you will see faculty, staff and tours picking up these papers.”

Landreneau will meet with a University architect to discuss the implementation of the locked drop boxes Wednesday at 10 a.m. A scanner on the boxes will be able to read Pitt IDs to make sure the only people who pick up a paper are undergraduate students.

Robinson urged SGB to “reassess” the program, and he has formed a Facebook group titled “Pitt Students for Renewing the Collegiate Readership Program,” that had 11 members as of Tuesday night.

Tom Visco, the senior editor of the Pitt Political Review, said that having the papers available to everyone is good for the University.

“Random people can pick up the paper, and they say that is a problem,” said Visco, a junior studying philosophy and politics. “I don’t think it is the end of the world if another student picks up the papers … It shows off a commitment by the University to have these papers available to everyone.”

Landreneau wants to speak with representatives from other schools within the University, such as the College of General Studies and the graduate schools, about contributing to the cost of the program.

At the meeting, Landreneau also announced that the applications for the eight SGB committee chair positions are due on Thursday at 5 p.m., and that the interviews for the positions will take place over this weekend.

Board member Julie Hallinan said that she will participate in the WPTS and The Pitt News radio show on Thursday at 4:30 p.m. to discuss the Collegiate Readership Program.

At the end of the meeting, Landreneau said that he encouraged a continuation of the discussions surrounding the newspaper program’s suspension.

“I appreciate everyone’s concerns,” Landreneau said. “If there is any student unrest, I would love to hear it.”

Allocations

Steel City Bhangra’s request for $4,089.60 was approved in full, in line with the Allocation Committee’s recommendation. The money will fund the group’s participation in a competition.

The Board approved Pittsburgh Taiko’s request for $1,980 in full. The money will fund the purchase of a new drum. The Allocations Committee approved the group’s other request for $250 in full.