Through the Collegiate Readership Program, SGA has given K-State students access to daily newspapers for almost 10 years. During the fall and spring semesters, the program is very effective. Last year, students picked up nearly 1,300 papers a day from bins across campus. However, during the summer intersession, when far less students are in town, the numbers plummet. Just 33,000 were picked up last summer, less than a fifth of the regular session total of 176,000.
This low pickup rate is just one reason that Cody and I have decided not to utilize the Collegiate Readership Program this summer. By not subscribing to the program, we will save K-State students more than $13,700, which will be reallocated into programs that benefit more students.
Another factor in our decision is a problem we’ve identified with faculty and staff picking up papers that students pay for. SGA only pays for the papers that are picked up, but an informal study conducted by former Student Body President Nate Spriggs and OSAS Director Bill Harlan showed that 25-50 percent of papers are picked up by faculty. We expect this to be a bigger concern during the summer. Since students are the only ones to pay for the service, we believe that students should be the only ones to have access to it.
Furthermore, today’s students are less likely to need a physical paper to obtain news in the first place. Three of the five papers offered in the program (the Topeka Capital-Journal, the Kansas City Star, and USA Today) offer their content for free online, while the New York Times allows access to a certain number of free articles per month. Only the Manhattan Mercury requires an online subscription. With news so easily accessible online, the demand for newspapers isn’t nearly as high as in years past.
Simply put, funding the Collegiate Readership Program for the summer semester is not a financially smart move. We feel that your money can be put to better use funding programs and services that can benefit a larger number of students.
The Collegiate Readership Program will return for the fall and spring semesters next year.
If you have any questions, comments, or concerns about this decision, please don’t hesitate to reach out to us. As your elected representatives, we want your guidance as we lead the student body forward.
Reagan Kays and Cody Kennedy
Student Body President and Vice President
rkays@ksu.edu · ckennedy@ksu.edu
@KStateSBP_SBVP