New York Times adds pickup locations

Starting next week, The New York Times can be picked up for free at more locations around Cal Poly as a result of increased funding by its sponsors on campus.

According to Tracy Watson, student government administrative assistant, all of the sponsors of The New York Times on campus have increased their donations this year, allowing for more copies of the newspaper to be distributed.

“I really appreciate (having it available on campus),” said physics professor Nilgun Sungar, who picks up her copy of the paper while she waits for her coffee at Julian’s. “There’s so much more (in The New York Times) compared to the local papers, as far as what happens in the world.”

As of now, The New York Times can be found at 17 places around Cal Poly, including the Business building, the upstairs and downstairs double doors of the University Union facing the plaza, the first floor of Kennedy Library and the Recreation Center by the front desk. Three more places will be added and their locations will be announced next week.

There will be 710 copies available on campus, up from 500 last year, said Associated Students Inc. President Brandon Souza.

In April 2006, former ASI President Tylor Middlestadt helped introduce The New York Times as a five-week pilot program on campus and initiated fundraising efforts to support it.

“I was approached by The New York Times to implement it on campus, but at the time we didn’t have the resources,” Middlestadt said. “I was interested in having it as a global resource at no cost to students.”

The program was successful enough to convince student government to continue with it.

“We couldn’t keep up with the number of papers, which showed us it was something students and faculty wanted,” Middlestadt said. “The feedback was very positive.”

The New York Times Readership Program is in collaboration with The New York Times at Cal Poly as well as other colleges and universities across the nation.

Sponsoring the paper on campus are ASI, the University Union, the President’s Office, the Office of the Vice President for Student Affairs, the Office of the Provost, Kennedy Library and all of the academic colleges.

The New York Times, owned by The New York Times Co., is published in New York City and distributed internationally. Founded in 1851, it is the largest newspaper in the United States and is reputed for its accuracy and official style of writing.

The College of Business also has a contract with The Wall Street Journal, which is available in the Business building.