In between classes, Cal Poly students and faculty often peruse a free copy of the New York Times for in-depth political commentary or global issues. But in lieu of recent budget cuts, the New York Times Readership Program may be the first thing to go.
The program supplies copies of the paper to campuses nationwide for 50 cents each, ASI President Angela Kramer said. It is funded by ASI, student fees, 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. Some colleges however recently ended their financial support.
“We gave (the program) $5,000 last year,” said Linda Halisky, College of Liberal Arts dean. “But this year our budget is not allowing it at all.”
Funding dictates the amount of papers distributed on campus and there has been a significant decrease to that number this year, Kramer said. The program costs approximately $40,000 each year.
“It’s a beast to manage because it is a lot of papers and a lot of money,” Kramer said. “It’s not cheap; some colleges are not contributing this year which makes it very difficult. We had to cut a lot of papers.”
Maintaining the Times distribution on campus gives way to academic needs such as keeping staff.
“Budget cuts affected the program this year and I guarantee it will next year,” Kramer said. “If it comes down to academics and providing classes and lecturers or putting out papers, academics is priority.”
The popularity of the newspaper is evident through the empty newsstands throughout campus.
“I have never seen any leftovers in the stands,” Kramer said. “Students and faculty will tell me ‘I wish there were more papers.’ So do I, but at fifty cents a paper, it adds up.”
The world-renowned paper bridges the gap between Cal Poly students and the rest of the world, she added.
“The thing about San Luis is that we are on our own little island,” Kramer said. “We only know about San Luis Obispo news.”
“That’s the news,” she said. “Reading the Times gives you a world view of what’s going on. It’s really important because sometimes we get lost here.”
Students enjoy the Times for its in-depth stories and broad subject matter.
“I read the Times because that is how I stay informed and updated,” Cal Poly landscape architecture senior Ben Nejathaim said. “I don’t care where you get your movies from,” he added, alluding to a Mustang Daily Word on the Street question.
Cal Poly fruit science senior Tim Ness is an avid reader of the New York Times and says he would be “adamantly against” cutting the program.
Most Cal Poly students appreciate having the Times on campus because many classes require students to stay up to date on current events, Cal Poly business senior Megan Farrell said.
“I get the Times online because it is a reputable news source; it’s easier to get quick headlines,” Cal Poly architecture senior Lucia Castello said.
Kramer has fought to preserve the program because having the Times on campus creates a “campus political culture.”
“I like students to be well-informed; students are in the habit of reading papers,” Halisky said. “It’s important that our students have access to that kind of journalism.”
“(The program) is very necessary for this campus,” Kramer said.