Student Senate may have stumbled on a way to save the American newspaper industry: Throw Ohio University students' general fee money at the problem.
The latest attempt to bring free newspapers to OU would sign up all students for subscriptions to papers such as USA Today and The New York Times. Membership in the program typically costs participating colleges $30,000 a year, and OU would dip into your quarterly general fee to cover it.
As per usual, a proposal from Student Senate leaves us asking the most obvious question, couldn't the money be better spent somewhere else?
Sure, it would be nice to have a fresh copy of USA Today waiting for us in Baker Center each morning with a quick swipe of our ID cards. For those who take advantage of their subscription, it would be a convenient and decent option for national news.
Of course, we would also love if OU provided us a free iPad and MacBook when enrolling, as that would add to our education as well. Unfortunately, it's very obvious that OU could better spend our general fees somewhere else.
We have no idea why students would pay for something that's already free online. On a wireless campus, it's completely ridiculous for Student Senate to suggest spending $30,000 on subscriptions when most students prefer the online version anyway.
In fact, adding USA Today would actually confirm a belief we have considered for quite some time - that Ohio University is turning into the state's largest motel.
You pay regular fees to stay in Athens and have access to the pool and snack machines when you so desire. Even if you don't want your money going toward something you don't support, well, that's too bad. You can either take advantage of what's offered to you or not.
Placing a copy of USA Today at your feet in the morning would only complete this transition to a motel. If you don't believe us, think about it next time you try to make a decent meal out of the dining halls' continental breakfast.
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