Students interested in reading about Ohio and Columbus-area news can now get their information from the Bobcat Readership Program.
The program, now offering copies of The Columbus Dispatch, was renewed by Ohio University Student Senate and the Division of Student Affairs last year, with funding now coming from both the general fund and Budget Planning Council.
The Dispatch, along with The New York Times and USA Today, will be available Monday through Friday in Baker University Center, Alden Library and each of the four dining halls. However, the number of papers offered is limited.
There are only 65 copies of The Dispatch available daily, with 25 in Baker and 20 in Alden, said Amrit Saini, Senate vice president.
“If you do not see them in the basket, it probably means you didn’t show up early enough to get one,” said Evan Ecos, Senate treasurer.
In comparison, 755 copies of the Times and 355 copies of USA Today are available daily, Saini said.
Next month, Senate will look at consumption rates and adjust the number of papers offered. It is anticipated that more issues of The Dispatch will be offered, Ecos and Saini said.
“It’s doing better than expected,” Saini said.
After last year’s free trial, the program was awarded a cap of $60,000. Currently, spending is at about $30,000, Saini said.
Neither Ecos nor Saini expect spending to reach the top-dollar amount.
Senate chose The Dispatch after narrowing the choices between papers from Columbus, Cincinnati and Cleveland.
“We felt The Dispatch was more centralized,” Ecos said.
Under a one-year contract, the program will run from Aug. 27 to May 5, and newspapers will not be offered during breaks, said Ecos.
With the funding now coming from students, it is estimated that about $3 or less from each student’s tuition goes to the program, Saini said.
Last year, 98 percent of students reported they would be willing to spend $10 for the program’s continuation, Saini said.
“It’s really nice to have, because it’s more than just campus news. You can know about what’s going on in the world,” said Alicia Sproul, a junior studying chemical engineering. “I think I learn more from the papers than I do online.”
bl171210@ohiou.edu
