To some Ohio University students, mornings wouldn’t be the same without a cup of joe and a complimentary copy of The New York Times.
Baker University Center and Alden Library are hubs for free copies of The New York Times, USA Today and The Columbus Dispatch, paid for by more than $50,000 in General Fee money — a pool of money funded by student fees.
Student Senate had initiated the program three years ago and now oversees the service, which only charges for the papers that are picked up.
Pickup rates are near 100 percent for each of the papers, said Ian Dryburgh, regional marketing manager at USA Today. Papers are distributed each day when classes are in session.
“It was just something that (Kyle Triplett, former senate president) thought would be a good idea, and it has been wildly successful since then,” said Nick Southall, senate president.
Each print copy of the Times also correlates with free one-day access to the online version. Those with an OU email address can log in online by using the university email, though only 295 individuals can log on daily.
Senate is looking to expand this program, possibly through collaborating with specific colleges, Southall said.
Southall approached the academic affairs commission with the idea and offered to meet with college deans if interest is expressed.
“I obviously thought the students in Scripps would love this,” said Jenna Stenger, Scripps College of Communication senator. “Having access to that would only do good things for our school.”
Stenger plans to continue the conversation with Scott Titsworth, dean of the Scripps college, to explore the potential partnership between senate and Scripps.
OU is one of hundreds of colleges participating in such a program around the country, Dryburgh said.
“We try to make sure that campus bubble is broken, so you, as students, have access to what is happening outside of campus,” Dryburgh said.
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This article appeared in print under the headline "Senate looks to build readership program"
