Collegiate Readership Program kicks into high gear

Amanda Lipon, senior in LAS, reads a newspaper at the Union on Monday September 28, 2009.
Michael Stein The Daily Illini

The New York Times, Chicago Tribune, and USA Today can now be found in various locations across campus.

On Monday, the University became one of many schools to enact the Collegiate Readership Program.

Kara Beach, press secretary for the Illinois Student Senate and senior in Media, said every other school in the Big Ten has already adopted the program. She added the program will distribute newspapers in buildings on campus such as the Activities and Recreation Center, Grainger Library and Gregory Hall.

"We're just trying to figure out the usage at those locations," Beach, a former Illini Media employee, said. "If they are well-used, we'll stick with those."

Beach said that for the first four to six weeks of the program the newspapers would be located in open-air bins available to anyone. After this period the program will switch over to locked bins that would require student i-cards, she added.

Beach said she believes the program will not only help students in class but also in their future careers.

"Obviously, being on campus you can get into a bubble and we want students to be aware of what's going on around them," Beach said.

Beach also said the program is funded by a $2 student fee. She added that ISS has created a committee to assess the progress of the program.

Rhonda Kirts, associate dean of students, said this is not the first time the campus has had a program like this.

Kirts said as part of the previous program, students in University Housing received newspapers. The new program will do the same, but the funding comes from a different source.

Kirts said ISS was responsible for introducing the program at the University. Carey Ash, vice-president internal for ISS, said he thought it was a great idea to give students access to outside media while on campus.

"This will put news events and issues within arms reach of every student on campus," Ash said. "I think this is the program's greatest benefit."

Ash said the idea for the program was presented to ISS last year by Jaclyn O'Day, former student body president and University alumnus.

O'Day said the student senate had a pilot program and passed out newspapers free of charge in fall 2007. She added students were surveyed on their feelings about the program.

"We had an overwhelmingly positive response," she said, but added that after the pilot program ended, the senate had no way of funding its continuation.

Aqeel Padaria, freshman in Engineering, said the program would not significantly affect how he gets his news.

"I read my news online, but this is a good initiative in general," Padaria said.

He added he would read the papers in the Illini Union if he had spare time, but he would not go out of his way to get one.

Christina De Quero, junior in AHS, said she felt the program was a good idea. She said she would read the papers, provided she knew their locations.

Dave Schmerler, junior in LAS, said he will "definitely" get the Chicago Tribune from the bins outside the Illinois Street Residence Hall cafeteria.

"I'm in Global Studies," Schmerler said, "And outside news is good for a bigger sphere of influence."