After helping choose the Democratic presidential candidate next
week, students can then decide the fate of their morning reading
material.
Students living on campus will be able to vote next week on the
future of the Collegiate Readership Program at UCLA.
From March 1 through March 5, students can cast their ballots
online. Although the Web site on which students will vote has not
yet been created, all students living on the Hill will receive
e-mails explaining where to go to vote, said Jessica Wong, chair of
the On Campus Housing Council.
Since Feb. 2, students have been able to pick up USA Today and
The New York Times, which are available in each of the dining
halls.
As the free trial period comes to an end, students will decide
whether to begin the paid program at the beginning of the next
school year, which would increase housing fees by $3 per quarter
for each student.
At least 40 percent of residents must vote in order to reach
quorum, said Wong. To pass, the program must get 50 percent plus
one vote in favor, she added.
USA Today developed the readership program for Penn State
University in 1997. The trial program has since been implemented in
over 400 colleges and universities and accepted in 240.
The student newspaper at Penn State, the Daily Collegian,
resisted the program because the national newspapers posed a threat
to the Collegian’s distribution.
The paper’s circulation dropped sharply and the expenses
associated with running the paper increased beyond its profit
margin as a result of the competition, said Gerry Lynn Hamilton,
general manager of the Collegian, in an interview earlier this
month.
Over 200 schools have rejected the paid program due to student
newspaper opposition and student concerns over the cost of the
program. The program was offered at UCLA two years ago but students
voted it down.
Although the cost is minimal in terms of other housing fees,
some students feel they should not have to pay for a program only
some students use.
Brian Furukawa, a second-year biochemistry student, believes it
is good to provide students with national newspapers but feels
students should only have to pay for the papers they read.
“I don’t think every student living on campus should
have to pay for it,” Furukawa said
But some students support the program because of its low
cost.
Steve Koyanagi, a second-year political science student,
believes the program provides a cheap and convenient way to get his
daily news.
The results of the election will be announced within one week
after the end of the vote.