The sight of the representative from the St. Louis Post-Dispatch standing outside the University bookstore trying to persuade students to sign up for semester subscriptions is a well-known sight to Saint Louis University students during the first week of school.
Students living in residence halls, though, may soon find a wider selection of newspaper publications available to them through the use of the College Newspaper Readership Program. The program, specifically designed for residence halls, provides four newspapers-national, regional, local and campus-for students.
“The [program’s] mission is to help educate and prepare students,” said Lisa Trube, regional marketing manager of USA Today, which helps promote the program to universities throughout the nation. “Students can learn about current events and the world around them. It’s an additional way to become educated.”
No final decisions have been made as to whether or not SLU would participate in this program. Trube has met with members of Residence Life and the Residence Hall Association, trying to answer questions about the readership program and what it would entail.
The program consists of four phases, beginning with a four-week trial run in which the newspapers would be provided free in residence halls. Students will be able to choose specific newspapers for the program, although according to Director of Residence Life Leonard Jones, the question of how and which students would select the newspapers remains unanswered.
If the program is accepted after the trial run, the remaining three phases-distribution, recycling and partnership efforts-would follow.
Distribution refers to how the four newspapers would be placed in the residence halls. According to Jones, decisions about which residence halls would receive newspapers and whether to choose a five-day (Monday through Friday) distribution or weekend circulation period would be made by students.
The recycling aspect of the program would help ensure that the newspaper stands do not become unsightly in the residence hall areas. Under partnership efforts, USA Today would manage the readership program, distribution and recycling efforts, as well as the residence hall display fixtures, or newspaper stands.
Jones said that the idea for the readership program was brought to his attention earlier this semester and that students wanted to contact other universities already participating in the program. “Students want to see how the program works at other schools,” Jones said. “This has the potential of being a good thing.”
If accepted, the program would cost no more than $20 per student per year for the Monday through Friday circulation period. Whether or not the University or Residence Life would help cover this cost remains unknown.
Jones said that even though some students would argue against paying for the readership program, any decisions would be made with student input.
“We’re building a process in which students opinions’ are heard,” Jones said. “This is the first opportunity for Residence Life and students to work in a joint process to this extent.”
