Drop the presses!
University discontinues USA Today Readership Program
Ashley Fuquay
Issue date: 9/18/08 Section: News
After three years on campus, the USA Today Readership Program has been discontinued. This program provided free copies of The Fort Worth Star-Telegram, The Dallas Morning News and USA Today that were placed in various buildings on campus for students to pick up. The readership program was cancelled this year because of lack of a funding and lack of interest.
"Dr. Chilton took it to the Dean's Council, the academic deans. It was reported that the deans felt that the faculty weren't using the program. There wasn't a significant amount of use in the academic classroom to support the cost associated with the program," said Rusty Jergins, Dean of Students.
The cost of the program per year, approximately $20,000, was divided between Academic Affairs and Student Affairs.
The program had two objectives. One was to encourage students to read the newspaper more often and the second was for use in the classroom.
"I think some [Communications] students used it and I know the business college used it, but when the readership program people came to us they talked about the move across the nation where campuses were creating fees to help support that and we just didn't feel like we could justify constituting a fee to all students to fund that program," Jergins said.
Now that the program is missing, some students have started noticing that they no longer receive free newspapers.
"I read the Star-Telegram and The Dallas Morning News…everyday and I did notice that they were missing and …I don't want to pay for them," said senior communications major Mellyssa Carpenter.
After three years with the program, students were used to picking up free newspapers.
"Before class I would always get the paper and see what's going on and it's kind of a disappointment that it's not there anymore," said senior Jon Brown, an Exercise and Sports Studies major.
Some students really don't miss the program at all.
"I haven't seen an E-mail voicing concerns and no one has contacted me personally," Jergins said.
Russell Yowell, who is a junior computer information systems major said that he hadn't even noticed they were missing because he never read the paper.
"They just didn't interest me. I just didn't have time to read them," Yowell said.
To voice a concern about the program, comments and suggestions can be made online at www.tarleton.edu/~sga. To voice an opinion about the USA Today Readership Program, send comments to the www.thejtac.com.
"Dr. Chilton took it to the Dean's Council, the academic deans. It was reported that the deans felt that the faculty weren't using the program. There wasn't a significant amount of use in the academic classroom to support the cost associated with the program," said Rusty Jergins, Dean of Students.
The cost of the program per year, approximately $20,000, was divided between Academic Affairs and Student Affairs.
The program had two objectives. One was to encourage students to read the newspaper more often and the second was for use in the classroom.
"I think some [Communications] students used it and I know the business college used it, but when the readership program people came to us they talked about the move across the nation where campuses were creating fees to help support that and we just didn't feel like we could justify constituting a fee to all students to fund that program," Jergins said.
Now that the program is missing, some students have started noticing that they no longer receive free newspapers.
"I read the Star-Telegram and The Dallas Morning News…everyday and I did notice that they were missing and …I don't want to pay for them," said senior communications major Mellyssa Carpenter.
After three years with the program, students were used to picking up free newspapers.
"Before class I would always get the paper and see what's going on and it's kind of a disappointment that it's not there anymore," said senior Jon Brown, an Exercise and Sports Studies major.
Some students really don't miss the program at all.
"I haven't seen an E-mail voicing concerns and no one has contacted me personally," Jergins said.
Russell Yowell, who is a junior computer information systems major said that he hadn't even noticed they were missing because he never read the paper.
"They just didn't interest me. I just didn't have time to read them," Yowell said.
To voice a concern about the program, comments and suggestions can be made online at www.tarleton.edu/~sga. To voice an opinion about the USA Today Readership Program, send comments to the www.thejtac.com.
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