Has everyone noticed the shiny new metal newsstands decorating the entrances to various on-campus residencies? The New York Times, The Philadelphia Inquirer and USA Today are currently free to students Monday through Friday.
For 20 days, the Collegiate Readership Program at usatodaycollege.com is attempting to lure in college readers to hook them into paying for subscriptions. The newspaper giants of the world want students to use newspapers in their everyday lives for 20 days so much so that the students will become dependent on reading a daily newspaper. For 20 days, we students are given free newspapers!!!!
Free newspapers are a journalism student’s dream but should also be a more widespread dream because as college students in the suburbs we are devoid of easy access to current events sources. Adding a new addition of daily newspapers to fuel our budding communication minds with knowledge to encourage us to go out and take a stand on something is even better. I think that it is wonderful that we residents are given the opportunity to read a variety of newspapers. In fact, I think that this should continue.
I propose that Cabrini College foots the bill for the student body to continue to read a variety of daily newspapers.
Our core curriculum includes “current events.” It would only make sense then that the administration pays for the service for residents to keep them up to date on current events.
Reading a newspaper is the most reliable way to keep up to date with current events. However, newspapers are not sold anywhere on campus.
The library subscribes to a nice selection of newspapers, however, there is only one copy of each paper for the entire student body and faculty to share. Plus, the newspapers have to be kept in the library. Personally, I have issues with “pre-read” periodicals. My family and close friends know not to touch my fresh copies of Cosmopolitan. I am the same way with newspapers. I like to read them throughout the day. I’ll leave one section open to a certain page and expect that page to be on display when I again pick up the paper.
In addition to newspapers being a vital necessity to our core curriculum, newspapers are also useful in many other ways. Newspapers provide an outlet to encourage students to form opinions on topics. Many times, visual medias show bias in the way that the material is presented. Newspapers bring the news in an unbiased fashion.
The newsstands we have are currently placed in very convenient places for residents. Newsstands should also be placed around campus for commuters. Commuters have the same curriculum as residents. Placing newsstands in the commuter lounge and in the food court greatly benefit commuters. The communications wing would also greatly benefit from a newsstand.
Bryn Mawr College, Temple University, Villanova University and Penn State University are some of the colleges that participate in this program through USA Today that offers students daily newspapers. I would love to see Cabrini College on this list in the near future.
