Let me let the hardcore political party members in on a little secret: The average student does not care about The New York Times.
In three years on campus I have seen one person with a New York Times. Never have I been able to grab a New York Times or sat next to someone in class with a New York Times. Three hundred papers handed out in a college of 50,000 students do not even make a dent in the student population.
For something that people can get by looking on the Internet, it is a colossal waste of money. Spending $60,000 on 300 newspapers? You do realize that $60,000 is almost equal to the entire budget for all the clubs in the College of Engineering? The self-congratulation and finger pointing I've seen in the Alligator over this issue has been disgraceful.