Coffee? Check. Bagel? In hand. Morning newspaper? Get it on campus.
UF students can once again start their mornings by reading free copies of The New York Times.
Under the leadership of Student Body President Christina Bonarrigo, UF’s Student Government reinstated the campus newspaper readership program for the Spring semester. It will cost $13,500, according to the contractual agreement.
Bonarrigo said bringing the program back was her personal project. She worked during Fall to reinstate it, and the agreement was signed in mid-November.
“It was important because it was something students had expressed interest for, and I wanted to make sure to maintain the service to students,” Bonarrigo said.
Papers will be delivered every weekday through April 23 except on Martin Luther King Jr. Day and during Spring Break.
Students can also read the news online, as the readership program also includes 325 digital academic passes for each day. Each pass is good for 24 hours, and students must use their UF emails to sign up.
UF Society of Professional Journalists chapter president Ayana Stewart said she’s glad the program is back. She previously saw many students reading the Times in class.
“I know that it’s definitely something that students take advantage of,” said Stewart, a 20-year-old UF journalism junior.
The campus readership program previously included USA Today as well. The program was suspended in May 2012 due to an outstanding debt of nearly $30,000, according to Alligator archives.
This past Summer, the Student Senate amended the fiscal year 2013-2014 activity and service fee budget and reduced the allocation for the readership program by $23,000. The new amount, $27,173, was designated for digital subscriptions.
Also this Summer, the Senate approved the 2014-2015 activity and service fee budget, which eliminated funds for the program entirely.
Bonarrigo said she’s not sure what the future of the program holds because that’s up to the next SG executive officers.
A version of this story ran on page 4 on 1/14/2014 under the headline "SG makes free New York Times program reappear on campus"
