The New York Times will no longer be available for free on campus next year because of budget constraints within the ASUO.
The ASUO’s Athletics and Contracts Finance Committee had been expected to pay for the subscription when it drew up its initial budget proposal for 2009-10. However, substantial increases to the costs of bus service and football tickets mean the committee no longer has as much money as its members expected.
Six hundred copies of the Times are available every weekday in eight locations across campus. Committee members said they were impressed with the Times’ popularity on campus, which ACFC member and Senate President Alex McCafferty said reflected students’ appetite for news.
“All of the New York Times drop-off locations were empty by noon,” McCafferty said.
The service was partially funded by roughly $12,500 raised by the ASUO starting in the summer and additional funding provided by the University. ASUO President Sam Dotters-Katz, who played a prominent role in raising the money, said the Times “fosters an enlightened dialogue” among students.
“It’s definitely one of my most successful initiatives this year,” Dotters-Katz said.
ACFC members agreed that the newspaper has a valuable impact on campus.
“It lets us look out into the world beyond campus and see that there are things beyond Eugene,” ACFC member Joey Freedman said.
However, despite the Times’ value, ACFC members said current contracts are a higher priority.
ASUO budget committees are not allowed to increase their budgets by more than 7 percent each year, meaning the 15-percent increase in the amount spent on football and men’s basketball tickets, along with the more than 8-percent increase that will be required to keep the Lane Transit District bus service and the late-night 79x route, will take up most of the growth allowed in the committee’s budget.
“It was a good idea and everything, but with all the other contracts, we just can’t do it,” said ACFC member Ted Sebastian, who was assigned to contact and assist the newspaper in creating its contract.
When the ACFC made its initial budget proposal, Dotters-Katz expected that a proposal he was submitting to the Oregon University System would remove LTD from the ACFC’s oversight and finance it through a separate fee independent of ASUO funds. However, the future of Dotters-Katz’s proposal is uncertain, which has forced the ACFC to include the LTD contract in its budget.
“We’re just trying to be fiscally conservative while still representing what the students want,” ACFC chair Walid Wahed said.
ACFC members said they had not spoken with anyone connected to the newspaper since the budget proposal and had not discussed the contract in any of their meetings. McCafferty said Dotters-Katz had been primarily responsible for negotiating the subscription for this year.
“It has clearly benefited students,” Dotters-Katz said of the newspaper. “And hopefully it will be able to continue for more than just this year.”
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