Got readership?
As the University kicked off its newspaper readership program, students began receiving free newspapers Monday and representatives for USA Today passed out surveys to assess the market for periodicals.
The program, which now provides free copies of The New York Times, USA Today and The Herald-Sun of Durham at various locations on campus, was first implemented in fall 2000 by President Nan Keohane on East Campus locations and was then discontinued last year by the administration, which cited a lack of readership. Supporters of the program hope that extending the program to upperclassmen will increase readership.
During the four-week trial period, the publications will provide the University with free copies of the periodicals so it can decide how many subscriptions to purchase.
The trial period will also be used to assess means of distribution. Newspaper dispensers with card swipes, restricting access to Duke undergraduates, will be in place by Oct. 2. The newspapers will be available at the Marketplace, the Bryan Center, the Cambridge Inn, the West-Edens Link and Central Campus bus stops.
Rick Garcia, a junior and former Duke Student Government legislator, worked with administrators to reinstate the newspaper program, using it as his DSG legislator individual project. "You'd always see the papers laying around at the Marketplace or overhear discussion and debate about topics in the Times," Garcia wrote in an e-mail. "These discussions were carried on inside and outside of class, something that doesn't happen too often.... [The program] will better prepare Duke students to exhibit the traits described in the University's mission statement."
He added that The Herald-Sun will also link students to the community beyond the University's walls.
Garcia and DSG president Joshua Jean-Baptiste worked with Vice President of Student Affairs Larry Moneta to bring the program back this fall.
"The overall intent is to try to increase intellectual life on campus," Moneta said.
The program is co-sponsored by DSG and the Office of Student Affairs, along with a confederation of other administrative offices. "We will evaluate the program later in the year to determine whether permanent funding can be secured," Moneta said.
Freshman Sam Abzug said she thinks the newspaper program will be well received by students. "As a freshman, I feel very isolated from what's going on in the world," she said. "At home, I always read the newspaper."
Senior Andy Skurka agreed that the program will be beneficial for undergraduates.
"If I was on East Campus [two years ago] and could get into the dorms I would grab a New York Times," he recalled.
Although a survey conducted by The New York Times indicated that 25 to 30 percent of the freshman class used the service, Skurka said readership appeared to decline as the fall 2000 semester progressed.
"The University will not just give out free papers-there has to be a greater reason...," Jean-Baptiste said. "It is really on students to make this program work. If we want this to last more than just a year, we need to become creative and find a way to make the program a base of intellectual stimulation."
Michelle Bonetto, regional marketing manager for USA Today, said newspaper readership programs enhance students' knowledge beyond the college campus. "It helps to build more informed citizens," Bonetto said. "Better informed citizens increase the willingness to vote."
She added that the newspapers involved are also seeking to instill readership habits in college students who might purchase subscriptions when they graduate.
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