Colleges and universities want their students to enter the world as knowledgeable and well-rounded adults. Especially in an election year, students should be as informed as ever. One of the easiest ways for Boston University students to obtain their local and national news stories was from the complimentary Boston Globes that were available in dormitories and in the College of Communication building. The money the university saves from not having free newspapers for students does not equal the price of having less-informed students.
Originally, the newspapers were given to the university through the College Readership Program, in which a company sponsors a college or university so that students have access to free’ Globes. Last year, the Museum of Science sponsored BU, but not this year. According to the Globe, sponsorships have decreased for many universities, not just at BU. But even without a sponsor, the university surely has enough money to pay for a discounted group subscription.
The newspaper, in its physical form anyway ‘-‘- may be dying, but it is not dead yet. For a university that has discussed creating a separate journalism school, it seems odd to diminish the importance of the printed page. While advances in technology are pushing journalism to turn to online publication, students ‘-‘- like most adults ‘-‘- enjoy reading a hard copy of a newspaper while eating breakfast or commuting. And sitting through lectures and discussions all day keeps many students away from their computers.’
While officials claim that few students have complained about the missing newspapers in major residences, such as Warren Towers, residents haven’t noticed the papers’ absence because the majority of them are freshmen and have no reason to expect free newspapers. But nearly 75 percent of BU students remember the free Globes, and they also remember when the newspapers disappeared last year. After students voiced complaints last year about the newspapers’ disappearances, the Globes came back. Students will make the effort to be informed citizens, but the university should be willing to help out.
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Dear Freep,<br/>The only reason that I or my friends have not complained about the missing Globe is we don’t know to whom we should be directing complaints! We miss the free Globe and not everyone likes getting their news online. There’s something different about having a hard copy to read.<p/>Please direct this as a complaint to your source that claims BU has not received any complaints.<p/>Vieshnavi Rattehalli, CAS ’11