At Thursday’s meeting, the Student Senate voted unanimously to fund the New York Times Newspaper Readership Program. The Senate has agreed to fund half of the program, which will deliver the Times free of charge to the Portland and Gorham campuses, to a maximum of $3750. The Senate’s expense will be matched by the Vice President’s Office. Senator James McKeon said the program will begin on October 15.
“We’re not paying for September or half of October,” said Chair Ezekiel Kimball in an interview. Because of this, he said, an exact price isn’t available yet.
McKeon, who spearheaded the proposal, said that a pilot version of the program proved popular with the student body last year.
Vice-Chair Andrew Bossie voiced his support for the program as well, referring to it as a “groundbreaking” opportunity for Senate public relations. “I think this is very, very, very important to the Senate’s PR,” said Bossie. After discussion, a vote by roll call was held and passed unanimously.
During discussion of the proposal, Senator Jeremy Collette asked if there would be any concerns about sharing papers in order to reach as many students as possible. McKeon responded that while the Senate had no real control over whether papers were shared, they wanted to make sure that the papers reached as many students as they could.
Senator Sarah Ferriter asked about the necessity of the program, pointing out that the school libraries already subscribe to the Times and other papers. McKeon answered, “Put something in front of [students] and they are apt to read it,” adding that most students would be more likely to read a paper that was more convenient to them.
Senator Caroline Young then described the proposal as an outreach program for students who wouldn’t read the newspaper otherwise. Young called the proposal a “gateway towards students reading a paper, even after they graduate.”
In addition to the newspapers, the program will include a visit to USM by a speaker. No details are yet available on the nature of this speaker.