The Standard

Issue date: 1/18/08 Section: News

Beginning in February, Missouri State students will be able to pick up USA Today for free on campus.

The Student Government Association will run a pilot program of the Collegiate Readership Program, slated to begin next month.

From Feb. 4 to Feb. 29, The New York Times and USA Today will be available to students under the experimental program. The four-week trial will be free.

The pilot will allow SGA to determine the most successful drop-off spots and gauge student interest, Ashley Hoyer, SGA director of academic affairs, said.

After the pilot ends, both SGA senators and administrators will begin discussion on whether or not to implement the full program, Hoyer said.

The full program would require a student fee increase of $3 to $4 per semester. According to Hoyer, SGA requested of the Administrative Council that a placeholder be put in the 2008-2009 budget to ensure that the program will be possible if SGA decides to go through with it.

"How I look at it is that it's a semester subscription to three newspapers for less than the price of a latte," Hoyer said.

If picked up, Hoyer said that the USA Today program offers several perks in the form of custom logos on newspaper bins and a recycling program.

SGA decided to give the program a try after the previous system involving the News-Leader ended.

"We wanted a program that has a sense of permanence to it. That is, with a student fee increase, we know that we will have it year after year," Hoyer said. "Our main goal is to offer students a news source for their needs. We want Missouri State to be filled with students who know what's going on in their community, their nation and their world."

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