More copies of the New York Times will be available at the Sharpe Refectory and other campus locations this year than in the past, according to Gretchen Willis, director of Dining Services.
For the first time, newspapers will also be available in the Friedman Study Center, as well as at the Ratty, the Verney-Woolley dining hall and the Campus Market. Each day, Dining Services distributes 100 copies of the Times in the Ratty, 50 in the V-Dub, 45 in the Campus Market and 20 in the Friedman Study Center. Copies of the Providence Journal are also distributed to various campus locations.
The increase, long advocated by the Undergraduate Council of Students, comes after discussion last year between UCS, Dining Services and the Division of Campus Life and Student Services. UCS members drafted and submitted a proposal to increase the availability of the Times at various locations on campus. Dining Services and Campus Life were then able to jointly fund the increase, though they did not provide the required funds for the number of papers requested by UCS members, Willis said.
"We're pretty committed to the program, and I think students enjoy it a lot," Willis said.
Traditionally, the Times has provided colleges and universities with free access to its TimesSelect exclusive online content. That privilege is no longer necessary, following the Times' discontinuation of the service on Sept. 19.
In the past, newspaper availability has suffered as students took papers with them when leaving dining halls rather than leaving them to be reused, according to Director of Student Activities Ricky Gresh. To satisfy those students, Gresh said, University officials are considering a reduced subscription rate for students who want their own copy each day.
For most students, though, communal papers in the dining hall are good enough. "I'm used to having it every morning on the kitchen table to look at, so I was happy to see it here," said Sylvia Linsteadt '11, as she ate breakfast at the Ratty.
