by Nico Patakidis
A free New York Times (NYT) subscription will potentially be offered soon for all Cal Poly Humboldt students, courtesy of the Associated Students (A.S.). The most recent bi-weekly board of directors meeting on Oct. 31 discussed this item, which included feedback during public comment and a presentation given by Todd Halverson of NYT.
NYT offers a variety of resources such as news articles, recipes for many different lifestyles, product recommendations and games. However, users can only view a certain amount of articles each month without a subscription. On Oct. 24, A.S. released a survey to determine how many students would be interested in receiving a free NYT subscription. The responses to the survey were a majority in favor of bringing free NYT subscriptions to Cal Poly Humboldt students. Out of the 72 respondents as of Oct. 31, 97.3% said they would be interested in the subscription.
The presentation given by Todd Halverson, who has been with NYT for over 19 years, illustrated the different use cases that students may have with an NYT subscription and how the program can benefit Cal Poly Humboldt students. Halverson highlighted the resources that NYT has to offer apart from news, such as the cooking section where users can find low-cost recipes that are easy to prepare and can fit into a students schedule. Halverson said that the main goal of the program is to support students and stimulate educational, social and cultural wellness of the community. However, Halverson acknowledges that without a subscription, the resources offered by NYT are inaccessible.
“What about those without the means to do so? So, where does that leave them?” Halverson said. “And where does that leave our society?”
Following the presentation and viewing the current student input from the earlier survey, A.S. Executive Vice President Ayan Cabot confirmed that the Board of Directors would continue discussing the offered NYT subscription program. As the discussion continues, the A.S. survey for NYT will continue to accept responses from students.
Nico is a sophomore journalism major with an interest in covering local government and political affairs. In his free time he enjoys hanging out and having fun. Reach him at np211@humboldt.edu.
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