USA Today, Star Tribune, Forum available in residence halls
An important facet of a well-rounded education is the knowledge attained outside the classroom.
That knowledge can be gained from a variety of venues, one of which is newspapers.
NDSU is one of over 360 colleges in the United States to participate in the College Readership Program.
Mary Ellen Couture, regional marketing manager with USA Today, said the program started at Penn State six years ago because administrators there felt students didn’t have adequate access to current events.
They approached three different newspapers about the idea, and USA Today became the managing operation because of its multi-publication billing system, Couture said. The College Readership Program at Penn State is the largest in the United States.
Last year, NDSU’s Residence Hall Association approached USA Today about bringing the opportunity to Fargo.
USA Today began the process by surveying NDSU students about their reading habits and what newspapers they would like to choose from.
NDSU chose to distribute three newspapers in the residence halls, including The Forum of Fargo-Moorhead, the Minneapolis Star Tribune and USA Today.
A month-long pilot program provided the College Readership Program managers with information about how often students read newspapers and specifically what they were reading.
Shortly after, the program was fully implemented.
Universities utilizing the program are charged a reduced rate because it was designed with academic intent in mind. Couture said the purpose is to “enhance civic engagement on campus.”
The program is based on a consumption rate only, so universities are charged only for what is picked up each day.
The newspapers are only available in residence halls because NDSU adopted the residence hall model, rather than the campus-wide model. With the latter model, the newspapers would be available throughout an entire campus but would be paid for by everyone through a fee structure.
Once the Residence Hall Association decided what program to use, the program managers provided marketing materials, such as mailbox stuffers and posters, to let students in the residence halls know of the program’s existence.
A unique feature that was added to NDSU’s program was the re-read bins. The containers were provided by the College Readership Program because NDSU did not have the funds to run the program “open wide,” so the bins offered students a way to share their newspapers and continue the program.
Couture said the program works with the universities throughout the entire year to make sure students are receiving what they want.
Around spring break, several affiliates of the program will travel to campus to personally survey students’ satisfaction with the program.
When NDSU implemented the program, the Residence Hall Association chose to vote on the program every spring. The visit will also provide first-hand knowledge about whether or not students actually use the program, even pinpointing usage to a specific residence hall.
“ We hope the program continues at NDSU,” Couture said.
Each university has the freedom to decide to keep the program, as well as what newspapers will be available to students, Couture said. The program will work to provide universities with the newspapers their students demand, as long as the request is within the program’s limits.
More information about the program is available at www.usatodaycollege.com.