ASG flips decision on CRP
USD seniors fight to regain free digital newspaper access; see hope in new decision
Senior Anthony Catanzaro is confused, offended, and ready for a fight.
In a matter of weeks, he watched his and the entire campus’ digital access to both The Wall Street Journal and The New York Times evaporate after eight student-government officials decided the program wasn’t worth the money.
According to Catanzaro, Associated Student Government’s (ASG) decision to defund the entire College Readership Program never made sense because ASG officials promised to fund the program earlier in the year, at least one in five Toreros used the service, and it aligns well with USD’s mission statement.
“I don’t understand it,” Catanzaro said after last week’s ASG senate. “Am I lost? Am I missing something?”
After creating a petition against ASG’s decision, 107 students have signed and supported Catanzaro’s grassroots movement to regain digital access to the NYT and WSJ.
His petition, along with another similar to it — which have gathered a total of 350 USD student signatories — prompted a response from both the ASG Finance Chair George Saunderson and President Marion Chavarria Rivera. They offered Copley Library’s newspaper database as a comparable substitute and justification for their decision, encouraging those with concerns to come to senate for a conversation.
Despite these invitations, Catanzaro has had no such conversation, nor was the College Readership Program made a senate agenda item.
“I am so confused as to why this isn’t on the agenda,” Catanzaro said. “It felt like they are not taking this seriously. The CRP needs discussion. It needs questions. It needs answers.”
Two weeks ago, Catanzaro missed a mandatory meeting at his job to attend ASG senate in order to voice his thoughts, backed by the support of those who signed his petition. Time ran out before he could share his thoughts on the program, with talk of the hate crime taking priority, and rightfully so to Catanzaro.
Although, last week he hoped the program would make it on the agenda, but he sat in senate for an hour, until he had to leave as he couldn’t miss two meetings in a row. Catanzaro left without being addressed.
“They say they care, but from my observation they certainly do not,” Catanzaro said. “George spoke for half a second about the College Readership Program. He made no effort to ask for anyone else’s opinion. It doesn’t seem like a democracy to me.”
At the end of senate, ASG granted less than 60 seconds to the readership program. All of those seconds were used by senior Jake McFarland, who voiced his hope that ASG reconsider its decision to defund the College Readership Program.
“I think that being aware of the world’s problems, not just in the U.S., allows us to be changemakers,” McFarland said. “This program keeps us educated and allows us to fulfill USD’s mission statement.”
Thirteen seconds of silence came after McFarland’s statement which was followed only by a motion to adjourn. No discussion was had.
Despite this lack of conversation, Catanzaro has no plans to stop fighting for the program.
“This is not something they can sweep under the rug, which is what they are trying to do,” Catanzaro said. “I am here for one more semester. They are going to have to deal with me.”
The College Readership Program has gone under an incremental defunding over the last two years. The program once provided three physical publications to students across campus, along with access to digital subscriptions.
Last year’s leadership team defunded the physical copies after taking an unofficial poll of under 100 students. The Senate body voted against this decision and subsequently voted for a campus-wide referendum which would leave the funding of the newspapers up to students. The vote never occurred because of ASG infighting, although students maintained digital access to the The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal.
At the start of this year, one digital subscription was assured to students by ASG, but the same executive team that had assured the community of its access decided to defund the entire program. Their decision was based off of students’ access to Copley Library’s newspaper database, which offers research access to daily news.
The $13,ooo previously allocated for a digital subscription has sat in limbo since the decision to defund the program. Students’ free access to both The Wall Street Journal and The New York Times has ended.
On Tuesday Catanzaro and Simon Finnie, another vocal petitioner, met with senators Justin Daus and Daniella Walter privately. After hearing from Catanzaro and Finnie, the two senators showed the first signs of support for refunding the college readership program, and began mobilizing others within ASG to refund the program.
“Daniella and I are two senators in Associated Student Government who believe that the College Readership Program should not be defunded,” Daus said. “I believe that this is an issue that affects all members of the campus community. There are senators within ASG that share this belief, and I am standing firm that I believe the College Readership Program should be fully funded as it was.”
Despite the last-minute nature of the support of the College Readership Program, Finance Committee flipped back on their original decision and voted to reallocate the free digital WSJ access in full.
The two-thirds vote was close — five yays, three nays, and one tie-breaking vote. The ASG member who first introduced the idea to defund the program, Saunderson, cast the tie breaking vote in support of the same program.
This vote by Finance Committee to refund the College Readership Program will be put up to a senate vote on Thursday to finalize the decision.
Just before the meeting began, Finnie slipped a three-sentence message to Vice President Greyson Taylor:
“We encourage you to think of the real impact this journal has on the quality of students at this institution,” the message read. “A rash decision could have negative impacts stretching long after your tenure here. Thank you for, as a student government, keeping the best interests of students first.”
The message was read aloud during Finance Committee.
Catanzaro, along with Daus waited until the early hours of the morning to hear of Finance Committee’s decision. In a matter of hours, ASG went from no support of the program to a vote that could lead to a full re-funding of the progam.
To Catanzaro, the decision is a positive sign.
“I think it’s definitely a first step in the right direction to bring back the readership program,” Catanzaro said. “Once it’s final, we will have a reason to celebrate. It’s the best news I have heard all day.”
Senate meets in Solomon Hall at 12:15 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 14 to decide whether to fund the College Readership Program.