Collegiate Readership locked drop boxes to come in April

By: Michael Ringling / Staff Writer

Posted on 21. Mar, 2012 in News

Pitt’s Student Government Board planned to have The New York Times and USA Today return to campus in locked drop boxes.

But the 300 copies of each newspaper came last week without the added security.

At Tuesday night’s SGB meeting, Board member Julie Hallinan said that the locked drop boxes will arrive in April. The Board also explained to the 10 or so people who attended the meeting why the copies of the newspapers were available without the locked drop boxes.

In December, the Board halted the Collegiate Readership Program because the copies of The New York Times and USA Today were unsecured, allowing those who do not pay the program-funding Student Activities Fee to easily pick up copies on campus. The Board voted to wait until after Spring Break to bring back the newspapers because it wanted to make sure the papers were secured with locked card-swipe boxes that students would be able to open with their Pitt IDs.

Associate Dean and Director of Student Life Kenyon Bonner said that the swipe boxes hadn’t arrived by the time the papers returned because the boxes needed to be manufactured. Bonner said the delays also stemmed from testing the hardware to make sure it would read Pitt IDs. The boxes were ordered around the time of SGB’s decision to reinstate the program in January.

Hallinan said the lack of locked drop boxes was due to a failure to turn in paperwork on time.

She added that she wanted to look into sources to pay for the $33,600 program. The amount currently comes out of the $80-per-semester fee each undergraduate non-College of General Studies student pays into the Student Activities Fund.

“I don’t want it to be a Board-to-Board thing,” Hallinan said, referring to her desire to find a more stable way of funding the program rather than forcing future Boards to make the decision.

Board President James Landreneau said on Monday that the contract for the program will last until December 2012. He said he didn’t feel comfortable signing the contract for two years because he did not know how the reception of the papers would change once they were secured.

He said that he wants to have a strong transition with next year’s Board and make sure that the program has a strong reception after the implementation of the swipe boxes.

“I don’t think the Board should be set on this as a complete success,” Landreneau said. “I want to make sure that we have some stability for this project.”

In other news, members of the Board and committees reported on upcoming events and their developments on projects.

Board member Gordon Louderback said in his report that Sodexo and its Food Committee will begin hosting Late Night Food events on Thursday nights in Market Central. This Thursday, the event will feature nachos, followed by a chicken-nugget bar next Thursday and a pierogie bar the following Thursday.

Also in on-campus food news, Board member Natalie Rothenberger said that Market Central will team up with the University’s dietitian to help students discover the healthiest food option in Market Central each day. The dietitian and members of Sodexo’s staff will consider each food item and evaluate its nutritional value and then display this information where it’s visible to students. The program is still in the works, but Rothenberger expects it to be implemented soon.

Academic Affairs Chair C.J. Stavrakos said that he is pushing to have classrooms in the Cathedral of Learning open later at night so students have more places to study. He is also working to have syllabi made available to students prior to course enrollment.

Allocations:

The Krav Maga club requested $1,006 for 10 safety pads. The Allocations Committee recommended that the Board approve $499.35 for five of the 10 pads and deny $507.15 for the other five, because they thought the group members could share. The request was postponed because no one from the club attended the meeting.

The NORML club requested $3,800 to bring a speaker to campus. The Board approved the request in full.

Pitt Outdoors Club requested $1,063 for a trip to Seneca Rocks. The Allocations Committee recommended the Board approve $1,033 and deny $30 for firewood. The Board approved the request in full, after Louderback moved to include the $30.

The Pitt Men’s Ultimate Frisbee Club requested $3,160.36 to participate in a competition in North Carolina. The Board approved $1,088.44 but denied $2,071.92 in line with the Allocations Committee recommendation because thye amount would put the club over the competition cap.

Tags: Collegiate Readership Program, student government board