The official student newspaper of Vanderbilt University

The Vanderbilt Hustler

The official student newspaper of Vanderbilt University.
Since 1888
The official student newspaper of Vanderbilt University

The Vanderbilt Hustler

The official student newspaper of Vanderbilt University.
The official student newspaper of Vanderbilt University

The Vanderbilt Hustler

The official student newspaper of Vanderbilt University.

VSG launches free access to the New York Times and the Wall Street Journal

VSG+launches+free+access+to+the+New+York+Times+and+the+Wall+Street+Journal

Vanderbilt Student Government (VSG) launched an initiative Wednesday that allows students free access to the New York Times and the Wall Street Journal on their personal devices.

The initiative is an extension of previous attempts to give students free access to new sources. Vanderbilt students can access the subscriptions through accessnyt.com and wsj.com/vanderbilt.  

Vanderbilt used to provide free print copies of newspapers to students, but they discontinued the service a few years ago due to lack of use, VSG president Tariq Issa said.

Danielle Evans (‘18) started the momentum to bring students free online subscriptions to new sources independently, Issa said. She pursued funding from different campus offices on a month-by-month basis to provide students with New York Times access. VSG got involved in the cause last year, and former VSG vice president Ryan Connor (‘18) worked with Evans to bring the issue to the Chancellor and the Provost.

The driving force for the initiative is the importance of making news access equitable, despite financial backgrounds, Issa said.

“Things like the Wall Street Journal and the New York Times are really important at the times of [job] recruitment,” Issa said. “You’re trying to know what’s going on in the markets because they’re going to ask you about that in your interview. Someone who might not be able to afford those resources wouldn’t be able to access that.”

With the VSG’s involvement, Chancellor Zeppos bought into the cause at the end of the year, Issa said. After the turn-over in VSG administration, Tariq and the new staff secured the Provost’s Office support, who is funding the current one-year contracts with both the New York Times and the Wall Street Journal.

Campus libraries are currently managing the program. VSG hopes that they will eventually take over funding the program because they have been providing students access to newspapers on library computers for years, Issa said.

“After this one year, we’re hoping that they take it over fully,”  Issa said. “They have a lot of negotiating power because of their pre-existing relationships with these newspapers, so they can negotiate a longer term deal for a cheaper price.”

Irrespective of the sponsoring office, the continuation of the program requires student support. Evans contributed to the initial demonstration of student interest for the initiative, and student use of the program will be vital in keeping the program going, Issa said.

“Vanderbilt’s very data driven,” Issa said. “If there are numbers that show something, they will follow it.”

Leave a comment
About the Contributor
Rachel Friedman, Former Editor in Chief
Rachel Friedman was a student in the College of Arts & Science who studied history and mathematics. Before serving as Editor in Chief, Rachel was the Campus Editor of The Hustler. You can reach her at [email protected].

Comments (0)

The Vanderbilt Hustler welcomes and encourages readers to engage with content and express opinions through the comment sections on our website and social media platforms. The Hustler reserves the right to remove comments that contain vulgarity, hate speech, personal attacks or that appear to be spam, commercial promotion or impersonation. The comment sections are moderated by our Editor-in-Chief, Rachael Perrotta, and our Social Media Director, Chloe Postlewaite. You can reach them at [email protected] and [email protected].
All The Vanderbilt Hustler picks Reader picks Sort: Newest
Subscribe
Notify of
guest
0 Comments
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments