By: Cresencio Rodriguez-Delgado

Editor in Chief of The Collegian

Imagine Fresno State without a student newspaper.

No longer would you pick up a fresh copy of The Collegian with news about Associated Students, Inc government meetings — where decisions are made about where your money goes. No longer would you hear the latest developments in the controversies that rattle the university. Or when a tragic incident takes a student’s life, The Collegian would not be there to bring you the stories that help you make sense of unfortunate circumstances that are a part of Fresno State life. Editors would stop trying to make sense of the crazy world we live in, and you would go about your day with little understanding of what is happening around you. Your concerns wouldn’t matter because reporters would no longer exist to ask questions on the issues that are most pressing for you on this campus.

You would be all on your own.

Luckily, The Collegian has been the go-to source of information for Fresno State students for 96 years. We hope that it continues being there to continue to uncover and report truth at the university for years to come.

But we can no longer continue to do it alone. Now, more than ever, we need your help.

The cost of operating our newsroom has gotten more and more expensive over the years. Even so, we’ve continued to produce a newspaper under a financial strain that has plagued student newsrooms across the nation.

Our objective through this recession has always been to provide you with continuous coverage of campus events and news that is important to you. We have always worked for you.

When we are supported by readers like you, we understand that we have an obligation to give you what you paid for. We make ourselves available to hear your feedback on our reporting and when you want us to look into things. We are always trying to improve. And always, our obligation is to you, the reader.

But it seems nobody is talking about this crisis that is unfolding in student newsrooms at universities, so we intend to make sure you understand the consequences of allowing student newsrooms to suffer.

Among the consequences are fewer trained journalists for tomorrow and much less information that gets into your hands so you can make informed decisions.

We have joined with more than 100 student newsrooms across the United States for “Save Student Newsrooms Day” to tell you why well-funded student newsrooms matter and how you can support us.

On April 25, we are asking you to consider giving to The Collegian any donation amount you possibly can. Your donations will go toward Collegian operations, like rebuilding our website to better fit the digital age and providing financial and equipment support to student journalists who are committed to keeping you informed.

We hope you can help save student newsrooms.