CSU Dominguez Hills set to lose student paper

By Angelita Caudillo
The Collegian

California State University Dominguez Hills will become the only CSU campus to not have a student-run newspaper in December.

Due to a lack of funding Dominguez Hills will publish its final issue of the paper Dec. 7.

Dominguez Hills Bulletin adviser Cathy Risling said the student-run newspaper is not a lined item on any department’s budget for the campus. It is something the College of Liberal Arts helped pay for with extra money it had and has now become too large for it to pay for.

The newspaper is published seven times a semester and comes at a cost of $75,000 for both semesters, Risling said. That covers the cost for the newspaper to be published and to pay staff and faculty salaries. Of that cost the newspaper uses advertising revenues to pay for communications department supplies, all newspaper supplies and equipment as well as pay for conferences for students and faculty enrolled in the class. The paper receives between $7,000 and 9,000 each year in a grant from Associated Students Incorporated, Risling said.

Risling said the loss of the newspaper will not hurt any students in the communications major, since there is not a journalism emphasis in place at the university.

The newspaper and production class is a three-unit course that teaches students writing and editing skills.

Dominguez Hills Junior communications major Heather Schulte said the lack of funding is “totally bogus.

“It’s going to hurt everyone for lack of communications,” she said. Schulte is a staff writer for the newspaper and writes for features and news. Schulte said she tried to bring up an idea to charge students anywhere from a dollar to two dollars to keep the newspaper.

Schulte said the loss of the newspaper on campus is going to hurt everyone, both staff and students.

“Not everyone can check the Internet everyday,” Schulte said. Without the newspaper, Schulte said, students will be unaware of things like parking situations that may change.

Risling said the president of the university, James L. Lyons is very keen on boosting enrollment, which is down this year.

“I believe if you take away the campus paper you’re hurting the campus’ reputation.” Risling said.
“There is a lot to be lost,” she said. Risling said she is concerned this will affect students and staff because the campus paper is how students acquire a lot of their information to find out what’s going on around campus.

Writers said students on campus do not want to the see the newspaper disappear. Staff writers are taking up petitions on campus and many students are taking steps to save the newspaper Risling said.

Schulte said the petition on campus is asking Lyons to draw attention to the loss of the newspaper and to administer funding to keep it. With 60 signatures she already acquired, Schulte said that she will receive 30 more by the end of Tuesday night. She said she is unsure of how many signatures other students have acquired but they were all told about the loss of the newspaper about a week ago, not giving them much time to try saving the paper.

Schulte said she would encourage students to sign the petitions, send e-mails, go in and talk with President Lyons and to come up with ideas for funding the newspaper.

Without commitment from Lyons for funding, the campus will become the only CSU without a student-run paper, Risling said.

“It’s an embarrassment,” she said.

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