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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