The Undergraduate Student Senate and Kent Interhall Council have teamed up to distribute free USA Today and The New York Times newspapers at various campus locations.

“The Collegiate Readership Program aims to give undergraduate students a different perspective on what’s going on in the outside world,” said Bill Ross, executive director of USS.

A similar readership program was available in the past, but it was expanded this semester to include The New York Times.

Students can find the free publications in the Student Center, the second floor of the Business Administration Building and Bowman and Kent halls. Distribution racks can also be found in Eastway, Stewart and Prentice residence halls.

Currently, students can simply remove the newspapers from the distribution racks, but by next week, students will be required to swipe their FlashCards into a reader on the rack, Ross said.

By doing this, USS and Kent Interhall Council can keep track of whether undergraduates are receiving the newspapers, said Ashlei Trimm, director of business operations for Kent Interhall Council.

Trimm has high hopes for the Collegiate Readership Program.

“It gives students a broader news source,” she said. “Just holding a newspaper in your hand is beneficial. It is more tangible than seeing a news broadcast.”

Contact student politics reporter Sara Macho at [email protected].