The word is out, and so are the papers.
Free copies of The New York Times will be available to students every weekday, starting today and continuing through April 19.
As one of the largest recent initiatives of the Undergraduate Assembly, the UA Readership Program will provide 657 copies of the Times everyday to Penn's campus.
Copies will be available in 18 locations throughout the College Houses and academic buildings.
Distribution locations and the number of copies may change during the semester to keep in line with student pickup response.
"This definitely seems like it'll be a fantastic way to bring cultural issues to campus," said College senior and UA Chairman Jason Karsh.
Karsh added that the program's purpose is to foster "a more globally aware student body" which would "hopefully lead them to other news sources and to have discussions and change our actual college culture."
"Some kids are not going to go out of their way to buy a newspaper, but if it's right there, they'll be more likely to take it," said Wharton freshman Danetsy Len.
Len said she regularly subscribes to several news magazines but did not buy the Times because of the cost.
To pay the $21,000 price tag of the program, the UA received money from the Office of the Provost, the Division of the Vice Provost for University Life and the College House system. They are also spending $3,000 from their own budget.
The program initiative came up last year after the UA was approached by the Times and USA Today to provide free daily copies of the newspapers on campus. The pilot program offered four different newspapers - the Times, USA Today, The Philadelphia Inquirer and the Philadelphia Daily News - with the Times emerging as the clear favorite among students.
Over 500 other colleges and universities across the country participate in The New York Times Collegiate Readership Program, but Penn currently holds the largest account with the paper.
"The common denominator at all of these locations is the desire for students to find a reliable source of news and information that can connect them to the world outside the 'campus bubble,' even with campuses becoming increasingly 'wired,'" Kevin Cappallo, national sales director of the Times wrote in an e-mail.
To announce the launch of the program, the UA filmed and released a new YouTube Address, made available online last night.
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