KANSAS — The Student Senate at the University of Kansas votedWednesday night to maintain the portion of the student fee that goes towardfunding the school’s student newspaper, The University DailyKansan.
The paper will continue to receive the same amount of funding, saidKansan Editor Stephen Montemayor, but the category the fee comes fromwill change. The fee used to be grouped with other student media, but will nowfall under the umbrella of the Newspaper Readership Program, which makesprofessional newspapers available on campus.
“At the end of the day it made a little bit more sense to call itwhat it is: a subscription fee,” Montemayor said.
The Student Senate first proposed cutting the student funding of theKansan because members thought it was inappropriate to fund a news outletthat covers the Senate.
It would have been preferable to keep the newspaper’s funding withthe other student media, Montemayor said, because of the protection that offers.However, it was negotiated that even if the readership program were ever to becut, the Kansan would still get its funding.
“There are steps in place to ensure that we’re not going to becut off entirely,” Montemayor said.
In a meeting with Student Body President Mason Heilman last week,Montemayor said he told Heilman the paper would continue to provide faircoverage of the Student Senate with no grudges held.
After weeks of uncertainty, Montemayor said the paper’s staff ishappy to have this issue resolved.
“It’s really nice to put it to bed and hopefully we can moveforward…put our best foot forward, be professional and most of all be adultabout this,” he said.
By Katie Maloney, SPLC staff writer