Editor’s note: This editorial was printed in the April 6, 2026 issue. Editorials should not be interpreted to reflect the opinion, thoughts or beliefs of any individual New University editor, staff member or affiliate.
What you are holding in your hands is likely familiar to you, as New University has been able to distribute at least one print issue every quarter since last year. You have likely seen us passing out newspapers like this one — holding the stories, photos, artworks and hard work of our staff and editors — on Ring Road, where we wait eagerly to share our newspapers to the UCI community. This year we have had the opportunity to create and distribute print newspapers with our limited funds, despite challenges with budget cuts and limited resources.
However, without your support, New University could lose the capacity to print newspapers and necessary resources to support our staff.
We have allocated our current funds and reserves to print newspapers for the UCI community by completely cutting out expenses for staff. Our devotion to telling stories and sharing the voices of our community has, and continues to be, New University’s priority. Our staff works tirelessly with no pay to bring stories to life through our website and print.
But we are reaching a point where we cannot continue to dip into our reserves and limited funds without making even more sacrifices than we already have. Soon, we will have to discontinue print newspapers to be able to keep New University intact — even then, we will only have a few more years until we can no longer afford to stay afloat as an independent student publication.
That is why we are again asking the student body for a $2 fee per quarter, for every undergraduate student in New University’s “Support Student-Run Newspaper Student Fee Referendum.” Not only will 33% of that fee be returned to financial aid, but every dollar will be used to give back to all students in the way that newspapers have always served the community — with the promise of biweekly printed issues in fall, winter and spring quarters.
This referendum would not only go towards supporting our print journalism but will also help the student journalists who work tirelessly in our newsroom themselves. Right now, our staff of over 100 writers, photographers, artists, videographers, editors, managers and more do their work without financial support for the resources they need to cover stories. They do everything with the support of the New University team and usually funds out of their own pocket — all for the love for storytelling and commitment to UCI’s important community voices.
As for print, I don’t need to convince you why printed newspapers are necessary at UCI; many of you voted for last year’s referendum, supporting our mission to keep print on campus. With 56% of voters during last year’s ASUCI elections voting Yes on our referendum, we were just four percent shy of the required 60% threshold for it to pass. We know that many of you see our stories, want to continue reading and hope to support our team of student journalists by helping to keep print newspapers here at UCI.
We have seen you at our booths, excitingly getting a fresh printed newspaper with impactful and undiscovered stories from our community. Whether you read from our news section and the investigations they cover or from the opinion section with their daring arguments on politics and current events, UCI students and community members know that we have a lot to offer. There is so much more that we could do if you vote for our referendum.
With major current events happening in our world and its effects on students, faculty and other UCI community members, student journalism is now more important than ever. As a completely student-run publication, every single one of our writers carries the stories of our community with the utmost professionalism. They have the experience of a working journalist while maintaining empathy and understanding as a fellow student. We see the importance of every story that gets published on our website and print because we understand the voices behind them. This is our way of bringing UCI students closer together in a university where it’s very difficult to feel that there is a sense of strong community; we foster connection by serving our readers with a platform that provides a place for student voices and upholds our right to speak proudly and loudly.
We believe that print can further help expand our platform so that no voice goes unheard here at UCI. A tangible and accessible form of media that memorializes is especially important in today’s world. It’s more than just a memento and necessary documentation of events that become legacy — print newspapers ensure that every voice is heard and that it can never be changed or forgotten.
We can only achieve this with your support in this year’s ASUCI Election. As we have said before, a vote for student journalism is a vote for strengthening community, staying informed, revitalizing a legacy and supporting UCI student voices.