University of Kansas student journalists are scared for the future of their publication as their student senate proposed to cut the funding for their newspaper, the University Daily Kansan, by 80%. 

“It was really kind of like a punch in the gut or slap in the face kind of feeling,” said Lane Rozin, managing editor of the University Daily Kansan. “I think the first feeling was worry and being really really concerned for the future of the staff.”

Across the United States, there is no standard way of funding collegiate media at public universities. Some receive funding from their institution and some are financially independent. Both UDK and Washburn Student Media receive funding from a portion of the student fees. 

The university’s student journalists are advocating that the funding is necessary and this proposed cut would dramatically change the amount of publications the organization can provide students. The proposed budget cuts would cause the organization to only be able to provide KU with a fifth of what they are currently publishing. 

“I feel like we’re … attacked, and student journalism is really really important,” Rozin said. “We provide so many professional opportunities because young student journalists are getting their feet on the ground, and this is really a stepping stone for a lot of journalists.”

According to a story published by the Kansan, DaNae Estabine, KU student body president, declined to speak with UDK about the subject. The lack of transparency frustrated the staff because they didn’t have an explanation for why this bill was being proposed. 

“It was just shocking and disappointing, and also confusing because we weren’t really given a reason why,” said Emily Harter, news editor of University Daily Kansan. 

While George Burdick, president of Washburn Student Government Association, doesn’t know why the decision to cut funding was made, he believes that if this were to happen at Washburn he would be open to addressing student opinions. 

“I don’t know if that’s par for the course or standard or anything like that,” Burdick said. “I know though, that on issues like these, I would be willing to comment for student government [on public] concerns.” 

While there was no comment from the KU Student Body initially, Estabine posted a statement via the KU student senate Instagram account @KUSenate Feb. 12. She stated that she does not have a vote regarding the funding proposals and that she appreciates the work UDK does. 

“I initially declined the UDK’s request for a comment when the proposal was released based on the guidance of the administrators,” Estabine wrote on Instagram. 

Burdick and staff members of the Kansan agree that the funding coming from the university’s student activity fee should be known to the students and what the money is being used for.

“I think that’s very important that students are aware of what the student senate is working on and putting it out there because they have a huge impact on our university,” Harter said. “I think it’s important that we’re having the student point of view writing news for students. We write in a way that is palpable for students and intriguing for them.”

Maria Stover, assistant dean of the College of Arts and Sciences and professor of mass media, sits on the Washburn Board of Student Media and doesn’t understand the lack of transparency regarding the proposed University Daily Kansan funding cuts. 

“Why wouldn’t there be transparency about that? Especially if there is such a cut, why isn’t there some justification or explanation behind that?” Stover said. 

At Washburn University, WSGA is open to discussing where the student activity fee goes, and Student Media is also open about what they are spending their money on. 

The Board of Student Media consists of students and faculty. There are members outside of Student Media on the board such as a representative from WSGA to ensure that things such as budget can be approved by people outside of the organization as well. 

Rozin and Harter expressed that UDK already struggles to pay their employees, and when they previously got $1.80 from the activity fee in the 2023-2024 school year, they couldn’t afford to pay their staff. Now at $3.64, they can afford to pay 16 editors and reporters. 

“No one in leadership before this year was being paid,” Rozin said. “Not our editor-in-chief, not our business managers, not our opinion people or sports or anything like that. Nobody was being compensated for their work.”

Rozin mentioned that student journalists were putting in 20-40 hours a week on content for the Kansan and not getting paid for any of it. If the funding is cut to 75 cents from each student fee, they will go back to being unpaid and they would not be able to produce as much content. 

“Even with that 75 cents, it’s going to be less than what we had in previous years. They might as well have given us nothing. I don’t know what we’re gonna do with 75 cents,” Harter said. “No one will get paid, so it’s gonna get a lot harder to do our jobs.”

Despite not being paid for the majority of his work on the Kansan, Rozin has been with the newspaper since his first day of freshman year and intends to be there until his last day at KU. 

“I want to be as resilient, as hopeful as possible because it also sets a really good example for my staff to not lose hope,” Rozin said. “We’re trying to remain resilient and strong.”

Washburn Student Media left a message for the University of Kansas’ Office of Public Affairs about accessing the budget for student funds Feb. 11, and is currently waiting on a response.

The decision to pass this proposal will be officially voted on by the KU student senate Feb. 19. If passed, it will move on to the Kansas Board of Regents for final approval. 

There is a petition to fight against the funding cuts for those who want to support the University Daily Kansan. The petition can be found here. 

“I’m so thankful for all the people that have ever contributed to the Kansan,” Rozin said. “… Every reporter that’s ever helped us is an essential part of the work that we do.”

Edited by Stuti Khadka and Morgan Albrecht