Last week, Illini Media Company garnered about 4050 (to be confirmed Monday night after SEC calculates exactly how many people signed) signatures in support of students being able to vote on a $3 per semester fee to fund the company’s continued operations. The Campus Student Election Committee required a minimum of 2846 signatures.
On March 6-7, students can vote online for whether they support this initiative.
Despite having been self-sustaining since its inception, the Daily Illini feels it will be able to maintain its independence.
“If, in the future, we need to make an ultimatum between collecting this fee and acting independently, we believe our choice is already abundantly clear,” the Daily Illini Editorial Board wrote on Feb. 22. “Our independence is too crucial, too vital a part of our identity to be destroyed.”
The Board also said that this funding option is vital to the continued existence of Illini Media.
Get The Daily Illini in your inbox!
“We would not be considering this, much less supporting this, if not for two things: our grave financial situation, and our strong belief that we have found a revenue source that will not compromise our integrity,” the Board said.
