Students’ Union President Abe Baldry pays for the Guardian to be hand delivered 200 metres to his desk, it has emerged.
The newspaper is delivered by the Union Shop, which is in the building where he works and is less than a two-minute walk from his office.
This short-distance paper delivery service is not available to disabled students, or to students on campus more generally.
The cost of the Guardian and its delivery is paid for out of Baldry’s personal budget as President of the Students’ Union.
When pressed for comment, Baldry responded: “Part of the role of the President is to oversee the Union’s communications, which requires a good knowledge of politics and current affairs. Newspapers are delivered to various places around Falmer House and the rest of campus, and it is standard for the officer in charge of communications to have a copy of the day’s paper on their desk on weekdays.”
However, contrary to Baldry’s statement, Falmer House insiders have told The Badger that the Students’ Union President is the only person to be delivered a newspaper by the Union Shop, although newspapers are delivered to other locations on campus by the Co-Op.
According to a Union Shop source, the officer in charge of communcations last year, Michael Segalov, occasionally received a Union-bought copy of The Argus. However, he always picked it up from the shop himself.
Students The Badger spoke to were divided on the issue of Abe’s short distance paper delivery service, with second-year Politics & International Relations student Daanish Riaz saying: “It’s a complete joke, it’s a slap in the face for all students that struggle with their own living costs.”
Another student asked why it was that Baldry could not keep abreast of the news via online sources “like virtually every other person under the age of 30.”
One second-year student, however, said: “It’s not great that he used his position to create a paper delivery service which only he can use, but I don’t think it’s a major issue.”
Will Saunders
