The recently imposed paywall on The New York Times’ website has not impacted the Washington University community’s ability to access news, students say.

On March 28, The New York Times, which had previously offered free access to current articles online, established a paywall that limits access to online content.

The website limits users to 20 free articles every four weeks. For additional access, readers will have to pay a minimum of $15 a month.

“I think it’s kind of ridiculous,” freshman Miriam Dresner said. “It’s info that will be published or on TV anyways. I guess it’s not realistic to expect to get it for free, but as a student, I wouldn’t buy it. It would frustrate me.”

Although the change has ignited opposition from some Times readers off campus, most students at the University are not concerned.

Students at the University can get free copies of the Times on campus. Student Union provides the Times, The Wall Street Journal and USA Today through the Collegiate Readership Program.

While some University community members have expressed concern that the paywall will lead to a shortage of newspapers on campus, Student Union President John Harrison York, a junior, said that newspaper availability should not be a problem.

“This past year, we actually had credit with the Readership Program because we were not using enough newspapers,” York said. “If we see that an increased number of papers are being picked up, we can provide additional money as the year goes on to cover for more papers.”

According to York, The New York Times is the most popular newspaper on campus.

Student Union is currently working with Mary Ramatowski, a representative from USA Today, to re-evaluate where to provide the Times on campus.

“This would not necessarily mean more Times offered overall, but rather shifting the amount provided from one location on campus to another,” York said.

Students think that The New York Times was justified in creating the paywall.

“I think the change is completely justified,” freshman Ogi Kwon said. “With the advent of electronic media, the entire paper industry has taken a large hit. Because so many people now read their articles for free on the Internet…they should have to pay for them. If they don’t, companies such as The New York Times will be forced out of business.”

Despite agreeing with the decision, Kwon acknowledged that the move may be detrimental to the newspaper’s readership.

“I do think that the change will decrease their readership, mainly because I think it’s our generation that is reading the articles online,” Kwon said.

Despite the free hard copies of the paper that Student Union offers, many students have chosen to switch to other publications with free online accessibility.

“I used to read it online because it’s convenient and environmentally friendly,” junior Peixi Wang said. “But now, since I have to grab a hard copy from Bear’s Den, I would prefer reading Wall Street Journal online instead.”