'We have a lot of questions': Student journalists react to proposed budget cut to University Daily Kansan

KSHB 41 reporter Lily O’Shea Becker covers Franklin and Douglas counties in Kansas. Share your story idea with Lily.

—

Last Monday, the University of Kansas Student Senate proposed cutting the University Daily Kansan's (UDK) budget by approximately 80%.

The proposal suggested reducing the Kansan's student fee funding from $3.64 to 75 cents for the 2025-2026 academic year.

"This week has been wild," said UDK Editor-in-Chief Courtney Lane.

On Wednesday, the Student Senate's finance council rejected the proposal and sent it back to the fee review committee. That decision came after an online petition was made to "save the Kansan," and after students showed up to Tuesday's men's basketball game at Allen Fieldhouse with signs in support of the paper.

"It was a shock to us, but it was a shock to everybody," Lane said.

Lane said student journalism creates a space for young journalists to learn while providing coverage for campus communities.

Brain Luton/KSHB

"I can see the impact the Kansan has as soon as I walk out of this building," she said of KU's School of Journalism building. "Our whole thing is for the students, by the students."

Lane and her staff are worried about the future of the Kansan.

"I'm nonstop editing," said Kansan Head News Editor Emily Harter. "I don't think there's been a night this week that any of us have gone to bed before midnight."

Brian Lutton/KSHB

Lane said the cut would mean she would not be able to pay her 16 part-time staff members.

“Without this fee, I can’t pay any of them, and even with the 75 cents they’re proposing, I don’t think we could pay our bills," she said.

In a statement on social media, the Student Senate said it has been advised to not discuss the budget proposal. It also did not respond to KSHB 41's requests for comment.

"With them defunding us, it's like they're trying to silence us," Lane said.

She said beginning in the 2024-2025 academic calendar, the Kansan's student fee funding increased from $1.80 to $3.64. Prior to this increase, the paper was unable to pay its staff.

“So, our quality of journalism is immediately going to tank because our top reporters can’t afford to work here for free," she said.

Val Montanez/University Daily Kansan

Lane said the paper's numbers prove how beneficial the funding is for its coverage. She noted its viewership nearly doubled after the paper began paying its staff.

The 2026 fee review proposal asks the School of Journalism to contribute funds to the Kansan. Lane said that would take away the student-led newspaper's independence from faculty oversight.

KU's School of Journalism contributes to the operations of the Kansan in other ways, like covering travel costs for students to cover big events such as March Madness, and it provides a space for a Kansan newsroom within the school's building.

For now, Lane said she'll continue sending her staff to meetings regarding the proposed budget.

"We're in a bit of a limbo," she said. "We're not quite sure when these new deliberations are taking place."

The proposed budget sought to cut funding from other services, like student-sponsored SafeRide, but it remains unclear why the Student Senate chose to propose a cut to UDK's budget.

"We have a lot of questions," Lane said.

—