Daily Skiff

The production of printed copies of the campus phonebook, Frog Calls, does not conflict with university efforts to go green, university officials said.

Chancellor Victor Boschini said he thinks the print copy is justifiable.

"Most people, in my opinion, would still prefer to read this particular document in hardcopy," Boschini said.

Shawn Kornegay, associate director of communications, said 9,000 copies of Frog Calls are still printed for students and staff. Kornegay said 6,500 copies of the TCU student, faculty and staff departmental directory are distributed through direct mail while the rest are placed around campus. The directory lists phone numbers, addresses, departments and majors.

"Depending on how many unused copies we find at the end of the year, we'll talk with the publisher about reducing the number of copies printed," Kornegay said.

Joe Skully, the publisher of Frog Calls and a 1982 TCU graduate, said of the 6,500 copies put in mailboxes, about 400 are returned to him for distribution elsewhere after being thrown away.

Kornegay said the university does not pay for Frog Calls copies. Instead, TCU provides the information to an outside publisher, which produces the book free of charge, offsetting the costs by selling advertising space.

The phone book is 247 pages long, with more than half of those pages dedicated to advertising. An online version of the publication provides the same information without the advertisements.

Lynette Redding, a junior interior design major, said the print copy of Frog Calls is contrary to the university's commitment to sustainability.

"If the university is really serious about going green, it might be better to just have the online version," Redding said.

Keith Whitworth, professor of sociology and sponsor of the TCU Society of Sustainability, agreed the university can get by with only the online version of the phonebook.

"It might be a little less convenient, but we can adapt," Whitworth said.

Article Tools