Members of the Exponent’s elected board were found guilty of raiding the Markee Pioneer Student Center’s Free Store earlier month.  Charged with theft, the accused workers of the newspaper team stepped forward in defense, stating that insufficient SUFAC incomes imposed on them are to blame for their actions.

“People have to survive. We just are not getting enough money to scrape by,” a member of the Exponent’s layout team said. “We did what we had to do.”

The Free Store was integrated as a spot for students to pick up office supplies and everyday necessities in times of financial or other external stressors. It took very little time for the Exponent’s team to rush to the store, taking what they could in a desperate clamber for materials to help carry them through the semester. 

When asked about their involvement in the store’s raid, one Exponent worker explained, “It’s been hard for me. How am I supposed to afford a whole meal at Bridgeway and pay for my copy of ‘Environmental Engineering: Fundamentals, Sustainability, Design; 3rd Edition’ with this kind of measly income?”

The Exponent’s advisor has also taken note of the tough financial situation many members are experiencing. Though their contract excludes them from voting on in-organization matters, they agree that something in the system must change.

“This team comes together every week and works seriously, tirelessly and very professionally to produce the best newspaper possible. Nonetheless, they get paid $2 paychecks that just aren’t able to sustain them in their college careers,” the Advisor said.

It’s clear the increasing financial struggles occurring at the Exponent office are becoming much more recognized. Some of the newspaper’s members exclaim that “we might do something about it, I don’t know” and  “it would be nice to be paid more, but I don’t really feel like talking to SUFAC about it.

SUFAC was unavailable for further comment on the matter because the team hadn’t thought to ask.