Beetle says all the right things about the Daily Cal.

The Daily Cal gives papers to students at no cost to them. 5 days a week, students get a healthy dosing of typically solid news, opinion, and the god-blessed crossword. All the rhetoric about 'duty to students' and 'commitment to blah blah' creates a contract that never existed. A contract implies some form of reciprocal agreement, which doesn't exist here. I can think of no possible theory where a party can demand changes in something being given freely to them.

And this is the bare minimum of legal theory. There are other, more elaborate, reasons for the Daily Cal not being beholden to anyone else. Journalistic integrity, for example. Even Corporate paymasters, in theory, are supposed to be separated from the practice of journalism.

The possible exception to this 'Donatives don't equal Control' thing is if the ASUC is indirectly subsidizing the Daily Cal by keeping their rent purposefully low. I haven't seen conclusive evidence this is true. If it is, I would argue that journalistic integrity demands that Government stay clear of their efforts. I would argue that this indirect subsidy benefits students far more than adding another floor of (rent free) student group offices would.

The Economic argument there is that the Daily Cal produces a product that is free to students, giving them a large surplus. The Daily Cal makes up for much of that surplus from advertisers. Since the DC is barely breaking even, if that, then students are paying for the DC in terms of 1. how much rent could be collected from throwing the Daily Cal out for somebody paying at market value OR 2. what student groups could be housed there instead. Since no one has seriously considered renting the floor out to someone else, the only economic cost to students is foregone room for student groups. Note that students are already benefitting, since they aren't paying the full cost of the product they receive.

And that too isn't the true cost, since space allocation in Eshleman is already inefficient. Some of the purported demand for office space could be relieved by, say, using the seventh floor efficently, etc.

So by kicking out the Daily Cal we take

Current Campus Situation
MINUS Daily Cal's Rent to the ASUC
MINUS Daily Cal's ability to produce at current level
PLUS Benefit to campus from student groups housed in Eshleman
MINUS Cost of (unremedied) inefficient use of Eshleman.
EQUALS New Situation

I kind've doubt the campus as a whole will win from this deal.
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