A yearly publication by Creative Media that many feel is extraordinarily useless and wastes campus resources by publishing addresses that are only useful to stalkers and bulk (e-)mailers. It's typically available for free in the Coffee House and is always overprinted. The reason for this waste is that it makes a profit due to the number of advertisements in it, despite the fact almost nobody picks it up. Many or most of the addresses and phone numbers are out of date, making it fairly useless.
It is probably better to use this online search.
Some find it to be a valuable way to connect with people, which leads to increased productivity, comparing it to SBC's Davis telephone directory. Unfortunately this information is not entirely online and browsable in the same format, so that having a printed copy is not necessarily a waste of paper. Also in this regard, it pales in comparison with the amount used by other advertisers. It is only an annual publication; newspapers have vastly greater runs, with daily inserts.
Other arguments in favor of its publication: Calling it a "waste" is questionable. Is it a waste from the publisher's standpoint? If it's profitable, the answer's "no". Is it a waste from the advertisers POV? Assuming they profit from the exposure, additional revenue it brings, then "no". Is it a waste to the students who pick it up and use it? Probably not — nobody MADE them take it, it's 100% voluntary — it's not even pushed/promoted/etc. You have to go to the Coffee House, find it, and take it.
As far as being "overprinted", every properly managed publication is "overprinted" — including the California Aggie. Bakeries "overbake", airlines "overbook", theaters "oversell", etc. This brings increased utilization/efficiency, not less.
2005-12-06 12:06:59 It's great for starting campfires. The paper is just the right thickness. —BrentLaabs
2005-12-06 18:20:37 I say we nick a few boxes of them and make a giant papier-mâché dinosaur that shoots hollandaise sauce out of it's nostrils. —ArlenAbraham
2005-12-07 00:27:08 In my freshmen year I picked it up thinking it would somewhat useful. And it did! Thanks to it I had enough paper to cover my floor when I painted my room. —LizethCazares
2005-12-08 17:22:08 Last year's edition says I live in the dorms and can be reached at my parents' home phone number. The year before, when I was a freshman and actually lived in the dorms, I wasn't listed. —BrianMcFadden
Do you line your pet cage with Student Directory pages?
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