When students scrambled around campus to get a copy of Wednesday’s New York Times issue announcing President-elect Barack Obama’s win on Tuesday, many found that others had beat them to the stash.

Students who ventured off-campus to nearby locations such as CVS, Kroger and the Walgreens in Decatur were similarly greeted by empty newsstands.

College freshman Adam Ginsberg said he went to the Dobbs University Center for a newspaper at 9 a.m. only to find that they were already gone.

Like Ginsberg, College freshman Ginny Chae was disappointed when she checked the DUC that morning.

“It was frustrating, but it’s not anybody’s fault,” she said.

College Council Chief of Staff Benjamin van der Horst, who brought the Collegiate Readership Program to Emory last year as a College Council legislator, said he also noticed the high demand for papers on Wednesday.

“Over 400 New York Times were delivered like usual, and they were all taken first thing in the morning because of high demand,” van der Horst said. He explained that “all around the United States, it was nearly impossible to buy a newspaper because everyone wanted one to keep. ... Emory’s campus was no exception to this rule.”

With the exception of Nov. 5, van der Horst said, boxes around campus provide the Emory community with copies of three major newspapers — the New York Times, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution and USA Today — well into the afternoon every day.

“People at Emory and around the country were snapping up papers at the highest rate in years,” van der Horst said.

According to CNN News, papers all across the country were reprinting several hundreds of thousands of copies for avid buyers. Customers lined up for a chance to buy issues, even fighting for the last copy and purchasing damaged papers.

“There is nothing we could have done, or the students could have done, on Wednesday for newspapers,” van der Horst said. “They were sold out everywhere by mid-morning because of the historic nature of Obama’s election.”

Though newsstands are strategically placed throughout campus, Ginsberg said, he felt like there could be more, adding that the Woodruff Library would be a good location.

“The current locations are good,” Ginsberg said. “But I think the paper stands could be more widespread throughout campus.”

Students around campus are still seeking copies to frame and keep as a piece of history. Several students, such as College freshman Lucy Zhang, are considering purchasing copies of Wednesday’s issue from eBay. Last night, copies being auctioned on eBay were reaching bids upwards of $100.

But while some students had trouble finding a copy, others went early enough to beat the rush. College freshman Max Goldman said there were still many copies available at White Hall when he went to pick up an issue.

College freshman Thomas Anderson said he got the last copy of the issue in the DUC when he went at around 8:30 a.m.

Van der Horst said the lack of newspapers at Emory was unavoidable because of the high demand.

“I think it’s unfair to say there is a lack of newspapers on Emory’s campus,” van der Horst said in response to student complaints.

—Contact Alice Chen.