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Show 1 pretty, mm The Daily Utah But where NIC LE THURSDAY, JANUARY 19, 1989 the heck is it? See page 5 VOL. 98, NO. 70 UNIVERSITY OF UTAH Textbook hassles ' not Ju si a bobkstore. By Ken Southwick Chronicle administration reporter While obtaining the proper textbook-- on time and at a reasonable price-- is a quarterly source of frustration for many University of Utah students, the U. Bookstore takes more blame than it deserves for the problem, a bookstore representative said. Carol Riley, marketing manager at the bookstore, called the textbook ordering process "very, very complicated." She also said the process is too little understood by students, and as a result, the bookstore gets blamed when students can't get the texts they need. Bookstore Assistant Director Roger Reynolds concurred. "This is not just a bookstore problem, it's a campus and an institutional problem," he said, referring to the recurring shortages at the beginning of each quarter. Reynolds and Riley, while they said they don't want to point a finger at anyone, claimed most of the problems could be solved if U. professors turned in textbook order forms on time. However, Reynolds said too few professors consider timely requests a top priority. As an exampl he cited data from autumn quarter oflast year. Only 37 percent of all U. professors had their "textbook adoption forms" in by the bookstore's deadline, April 10. More than 40 percent were six weeks late with their : requests during the same quarter. "When a professor waits until the last minute to get a request in, the chances aren't very good," Reynolds noted. This results in frustrated students who are unable to obtain the texts they need, Riley added, and the bookstore gets blamed. The U. must compete in a national market for its textbooks, Riley explained, and the earlier the request the better the chances for success. This problem is compounded by the fact the U. is on a quarter schedule, where as most other schools in the nation are on a semester schedule, she said. According to Riley, the bookstore makes a tremendous effort to coordinate with each department and get the necessary books on time. She said the book- store has luncheons with department textbook coordinators, sends letters and tries to contact each department weekly. Even with this extended effort, "Murphy's law" sometimes prevails, Reynolds said. Sometimes the books come in on time and just sit there, he reported. Currently, there is $700,000 worth of books sitting upstairs in the bookstore, even though it is the third week of the quarter. The bookstore is now faced with the . ominous task of returning the leftovers to publishers. Some publishers won't even take returns, so the bookstore must "eat" these, Riley said. Another perennial complaint Riley explained. Of the 25 percent the bookstore adds on to each text, shipping and handling charges must be funded and salaries for "some 150' employees must be met, Riley said. Compared to retail bookstores, 25 percent is lucky, Reynolds claimed. He said most downtown bookstores get about a 40 percent markup over the wholesale cost. , While no downtown bookstore representative would tell the Chronicle exact-- ly what percentage profit it made on its books, Tony Weller of Sam Weller Books -- Although the textbooks sold in the University Bookstore have been marked up 25 percent , bookstore managers say the inflated prices are still reasonably low. Used book prices at the U.; although at 254 S. Main said his store doesn't deal in textbooks because the margins are so constantly derided by students, also are small. He said the store sells books at the too little understood, Riley said. When publishers' list prices after buying the the U. Bookstore conducts buybacks, a book requested for the following quarter books at a discount. of the is good for 60 percent of the current Fashion Sally Fitzer, manager her said retail Place Waldenbooks, store's poliprice. if there are no requests for same-to sell at books the was the However, cy publisher's list price but buy them at any given book, the buyback price is discounted prices. see "bookstore" on page three DirDiFoiroTDaltDOini, Neediest students not likely to borrow ads Terminals save ASUU money, chairman says v By Christian Aggeler Chronicle staff writer A recent national report states college students who need federal loans the most are also the least likely to apply for such aid. Scott Stone By Although thevUniversity of Utah's office of financial aid has no records indicating a similar problem exists at the U., concern on the part of school officials has led to a possible "ad campaign" to inform prospective loan recipients. - Chronicle ASUU reporter Three public access terminals have been placed on various parts of the University of Utah campus to help facilitate the flow of information from ASUU to the student body. The information terminals are located in the Union Building, Marriott Library and residence halls, and will be able to give information at any hour about a wide range of subjects. The terminals provide campus information for such events as concerts, lectures and seminars. The touch-scree- n terminals also display advertisements from local retailers and students can receive coupons from the advertisements presented. The cost for the terminals is close to $10,000 for a lease with the option to renew. Funds for the project came from the ASUU Assembly super-funThe superfund in the past has been used to fund such projects as the Lowell Bennion Center and the Ute Broadcasting Association recruitment video. When the Assembly debated the issue, ASUU said it hoped to recapture some of those funds by receiving a percentage of the revenue from advertisements sold. ASUU will receive a "generous" percentage of see. "terminal" on page three According to the College Press Service, the American College Testing program found "Hispanics, students and people with little education less willing to borrow money to go to are generally their wealthier peers." than college The findings were a result of a study of student attitudes. "Some groups don't view loans as favorably as others, and to the extent that that affects their behavior, it affects their access to higher education," said Thomas G. Mortenson, a senior ACT research associate and author of the report. The report is particularly disturbing in light of low-inco- . six-mon- '.' th d. Chronicle photo by Androw Holloway Public access terminals have been placed in the Union Building, Marriott Library and residence halls to provide campus information on concerts, seminars, lectures and advertisements. The termilease at a cost of nearly nals are on a six-mon- th $10,000. ' I torn con- stantly beard by bookstore employees is the rising cost of textbooks. However, this too is beyond the bookstore's control, Reynolds said. Publishers set the prices, and while the bookstore tags about 25 percent more onto the publish-e'r- s' prices, the situation is unavoidable, PATs ppovode Pff ' piroblemm , the growing role loans play in federal aid to students. The loans now account for about 67 percent of all federal student aid, compared to 21 percent in 1975-7low-intere- st 6. Harold Weight, director of financial aid at the U., said records can only be kept of those who do apply, for loans rather than those eligible students who see "borrowing" on page two Org. U S. Pes .age Paid Non-prof- it Permit No. 1529 Salt Lake City, UT . |
