Following a recent contract signed with Barnes and Noble College, students will be automatically billed $300 for books next semester regardless of the books original price.
Students will be able to opt out of the fee on a semester-by-semester basis, and can opt back in if students find they can get a better deal. While more information will be revealed later as the semester continues, Dr. Tyana Lange, vice president of enrollment, management and marketing, has said the University will provide both guidelines and recommendations for students on how to best save money through this program.
This flat fee is meant to benefit students whose usual textbook purchases exceed $300 per semester. By reducing their yearly spending on textbooks and access codes, they can potentially save hundreds of dollars per semester. However, there are concerns across campus about how this deal will function and affect the student population.
Vayujeet Gokhale, a professor of physics, has vocalized his doubts and concerns to the staff and sent emails to Barnes & Noble inquiring further about the nature of this partnership. Gokhale said he rarely assigns textbooks to his students and other professors often do the same due to the concerning prices of textbooks, even though many of these textbooks are required for classes needed to obtain a major. With the news of the recent partnership, Gokhale said he is worried this deal will target young adults, especially first-generation students, international students or students experiencing financial difficulties. On top of that, he is also concerned for those students with financial needs due to how often advertising deals can be misleading, and some students may think they are receiving a better deal for their textbooks than they are.
While there are proposed ideas as to how to make the system more efficient and less targeted, such as changing the process so that students can request to opt into the program rather than automatically being enrolled and having to opt out, some of these ideas will likely lead to the program not making nearly as much money. Gokhale said the number one priority for students and University employees regarding this deal should be clarity.
“I think the University should allow professors, ahead of time, to send emails to their students saying there are cheaper options available and, in a sense, somehow make it clear to the students that just because Barnes & Noble happens to reside within the University campus doesn’t mean it is the only place where you can get reliably cheap and legitimate textbooks,” Gokhale said.
Within Kirksville, there are several stores off-campus that provide textbooks. One of these, Discount Textbooks, has been providing a consistent service to students since April 2013. Tony Lain, the store manager for Discount Textbooks, said although he doesn’t expect business to drastically change because of this new program, his business strategy is going to remain the same: using price-match guarantees to deliver available books and access codes at the best available price.
“It always comes down to getting the right information at the right time with the right price, [and] having the correct materials for the specific classes in the first place,” Lain said. “We do our best to get the information directly from the instructors if we can — from emails or phone calls.”
Students should expect more information about the bookstore feecloser to the end of the spring semester, which is when registration for this program will begin.