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September 25, 2003
Volume LV, Number 5
Serving UNC Wilmington
Faculty Senate rallies against
new bookstore management
Andy BaderAhe Seaftakv*
This semester, the wrong edition of several textbooks
were ordered by the campus bookstore.
Sarah Broders
Rebecca Riley
Staff Writers
This year the students aren’t
the only ones upset about the
bookstore.
The campus bookstore has
always been an unfortunate reali
ty for broke college students.
This year to cap it off, we’ve seen
elevated prices, a lack of suffi
cient books available and even the
wrong books placed on the
shelves for ever-challenging
classes.
This has not only upset the stu
dents, it has upset faculty as well.
The campus bookstore was
privatized for the Fall 2002
semester and is now owned and
operated by Barnes and Noble.
An approximate 35 percent mark
up is placed on books in between
the arrival of a book to the store
and the sale of the book to the
student. This is how the book
store is able to maintain a profit
and remain in operation, said
bookstore employees.
The SGA saw potential prob
lems back in November 2001
with the privitization of the book.-
store and passed a resolution 17-7
against privitizing the bookstore.
The two problems they thought it
would cause were whether or not
the bookstore would give scholar
ships like the old bookstore did,
and the fate of the current
employees.
One former bookstore employ
ee, now working at Seahawk
Book & Supply, said that he lost
his retirement because of the
transformation.
Former bookstore employee
Mike Conley doesn’t like the cor
porate feeling at the Bames and
Noble campus store.
“They’re so concerned with
profits; they’re really in a tough
position to make money,” said
Conley, who is also the vice pres
ident of Student Organizations.
Conley worked in textbooks
for a year He stocked shelves
and helped students find their
books. “Everyone complains
about prices,” he said when asked
about the most common com
plaint. Interestingly, Conley
found that the campus store man
agement “does go really out of
the way for the faculty and pro
fessors.”
This semester many members
of the faculty are not feeling the
same way.
This year, the wrong editions
of several books were ordered by
the campus bookstore, and sever
al orders came up short. This is
quite an inconvenience not only
because it takes the students’
time to look for the book, but it
also takes time out of class when
several students are missing their
books.
See books, Page 2
The University
Is working to
make a new lap
top requirement
a reality within
the next couple
years. Students,
parents and fac
ulty share
mixed reactions
on the matter.
Pag« G*mbill/rh0 S»»hawk
UNCW might require
laptops for freshmen
Katie Trapp
Editor-in-Chief
UNCW freshmen may be
required to purchase laptops next
year. The university is working
hard to put this into effect.
According to Vice Chancellor
and Associate Provost Robert
Tyndall of the Internet
Technology Systems Division at
UNCW, there are three options for
the university to consider
The university can require
incoming freshmen to purchase
laptops, they can give authoriza
tion to certain departments such
as computer science to require
laptops, or they can require the
entire student body to buy lap
tops.
Most likely, the university will
go with the first option.
Once the decision is made to
require laptops, the next issue is
what brand and who is going to
cover the cost.
“A university-wide committee
is going to look and see which is
most logical,” Tyndall said.
Tyndall, Bobby Miller, Beverly
Vagnerini and Scott Cowdrey, all
of ITSD, presented information to
the committee at a meeting Sept.
8.
“If they make a decision in the
spring, we're probably looking
one and a half to two years out
before it becomes a reality,”
Tyndall said.
The university has received
mixed feedback regarding manda
tory laptops. A survey will be sent
to parents, probably of freshmen,
to learn how many have laptops or
desktops, and the brand and price
they chose.
“Parents are glad that students
are learning [computer] skills and
better prepared after leaving col
lege,” Tyndall said. “Students
have an advantage living in that
[technical] world for four years.”
The only negative feedback has
See laptops, Page 2
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