Mayer’s bigger than his body: Cross Country runs wild: A Singer/songwriter soars with new album | VJ Women come back with winning team | 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 Sports Contact Us Visit Us OP/ED UNCW Life Classifieds Editorial: 962-3229 www.theseahawk.org 4 6 10 12 Ads: 962-3789

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