Today is the first day of classes - and the last day for students to drop off books at the Pendleton Room in the Michigan Union to have them sold. Tomorrow and Friday, students will be able to purchase used books at the same place.
When students sell their old textbooks to bookstores, they have no control over how much money they get for their used volumes. Often, students will get back less than half of what they paid for their books. Sometimes, supplementary readings, such as novels, will be purchased back for a fraction of what they originally cost. In addition, bookstores do not accept all books - they usually only accept those that professors have indicated intent to use in future courses.
The Student Book Exchange, on the other hand, gives students the ability to sell any book for any course. Further, students get to decide how much they will get for their used volumes - not being forced into a certain price by a bookstore's profit margins. In addition, the student organization Environmental Action is selling notebooks at the exchange made of recycled paper - giving students the chance to support a student group and to help the environment at the same time.
The exchange can also help save students money while shopping for this semester's books. When students shop at commercial bookstores, they often have to buy new books because used ones are the first to go. New books can be prohibitively expensive - causing a huge cash drain at the beginning of the semester for many students. Even used books are not cheap, often costing almost as much as the new ones. For students on a tight budget, the book exchange can provide some relief from the annual financial crunch at the beginning of the semester.
The exchange is staffed completely by student volunteers. Books to be sold are sorted by subject but not by course number or professor. Students should check book lists before heading over to the exchange to determine which books they need to buy. The book exchange takes a 15-percent cut on all sales for operating expenses - insignificant in comparison to the profit margins other bookstores often get.
The exchange, like the bookstores, is dependent on professors getting their acts together and submitting book lists for their courses. But some professors fail to do so in time and as a result, students are unable to get the books their courses require. Professors should get their book lists in on time and should also post their syllabi on the Internet. With book lists on the Web, students could forgo stopping at other bookstores before going to the book exchange.
Between tuition, fees and rent, students have plenty of things draining their checking accounts. The book exchange could save students money by offering used texts at reasonable prices. Though it takes a bit of extra work on students' part, it is a worthwhile trade-off.