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About The daily Nebraskan. ([Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-current | View Entire Issue (Dec. 4, 1997)
Faculty failure affects book buybacks Students only receive dimes for their dollars _ -__ _1_J J ■pUUfto trom page 1 the faculty,” Johnson said. “I’ve been burned too many times.” If a student tells a bookstore employee a book will be used next semester, Johnson said he would personally call the faculty member teaching the class and ask that the book list be turned in immediately. But Schroeder said faculty members can’t always avoid turn ing in book lists late. Courses listed as being taught by “staff” in the student course directory may not be assigned to an instructor until just before school starts in the spring, she said. Johnson said he expected the majority of the last 25 percent of book orders to arrive after finals week and before the first day of spring classes. As well as cutting students’ buyback profits, books ordered just before or after the start of spring classes cost the book stores extra money in shipping vuoio, jvmotuvi oaiu. The stores pay two-day freight charges without charging students more for the late ordered books, she said. Anne Embree, business man ager of the University Bookstore, said she helped the store cut its shipping costs by about $62,000 last year by bargaining for dis counts with freight companies. But the costs would drop even lower without late shipping charges. Schroeder said, although stu dents lose money in buybacks when book lists are late, the University Bookstore tries to help students by keeping other costs low. For instance,, bookstore employees can inform students if a book they are selling back will be used in one of their courses the following semester. The bookstore continues to stock slow-selling school sup plies, including some odd shades of art pencils, for students who need them for class, even though OaIIShh lAAAtfAl# Most undergraduates spend $200 or more would buy all books needed for the next II III IK II IIIII® Iff buying textbooks each semester. And at semester back at 60 percent of their new U V11111 IIII V Im the end of the semester, they take them to price. But one-fourth of book lists haven't m a_ _ the University Bookstore and sell them been turned in yet, and the bookstore will hAAVO back to the store for cash. If all faculty only buy those unlisted books back at about ll^fclall IIIIII turned in the book lists for their spring 10 percent. The combined coss to students mm semester classes on time, the bookstore by late book lists could hit about $433,000. If faculty members turn in book lists, and all books are used next semester If faculty members turn in 75 percent of book lists I OU 70 _ 90% I 80% - 1 _ o .1 70% i ,2> 5 60% . •= o ° 50% o I 40% I >. -Q -O 30% = | 20% o a> c g 10% 8 a. e 0% . *■ 100% of all the books returned Source: University Bookstore and UNL Factbook - Aaron Steckelberg/DN the bookstore makes no profit on unsold merchandise. The store also sells books at discounts for book signings and 3ther academic presentations. It also operates a textbook reservation program, for which 5,000 students have signed up. Under the program, a student signs a form at the bookstore, then the store gathers all the f books required by the student’s c spring courses and boxes them, p The store checks any changes in p students’ course registration 5 electronically through Dec. 27, and students can pick up their 1 books easily in January. s But just as the store needs acuity member book lists to iffer students the best buyback •rices, it needs the lists to com plete textbook reservations, ichroeder said. “It’s so very important for acuity to get their lists in,” she aid. Cancellation fees retain residents COSTS from page 1 dropped noticeably after the fall -———- a \ 4 r 4-1 housing low for students who honor their yearlong housiggoonftacts. •* For every studeptwha cancels a contract, the univefsaf^t^teT must increase room and board, rates to make up for the lost revenue, Zatechka said. “Why should a person who hon ors a contract have to pay more than someone who doesn’t?” he said. Natalie Vrbka, housing contracts assistant, said when the university sets residence hall rates, it assumes students will occupy a room for a full year. But, when a student cancels, the cost of running the halls is spread among fewer students, and the uni versity must take a loss. This August, housing officials reported fewer students living in res idence halls than previous years because UNL’s total enrollment dropped. As of Nov. 16, 4,190 students occupied UNL residence halls, she said. The halls were about 93 percent r 11 I r.1.1*1 jvmvoivi, ouv oaiu. iviau^ inuov leaving were December graduates, but others sought to move into apart ments or greek houses. Through the higher cancellation fee, “we were trying to hold those students in,” she said. Vrbka said the university will not know if the higher cancellation fee kept more students in residence halls until January. But the fee didn’t take students by surprise, she said. Students knew about the new, higher cancellation fees when they signed their housing contract, Vrbka said. Sauer agreed and said she knew of the cancellation fee when she signed the contract. But she main tains she had no choice but to sign the contract. Zatechka said students enter yearlong residence hall contracts the same way someone enters a contract to lease a new car or a new apartment or make other major purchases. “If you cancel a contract that you, yourself, voluntarily entered into, thpn thprp’c cmino tn hp a npnalKr fnr iuu, viuKa bdiu. In the past years, that number Fashion for funds Fashion, dancin’ and passion will offer an chance for fun and culture tonight, as well as some fund-raising for the Affikan Peoples Union. Shades of Fashion will feature 18 University of Nebraska Lincoln student models flaunting popular styles in four categories: formal, business, casual and retro. For $4, anyone can watch the fashion show, starting at 8 p.m. in the Nebraska East Union Ballroom. After the show, people can dance until 1 a.m. to cuts by DJ Romeo, the regular disc jockey at P.O. Pears. The dance costs an addition $4. Eddie Brown, an APU member and event organizer, said the group wanted to put on a fun fund-raiser that would attract plenty of people. “We were trying to think of something different and unique - ’ g r j that.” something everyone could get involved in,” he said. The models who were picked, he said, represent a cross-section of ethnic backgrounds and ages. “This is something that can pro vide unification of the campus.” Some money raised will pay for the Big 12 Black Student Government Conference at UNL in February. Czech Christmastime Students can start to celebrate the holidays tonight with a Czech style Christmas party. UNL’s Komensky Club will have the party, which is open to the public for free, at the Culture Center at 7 p.m. At the party, an expert will teach Czech folk dance and audi ence members will be invited to join the dancers. For more infor mation, contact Mila Saskova Pierce at (402) 472-1336.
