University of Arkansas Fayetteville - Razorback Yearbook (Fayetteville, AR)

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A slack of used statistics books fills the shelf in the Union Book¬ store. Used books were the way to go for students on a tight budget. Sophomore psychology ma¬ jor Stephanie Johnson sifts through textbooks in the Union Bookstore. Photos by Wes Putt

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tT L,l 1 =- — v 1 Prior to opening iheir bid cards, new members waich as dieir Gamma Cbis reveal which sorority they belong to. Gam¬ ma Chis served as counselors to the girls who were going through Recruitment. Members of farmhouse frater¬ nity greet a new member. Ihe fraternity had much to cheer about as they welcomed five new members into their fra¬ ternity. Photos by Wes Putt recra zm it

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The unavoidable ho t-buying cycle finds college students spending big bucks with minimal return. Unlike the fairly easy first week they were used to in high school, new freshmen at the UA had to scope out campus to find their classes, learn how to be responsible enough to actually attend class and, for the first time, buy their own textbooks. The University Bookstore, located in the Union, was a popular spot for book buying. This year the store offered a new credit system to lessen the blow of the oftentimes expensive cost of book s. More than a month before school started, the students could go to the bookstore and pick up the books they needed for the semester. They had until the third week of school to return their books for the full price. Ali Sadeghi, the director of the University Bookstore, said they implemented the new plan in response to parents who kept inquiring about the cost of books, wondering how nauch they should budget for them. And it turned out the credit system was a major success for the fall semester. Tt exceeded our expectation,” Sadeghi said. “About 6,000 students actually used it.” Sadeghi said the bookstore encouraged teachers to keep them informed early on if they planned on using their text¬ book again or if they would switch to an updated edition, by knowing the information early the bookstore found other campuses that might be interested in buying the old books. The bookstore bought books back at the end of the semes¬ ter so that students could get some money returned to their pockets. If the book was being used again, the bookstore would pay 50 percent of the purchase value. If it was not be¬ ing used on the UA campus again, the price would depend on how much the other campuses were willing to pay for the book - ranging from 10 to 30 percent of purchase value. If no other campus was using the book then it was consid¬ ered a “dead book.” Students who had dead books could donate them to the Better World Group, a nonprofit organization. The books were also turned in for a tax deduction. During the 2004- 2005 school year more than 4,000 books were donated and given to victims of the devastating tsunami that struck South Asia in December 2004. When the time came to buy and sell books, the bookstore brought in extra staff to help with the boom in business. The bookstore hired up to 100 students to work during the peak hours, and oftentimes these workers ended up acquir¬ ing a part-time job later on at the bookstore. Sadeghi said the Thursday before school started until the Wednesday of the first week of school was their busiest time, selling 70 percent of their books during those days. He said many students waited until school started to make sure they were going to need the book for their class and a quarter of the students waited until after the third day of class before coming in to purchase their books. And since most classes required the purchase of a text¬ book or supplies, the bookstores could count on students to return each semester with a backpack full of old books and a list full of new ones. by Dana Muggins t lt joo u '