Imagine being a student who lives right off campus and is getting ready for a new semester. You have no car because you are a poor college student with a low-paying job. You head out with your book list and your handy credit card to the bookstore and go up the ominous stairs to brave the mass chaos of students and books and pushing and shoving. You find the correct books, stand in line for over ten minutes, and then the nice lady at the checkout counter scans all of your books. The total is completely outrageous! If you use your credit card for your books you will not have enough money for groceries for the month. Yet what other choice do you have? Looks like your parents will get a phone call asking for money. The Brigham Young University Bookstore is just as much part of BYU as any other building on campus. Yet the Bookstore is not trying to help students. In fact, the Bookstore is punishing those with honesty and those trying to use their resources. The Bookstore is manipulating students as well as causing them to have to choose between saving money and being true to the teachings of the church.
Most college students are relatively poor and cannot waste their money or they will not have enough money for other necessities. Students have been counseled to be aware of the amount of money they have, and to live accordingly. It is a growing trend for students to order their books online instead of buying them from the bookstore in order to save money. There are numerous websites dedicated to ordering books from stores and students across the nation. There are also general shopping websites online like eBay or Amazon where books can also be located. The only problem with using these websites to order books at a cheaper price is the time it takes for the books to get to the student. Generally students need to read the books for a class during the first few weeks of that class in order to get good grades from the very beginning. This is a problem, however, because BYU and the BYU Bookstore do not post the book list for each student early enough for the books ordered online to reach the student before classes begin. In order for the Bookstore to be fair to the students at BYU, the booklist needs to be posted at least several weeks before classes begin. This also would give the students who do not have a car enough time to go to another store to compare prices to make the best deal. This way, the students would be able to save money if they so chose, even though the school could potentially make less money.
When used clothing is sold to a second-hand store, the well-kept and gently used clothes are taken for more money than the clothes which appear worn and damaged. This is because shoppers will be willing to pay more for the nicer clothes than for the worn clothes. This same idea should be implemented when selling books back to the bookstore. Books kept clean and in good condition should be given a higher price when they are sold back to the bookstore. Books which have highlighting and writing in them should be bought back for a lesser price, and in turn, should be sold back to students for a cheaper price. I talked to several students, and while some would definitely buy the cheaper books regardless of the writing in them, there were also many of them who could not stand the writing in the cheaper books and so they would rather spend more money for the nicer books. Plus, if all the cheaper books have been bought, students will feel alright paying more because they are getting a better quality for the higher price. This gives incentive to take care of books; it also allows students to decide if they would rather pay more money for a nicer book, or pay less money for a book with writing in it.
Does this seem impractical perhaps? Actually, it would be very simple to implement this new method. There would be only two possible prices; those who buy the books back would merely have to skim through the pages and decide if the book was nice enough for the higher price, or if it deserved the lower price. What is a moment lost when students’ lives are blessed? It is simple, yet efficient.
The honor code was created to promote unity and the teachings of the church which, when followed, bless people’s lives. It is also a way for each individual student to be able to have stewardship over themselves; we have our free agency, and the honor code is a way for us to act upon this agency by being honest and showing our dedication to following the counsels of the church. However, because of the policies in the bookstore, students end up paying more money for being honest and following the honor code. It is against BYU’s honor code to buy a book at the bookstore and then return it when the same book, ordered online, comes in the mail. This problem hearkens back an earlier problem discussed. The booklist is posted too late. Students who want to buy books for less money but also want to be able to read them for the first few weeks of class cannot buy them from the bookstore with the intent to return them and still feel like an honest person. BYU can either allow this to occur and decide that it is not against the honor code, or post the booklist sooner so that students do not even have to risk potential dishonesty.
I am one of those poor college students who tries to get books at a cheaper price so that I can afford to attend college and gain a higher education, as our general authorities have counseled us. I feel that BYU, as a church school being supported by the tithing of members of the church, should be doing all they can financially to help students gain an education. BYU should also be following the honor code by helping its students get the best education possible. Yet the way the bookstore is set up, it is nearly impossible to get books for classes for a decent price. There are many solutions to these ridiculous and upsetting policies which, if adopted, may cause many of the students who have lost their faith in the bookstore to begin to support it again. Personally, if the bookstore did implement these policies, I would not be upset about deciding to buy many of my books from the bookstore. I would try to buy some from other sources, but I would also be happy if it was more convenient to buy them at the bookstore because I was given the opportunity to try to save money. Therefore, it is with the best interest of the bookstore that I recommend these changes.
Most college students are relatively poor and cannot waste their money or they will not have enough money for other necessities. Students have been counseled to be aware of the amount of money they have, and to live accordingly. It is a growing trend for students to order their books online instead of buying them from the bookstore in order to save money. There are numerous websites dedicated to ordering books from stores and students across the nation. There are also general shopping websites online like eBay or Amazon where books can also be located. The only problem with using these websites to order books at a cheaper price is the time it takes for the books to get to the student. Generally students need to read the books for a class during the first few weeks of that class in order to get good grades from the very beginning. This is a problem, however, because BYU and the BYU Bookstore do not post the book list for each student early enough for the books ordered online to reach the student before classes begin. In order for the Bookstore to be fair to the students at BYU, the booklist needs to be posted at least several weeks before classes begin. This also would give the students who do not have a car enough time to go to another store to compare prices to make the best deal. This way, the students would be able to save money if they so chose, even though the school could potentially make less money.
When used clothing is sold to a second-hand store, the well-kept and gently used clothes are taken for more money than the clothes which appear worn and damaged. This is because shoppers will be willing to pay more for the nicer clothes than for the worn clothes. This same idea should be implemented when selling books back to the bookstore. Books kept clean and in good condition should be given a higher price when they are sold back to the bookstore. Books which have highlighting and writing in them should be bought back for a lesser price, and in turn, should be sold back to students for a cheaper price. I talked to several students, and while some would definitely buy the cheaper books regardless of the writing in them, there were also many of them who could not stand the writing in the cheaper books and so they would rather spend more money for the nicer books. Plus, if all the cheaper books have been bought, students will feel alright paying more because they are getting a better quality for the higher price. This gives incentive to take care of books; it also allows students to decide if they would rather pay more money for a nicer book, or pay less money for a book with writing in it.
Does this seem impractical perhaps? Actually, it would be very simple to implement this new method. There would be only two possible prices; those who buy the books back would merely have to skim through the pages and decide if the book was nice enough for the higher price, or if it deserved the lower price. What is a moment lost when students’ lives are blessed? It is simple, yet efficient.
The honor code was created to promote unity and the teachings of the church which, when followed, bless people’s lives. It is also a way for each individual student to be able to have stewardship over themselves; we have our free agency, and the honor code is a way for us to act upon this agency by being honest and showing our dedication to following the counsels of the church. However, because of the policies in the bookstore, students end up paying more money for being honest and following the honor code. It is against BYU’s honor code to buy a book at the bookstore and then return it when the same book, ordered online, comes in the mail. This problem hearkens back an earlier problem discussed. The booklist is posted too late. Students who want to buy books for less money but also want to be able to read them for the first few weeks of class cannot buy them from the bookstore with the intent to return them and still feel like an honest person. BYU can either allow this to occur and decide that it is not against the honor code, or post the booklist sooner so that students do not even have to risk potential dishonesty.
I am one of those poor college students who tries to get books at a cheaper price so that I can afford to attend college and gain a higher education, as our general authorities have counseled us. I feel that BYU, as a church school being supported by the tithing of members of the church, should be doing all they can financially to help students gain an education. BYU should also be following the honor code by helping its students get the best education possible. Yet the way the bookstore is set up, it is nearly impossible to get books for classes for a decent price. There are many solutions to these ridiculous and upsetting policies which, if adopted, may cause many of the students who have lost their faith in the bookstore to begin to support it again. Personally, if the bookstore did implement these policies, I would not be upset about deciding to buy many of my books from the bookstore. I would try to buy some from other sources, but I would also be happy if it was more convenient to buy them at the bookstore because I was given the opportunity to try to save money. Therefore, it is with the best interest of the bookstore that I recommend these changes.
5 comments:
1. The practical examples work really well. They help remind me of how I felt in that situation and easily show the current problems. You also do a good job of showing realistic solutions. The theme of the bookstore's purpose being to help students also put the objective in perspective.
2. I think if you had a more consistent thesis. The general topic was, "why the bookstore sucks" (though you were a lot more respectful and formal than that!) but I would feel more driven to action if you focused more immediately on the actual action -- whether that's variable buy-back rates, posting book lists earlier, etc...
3.
1. Your thesis seemed to be that the bookstore on campus is overpriced, that there is no difference between a book sold back in good condition verses a book sold back in bad condition, and most importantly that the book list is not published early enough for students to look at other book purchasing options.
2. Your arguments were aimed at the bookstore itself. You were urging the bookstore to change its policies. There was however a portion towards the end of your paper where you were addressing BYU and encouraging it to support the students who attend it.
3. Publishing the book list early is a convincing argument. There is no reason that such a list cannot be made available earlier. You didn’t clearly show me how the bookstore is not following the honor code. You might include specific examples of how it has done this.
Your argument is really good. Although in the first paragraph, I felt like your sentences were a little too wordy. Try making some of the sentences more simple.
I think I have made a good start on addressing the issues I talked to the teacher about. I changed my thesis and tried to write more to administrators but I need to change my paper more. I need to be sure that I am really focusing my paper on my thesis.
I need to focus my paper more toward the administrators who are the ones who can actually change the policies of the bookstore. I also need to work on supporting my thesis better with my arguments. I need to vary my sentences more and also develop my ideas about how the honor code applies to this issue.
In order to fully understand and then present a thesis that is based on the realities of current business issues and not just assumptions, you are invited to come to the BYU Bookstore and visit with its director, Roger Reynolds. I'd be pleased to take the time to listen to you and to assist you with your paper. My number is: 422-6139. Sincerely, Roger Reynolds
Post a Comment