Book Prices Not Set by Bookstore
by Sherry Kohr
Barbara stands at the college
bookstore counter with her new
textbooks for the semester. The cashier
rings up $170:
Do books have to be this
expensive?
Textbooks are very expensive
to produce, said Chuck Thodt, manager
of professional services for the National
Association of College Stores.
Thodt said that textbooks are
more expensive to produce than a novel
because:
*They contain more
illustrations and graphs (often in color);
*One out of 10 textbooks are
sent out free to professors to promote
sales;
*They sell fewer copies.
"There aren't as many people
interested in reading cost accounting as
are interested in reading Gone with the
Wind," he said. This lower demand
means a book's printing cost is divided
among fewer copies, and the price must
be higher.
"Textbooks at Capital College
44 Mom says the
house just isnt the
same without me,
even ticiugh its
a lot cleaner'',
follow the common practice of having
no more than a 20 percent mark-up,"
said Sue Williams, manager of the
Capital College bookstore.
On a $lO book, the bookstore
makes $2. But on a larger scale, if a
student spends $2OO for books, $4O goes
to the bookstore.
"The publishers set the prices,
we don't," Williams said.
Thodt agreed that a 20 percent
mark-up is "historically the traditional
See BOOKS, page 10
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The right choice.
Faculty Reacts
Strongly
to Plan
FACULTY, from page 1
deal with the administrative process of a
new division.
Holmes said she is concerned
that division head may not appreciate the
achievements, needs and potentials of the
education department.
Lesniak said the current
organization works well.
"To just change everything
doesn't make sense," Lesniak said.
He said that some professors
already teach in both divisions. The
television studio funded and used by the
education and humanities divisions
shows the divisions "have been working
across merger lines."
Students too already cross
divisional lines, Holmes said. Education
students take electives in humanities or
behavioral science, she said.
Given the faculty's concerns and
the vagueness of Graham's proposal,
Holmes said, "There must be another
reason [for the reorganization] that we
hope emerges."
"Right now he's asking' us to
buy a pig in a poke," said Lesniak.
Students
Concerned About
Fate of Room
ROOM, from page 1
the task force has not looked at the use
of the room fairly. "The clubs have used
it extensively," he said. "I think that
there's been enought activity in the
room to warrant that it stays specifically
designated for student organizations."
Trebatowski and Hammaker
met with members of the task force to
air their concern and Hammaker said that
many other students have voiced their
opposition to the possible conversion of
the room.
"They were receptive to our
concerns, but it still seems to be up in
the air," he said.
Widoff said that students should
document the use of the room as much
as possible.
"If students feel strongly about
it, they are empowered to present their
reactions... through activities in the
room," she said.
When the proposal is complete
South said that he will share the content
with the campus community before
implementing it. He said that it will be
important for the plans to be viewed in
total before judgments are made.
A copy of the completed report
will be sent to the Capital Times, South
said.