It is the beginning of the semester and probably about half of you have not bought books for class. Don’t worry, neither have I.
It’s not because the books have yet to be delivered to our bookstore. The books are too pricey.
After registering for classes, I went to the campus bookstore and the price of my economics book was steep.
As I stared at it, I wondered, “If I tucked this million-dollar book under my arm and sprinted past security, how long would it be before they sling me to the floor?”
For those of us with overdrawn checking accounts, the high prices are no revelation.
However, some instructors seem to not understand or care that their required materials are overpriced. A few will even bet that you won’t pass their classes without it.
In the case of some courses, I bet that you can.
In a class full of 20 to 100 students, someone is bound to have the book you need. There’s no harm in asking to borrow the book when he or she is not using it.
On the other hand, you may encounter peers who refuse to cooperate or just may be in a crunch.
If borrowing is too much of a hassle, there should be enough money between two or three students to split the price of a book.
Then again, if a jar of loose change amounts to your net worth, make it work for you.
For 10 cents a page, photocopying a chapter is the next best thing to purchasing the book itself.
If all else fails, ask the instructor to put a copy of the required text on reserve in the library.
Although there are alternatives to dropping $300 of your money in the bookstore’s cash register, the fact remains that these prices need to be lowered.
Until the bookstore decides to chop prices, go ye forth and barter.
Monica Harden is a senior magazine production student from Hockley, Texas. She is an assistant opinions editor for The Famuan. Contact Monica Harden at mharden82@aol.com