I would like to respond to the Oct. 12 staff editorial “Book ’em” and to present an alternative view.
The University Book Center receives no student fees. In fact, UBC pays $1.6 million a year in rent to Stamp Student Union. The income from this payment supports the maintenance of the student union and many student services and activities, as well as a portion of The Diamondback’s utility bill. UBC offers discounts to students, graduate students, faculty and staff. In fact, effective this fall, all students now receive a 5 percent discount on textbooks. In addition, UBC has been a great partner with many university and student organizations offering cash contributions, free merchandise and co-sponsorship of special events. UBC is an important member of the university community. It is the only bookstore that provides every single title requested by university faculty members. Its shelves not only contain general biology books but also required books, such as Nucleic Acids: Structures, Properties, and Functions, a textbook you will probably not find on the shelves of other area bookstores.
The Diamondback is correct in its observation that the student union requested an increase in student fees to offset a change in the amount of rent paid to the union by UBC.
Over the past year and a half, the university was required to rebid the contract for the operator of the bookstore, and much was written as we went through the process. In the end, the rent payments proposed in all of the bids made by potential bookstore operators were much lower than the student union had received in the past. We had expected and budgeted for some decrease, but because of a significant decrease in textbook sales, all of the bids for operation of UBC came in much lower than expected. The student union requested an increase in fees to ensure that popular programs and services previously funded by the income generated by UBC’s rent would be continued for students.
UBC operators have worked hard over the tenure of their contract to be good partners with the university’s academic enterprise. They have enthusiastically collaborated with the provost’s office to increase the availability of used textbooks and undertaken other initiatives to hold down textbook costs for our students.
As previously mentioned, UBC is required to stock all textbooks regardless of the profitability of a specific course’s requirements. Independent and online book stores, on the other hand, have the luxury of stocking only books that will have the greatest sales potential. UBC is required to maximize the use of used textbooks in order to reduce book costs to students. It also coordinates the textbook adoption process that ensures textbook information is posted on Testudo, providing otherwise proprietary information to area bookstores and online bookstores in order to assure the best possible price for students.
Finally, I want to assure you UBC has not met its “demise.” It will continue to do as thousands of other businesses have done over the past 10 years: reevaluate its business plan, cut costs when possible and change profit margins whenever appropriate and in the best interests of the university and its students. UBC should not be painted as the enemy; in fact, it is an important and contributing part of our university community.
Gretchen Metzelaars is the director of the Stamp Student Union. She can be reached at gmetzela at umd dot edu.
