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Features
Page 6
The J-TAC Summer 2005
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Textbooks: A Necessary Evil
By JOHNATHON PARKER
Editor-in-Chief
The beginning of a semester is often met with disdain. However,
this scorn is not entirely because of having to return to classes. A fresh
new semester signals the student body to open up their wallets and
empty them out. One of the largest costs students face is the price of
textbooks.
The most common source for textbooks is the Tarleton Campus'
Store. Students can cash in their book vouchers and purchase textbooks
using student loan money. In addition, money spent at the Campus
Store recycles and helps out the students. >
"The biggest benefit is our partnership with the university," DeWayne
Campbell, Campus Store manager, said. "A portion of ail sales at the
university store goes back to the university."
In a document from the office of Tarleton President Dr. Dennis Mc-
Cabe, $91,925 of revenue from the campus bookstore was budgeted for
2004-2005 to scholarships, including athletics scholarships, choir schol-
arships and more.
Additionally, Campbell said that the store works very hard to part-
ner with faculty to buy back books from students and provide a large
assortment of used books. The beginning of this semester! saw the Cam-
pus Store with the greatest number of used books it has ever had. Still,
the prices of books skyrocket.
. An alternative to the Campus Store is the off-campus shop, the Col-
lege Store.
Unlike the Campus Store, the College Store is not affiliated with the
university, and therefore is not given the privilege of accepting book
vouchers from students paying for books via loans.
"I'm denied business by the university," Kathie Whiteman, College
Store manager, said. j
However, Whiteman did indicate a quality that the College Store
possessed and the Campus Store lacked.
Stress in college
and tips to cope
with the strain
By. D'LEESA KEYS
Staff Writer
So you're finally in college.
It's time to'party hardy, relax,
be irresponsible , and maybe
cram for tests at the last min-
ute like those stereotypes in the
movies, right? For many aspir-
ing students trying to keep his
or her head above water this is
not the case. For them, college
life is just another source of
that evil monster our postmod-
ern world calls stress.
Worries in college can vary
greatly. Whether it's grades,
relationship pressures, sports,
academics, cloudy career goals
or financial shortages, "fitting
in" and finding your place in
this new-found "freedom" can
be dreadful.
Before you run tearing out
your hair and doing the How-
ard Dean scream, let's examine
stress.
What is stress anyway?
What types affect most Tarleton
students?
Christopher Stanley-Ste-
vens at the Tarleton Counsel-
ing Center said that stress is
basically Wear and tear, and the
kinds of stress he sees most of-
ten are ^academic, family and
financial stress. Although these
are the most common, each
person's situation is different."
"Customer service, customer service, customer service," Whiteman
said. "We see a lot of people come in here because we have better cus-
tomer service."
Whiteman also said that the College Store tended to have more
used books and at better prices.
Despite the differences between the two bookstores, managers at
both agree that college textbook prices are very high and rising. A study
conducted by students at the University of California in the fall of 2003
showed that students spend an average of $898 a year on textbooks
alone. According to Whiteman, this pattern of increasing prices is the
result of publishers' efforts to thwart stores buying books back by re-
leasing new editions of textbooks with new ISBN numbers even when
there have been only minute changes.
These textbook "packages" are usually good for one semester, and
after this time is over, the book is rendered useless. For instance, books
for foreign languages, 'such as "Impresiones" for Beginning Spanish
students come with an access code to use WebCT materials. This code
is a one-time only code and cannot be used by another student. Con-
sequently, when selling these books back, access codes are not provid-
ed, making the used book worthless. In effect, students must buy the
brand-new package or risk failing a class that requires materials only
accessible with the code.
Whiteman points her finger at textbook publishers for this practice.
"The publishers are trying to stop stores from buying back used
books," Whiteman said.
Regardless of these troubles, a new trend in textbook purchasing
has come into being via the'information super highway.
The Internet has seen a huge development with online shopping
over the course of the last decade, but it has only been in recent years
that college students have focused their sights on saving money by buy-
ing and selling their books online. Web sites such as half.com and Ama-
zon.com provide cheap and accurate textbook sales.
Half.com has especially become a hub of used book exchange. Tout-
Kim (last name withheld),
a nursing major, said that on a
scale of one-to ten, she experi-
ences stress levels of about six.
"Mostly I stress over so-
cial acceptance and fitting in,"
Kim said. "I also stress about
grades, too."
Freshman pre-physica!
therapy major Brittany Dahl
said, "I generally experience
stress on a level of around
three."
Dahl also said that her
stress comes from wondering if
she's going the right direction
and doing everything right so
it doesn't hurt'her in. the fu-
ture. m '
Freshman nursing^ ma-
jor Katie Hall finds her stress
levels often at six as well. She
stresses about "just school in
general."
Dr. Jennifer Gibson,' an in-
structor in psychology sees a
lot of stress in her students,
mostly brought on by worry-
ing too much dbout school or
having too many things to do
coupled with the inability to
say "no".
"I, myself, even suffer from
stress," Gibson said.
"Stress has a huge affect on
me," Kim said. "It affects my
mood and makes things diffi-
cult for me."
"I usually just get tired or
sleep-deprived," Dahl said.
Hall said that she, "feels
worn out and down" when she
is stressed out. .
"I see my students who
are stressed, looking tired and
overly concerned about their
grades, due dates, tests, etc.,"
Gibson said. "And this can
make them less successful than
they are meant to be."
While this may be certain,
what do people do to combat
stress?
Stevens suggests "exercise,
relaxation techniques, getting
plenty of sleep, avoiding too
much caffeine or just talking to
someone and getting help with
whatever is causing stress."
Kim said she "tries to get
organized, keep a schedule,
manage my time well and real-
ize that I can't be everywhere at
the same time-"
"The positive thing that I
. 4 /
i"° -vis-..
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a
J-TAC File Photo
ing that it has "Millions of great deals in stock ever day at low, low
prices", half.com just about lives up to its name by frequently offering
textbooks at half price. For example, the highly sought-after Biology
textbook by Reece and Campbell normally retails brand-new at around
$132. Used, a student might be able to find it at about $101 . However, on
half.com, at press time, the best price offered was $50. Even the highest
price only topped off at $90.
Also, at half.com, no auctions are involved. Once a book is pur-
chased, it belongs to Hie buyer. •
However, downsides to online purchases such as the above-men-
tioned however do exist. The need to ship a textbook may cost a person
valuable time when they need the bpok. Additionally, online purchases
often require the buyer to have a credit card.
Whatever the means of purchase, dishing out dough for textbooks
is still an inevitability .every student must face.
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' ' Courtesy StarkTruth.coiji
We all have our "bad hair days" from time to time, especially in col-
lege. The worries of upcoming tests and pending paper deadlines
often clash with relationship priorities and working schedules.
do to deal with my stress is I
focus on my relationship with
God and tell Him what I'm go-
ing through," Dahl said. Dahl
added, "I handle my stress
negatively by just dwelling on
my problem."
"To combat my stress, I
quit worrying about whatever
is bothering me, get my work
done and just hang out with
my friends," Hall said. "It's
better than just not doing if." .
"When I get stressed out,
I try to prioritize the things I
have to do by putting the most
important things at the top of
the list," Gibson said. "I also
tell myself, that if I can't get
something done today, I'll have
tomorrow to do it, and I exer-
cise."
Gibson also gives her stu-
dents some pointers for dealing
with their stress, "I tell them to
do what they can and not to
procrastinate."
By KYLE HAGBERY
V-., ... ,. Staff...Wytei?'
' : Getting ready, for those, all-night, cram sessions for fi-
nals? The National Sleep Foundation (NSF) warns that such
an activity could be more:delrimentaltq your testing ability..
College students party,and hang out until late in the night
and then get up, sometimes, and go to class. Students need
somewhere between seven and!nine and a quarter hours of
sfep night,; and Receive that, , -
§am Gilliland, a freshman'Business Ad- .
ministration majoiV said>"t have partied tilt .1]
: three or four in the morning and then '
' slept till five the next afternuon> and
I still felt, tired. I have also pulled \I
;^l-nighters to .cram for major tests
and still did only reasonably well oh
them." , ' "" _ .. t
; ;; Students that are just; arriving at college receive a great
deal of freedom from rules and regulations at home. No one '
tells them what time to go to bed, what time to^be home and,
'■ definitely,, no one is telling.them what' time to get up. ::
;;; Class attendance lisually drops during homecoming and
the week before and after spring break-because, st.udexifsstay
■ out late or catch up from staying out too laste the previous
wgejL Students usually spend the time that 'they should be
in class.sleeping or doing other relaxing activities.;
, Students do have; one advantage over adults ,and/or
working individuals'; that great invention called the after-
nodii hap. However,'the NSF reports that a nap longer than \
about twenty minutes can cause more harm than good. The
individual caih wake up drowsy ,and may take several hours "
:„to regain tptal'alertness. : v.:
The best Ejdvice given by the N,SJF is to know your own .
sleep cycleand follow it,,regulrtrly. If you need only seven '
hours of sleep to feel fully rested, sleep seven hours. If you
need nine, sleep pine, but be sure to listen to your body.
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The J-TAC (Stephenville, Tex.) 2005 Summer Edition, newspaper, 2005; (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth142225/m1/6/: accessed April 26, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Tarleton State University.