Students buying textbooks from the Associated Students of UCLA
textbook store were in for a treat as they received coupon booklets
offering students a variety of savings around campus.
Though most students spend several hundred dollars on textbooks
every quarter, purchasing these books from the textbook store may
help them save money this time around.
For the first time, when students purchase their books from
ASUCLA, they are given a coupon booklet offering them over $50 in
savings.
From $10 off any UCLA sweatshirt to a free drink at the
Kerckhoff coffee house, students may be tempted to choose ASUCLA
over other options like Textbooks Plus ““ the store’s
competition for several years now.
The coupon booklet is just one of many events taking place this
year, said Neil Yamaguchi, the Academic Supports director for
ASUCLA.
“There will be a number of events this year to generate
interest to get more people enlightened about what the association
is about,” Yamaguchi said.
This is the first year ASUCLA ““ the entity on campus that
houses things such as the student union, bookstores and restaurants
at UCLA ““ is offering students a “reward” for
buying textbooks, he said.
Though it is too soon to tell whether textbook sales have
actually increased as a result of this promotion, Yamaguchi said so
far there has been a “good response.”
In addition to the coupon booklet, there will be a number of
events this week, including free samples from the ASUCLA
restaurants and a prize wheel outside the store, to help students
recognize the many functions of ASUCLA.
In the past, the California Student Public Interest Research
Group has been working on a campaign against raising the price of
textbooks.
Georgina Wakefield, co-chair of the UCLA chapter of CALPIRG,
believes this promotion is a result of the organization’s
persistent campaigning against the matter, which they have been
fighting for since January.
“This has never happened before. … It seems coincidental
that after we ran this campaign they would offer this saving to
students,” she said.
Though CALPIRG is appreciative of these savings, more can be
done toward the issue of lowering textbook prices.
“It’s good that they are giving students savings,
but they are still not directly addressing the issue. … Textbooks
are still expensive,” Wakefield said.
ASUCLA officials don’t believe their actions are a direct
result of the group’s campaigns.
“That connection is not as strong as they make it
seem,” said Robert Williams, interim executive director of
ASUCLA.
Williams emphasized that this promotion was not only to add
value to buying textbooks at the ASUCLA bookstore, but also to
encourage students to utilize the many functions of the
organization.
The coupons are not the only action ASUCLA has taken in an
effort to make textbooks more affordable.
In addition to the coupons, the textbook store has been working
toward lowering prices by bettering the already existing
used-textbook program and negotiating prices with publishers,
Yamaguchi said.
While most students agree that prices at the textbook store are
high, they still purchased their books there, only becoming aware
of the promotion when they received the coupon booklet.
“Most people made the decision to buy (at the textbook
store) before they came to the store. So the booklet was a little
late in helping us make our decision,” said Nikhil Vijaykar,
a first-year molecular, cell and developmental biology student, who
bought some of his books at a cheaper price on eBay.
Though the coupon booklet does offer some beneficial deals, such
as free food with “no purchase necessary,” some
students are still not convinced to always buy from the textbook
store.
Samantha Snowden, a third-year psychology student, said she will
probably not buy textbooks again from UCLA.
“It’s too expensive and the coupon booklet
doesn’t entice me enough to come back,” she said.