The Associated Students UCLA board of directors voted on Friday to change its textbook policy with a reduction in prices and the implementation of both a rental program and a price match guarantee.
Jesse Rogel, an undergraduate student representative and the newly appointed chair of the board, put forth the proposals during the meeting because he said that with the difficult economy, students could benefit from having more affordable textbooks.
With the price match guarantee, ASUCLA will match the price of any major vendor or bookstore’s price on the textbook if a student brings proof of the cost, Rogel said.
Specifics of the guarantee have not been worked out, but Rogel said that books bought from Web sites like Craigslist or eBay would not be included.
The $250,000 textbook-price reduction comes on the heels of an overall $400,000 book-price cut in the 2007-2008 school year. Rogel said the board decided to continue to cut prices because it wanted to support the education of UCLA students, and has seen record sales in the past three years.
In addition, ASUCLA will try out a textbook rental program beginning fall quarter with 20 to 30 titles, Executive Director Bob Williams said.
The rental program allows students to rent a textbook for a quarter rather than pay a full price to purchase it. Rogel said the program’s growth is heavily dependent on faculty participation.
ASUCLA’s financial situation has remained steady this summer, with strong or moderate growth in nearly all of its divisions, Williams said.
Williams added that the 2007-2008 academic year will probably end up as the second-most profitable year for ASUCLA in history, just behind the 2006-2007 year. Chief Financial Officer Rich Delia said the association is currently $1.375 million above its budgeted plan, due to better-than-expected sales.
Despite the strong performance, Williams noted the economic malaise faced by retailers across the country, and he predicted that ASUCLA would face some challenges in the next year.
"We’re already seeing considerable increases in food supply costs and energy costs. We have to use alternative methods to avoid price increases, like trying different ingredients in our food," Williams said.
In addition, other discussion at the meeting included the numerous projects under construction in Ackerman Union.
In the basement level, the former Shoe City space has been cordoned off with a temporary wall, as the board decides what to do with the space.
Williams proposed taking half of the space to create an additional storeroom for BearWear supplies and the other half to be designated to become part of an expanded market.
"We currently have a cross between a grocery store and a Hallmark store in our market, and we can move some of the cards and non-food items over to half of the Shoe City space and expand the grocery store," Williams said.
Williams added that the expanded market would see more refrigerated items such as eggs, and the card and flower section would see the addition of UCLA prints.
The remodel of the Cooperage is nearing completion but still lacks a final date, though the Bruin Buzz cafe is opening in the near future. The board has decided to bring in a Carl’s Jr. as the new burger concept in the Cooperage, but ASUCLA sources said it would not be open this fall.
The old post-office space in the Ackerman A-level next to the Coinz arcade will feature a fast casual sandwich concept in the near future.
Williams said it will be called Curbside Off Avenue A, but other than that there is no definite plan regarding its menu or layout.
The next steps to implement the beer-and-wine casual dining concept in the south side of Ackerman’s first floor were also discussed.
During their June retreat, the board expressed trying to find a middle ground between accommodating the needs of students, who expressed interest in a typical bar scene, and with the administration who prefer a quieter, sit-down restaurant.
Currently, the board is working on a presentation for Chancellor Gene Block on how best to proceed with the casual dining concept.