Plans are moving forward to outsource UW-L's bookstore and textbook rental program, which may be under new management by next fall.
In mid-April officials sent out requests for proposals to third party companies interested in managing the store and are hoping to start receiving proposals by the end of the week.
After an additional $20,000 had to be pumped into UW-L's textbook rental program last January to ensure there would be enough materials for students, UW-L officials started to look into long-term solutions for the budget shortage, including outsourcing management of the textbook rental program and bookstore.
"It's pretty common that university bookstores are manned by other companies, like Barnes and Noble or Nebraska Books," student committee representative Nick Herro said.
Although a final decision has yet to be made on whether the management switch will happen, if the outsourcing is done the change will happen this summer and will be completed by fall.
If a third party company does take over, the university will be able to dictate how much money the company can earn on the sale of books. Currently, the university is looking to take a 10.5% commission on each dollar of sale.
Regardless of who oversees textbook rental in the future it is almost certain the current $157 segregated student rental fee will go up next year, Herro said. In addition, students will have to pay for books under $40.
"Students will be on the committee that makes the changes, so nothing will go under the table. No decisions will be made without first asking for student opinion," Herro said. He added that if students have any questions or opinions about the potential changes they should talk to their student senators.
UW-L is one of about 50 schools in the nation with a textbook rental program. Seven are Wisconsin schools. Students attending four-year colleges pay an average of $800 to $1000 a year for textbooks, according to a Government Accountability Office study.
Be the first to comment on this article!