Textbook Inquisitor Article

            College is expensive, even though Middle Georgia State College has one of the lower tuition prices in the state, but one thing students fear are books; how much their text books cost and what is the best way to get them.

            Though there are other options for acquiring text books, there are new features that students may not be aware of in the college bookstore.

            “One thing students should keep in mind is that when they buy from their campus bookstore, that money stays on campus and helps the school and therefore the students in the future as well,” Dane Yoshida, the Course Materials Coordinator for the bookstore said.

            The bookstore attempts to keep the price of their products down, but several factors keep the prices up.

            “We can’t really help the prices from the publishers. That is an issue of supply and demand,” Yoshida said. “Hardcover books and those with full color spreads and multitudes of pictures have much higher prices.”

            Part of Yoshida’s job is to work with professors on making sure that all of the books that are needed for each of the classes will be available in the bookstore.

Whenever a professor decides to switch to a newer edition of a book or an older textbook is out of print, the course materials have to change. The school has to be careful about how they acquire their books, those that can not be returned cost the school more money.

            “Every semester we have more materials that are moving online.” The market is changing with e-books and new textbooks that come with both physical and electronic materials according to Yoshida. “The online shift isn’t for everyone. Many will still prefer a textbook in front of them. That works better for their learning process.”

With books like accounting and nursing having new editions every year, this can be expensive to keep up with according to Yoshida. The bookstore is adapting by selling more laptops and tablets as well as e-book codes to keep up with these changes.

Students who are concerned about the consolidation raising the price of text books should rest easy. Yoshida said that the added campuses won’t cause a price jump, but students are still concerned.

“I feel the cost of textbooks is too high,” said Kimberly Folsom, a senior at MGS who says that she still purchases her books from the campus bookstore, but thinks that they could be cheaper. “I know I can get books online, but financial aid is a deciding factor also.”

            “Now that we have the rental program students really seem to like it and take advantage of that, being the cheapest option we have,” Yoshida said, noting that the campus bookstore is still their best option. “Not every book is rentable, but it is the best option as long as you bring the books back before the due date.”

            For those students who can not take advantage of the rental program, the bookstore now offers book buy back year around now. Giving students options is important. Yoshida says the best advice he can give is to compare before you buy. 

Student Events Article

             Many students may not be aware of the Campus Activity Board or what they do for students, but the CAB is a group composed of five student executives and committee members on board (MOB) that determine activities for the student body to enjoy on campus; though overseen by Student Life Program Coordinator Amy Carter, the CAB is a mostly student run organization.

“The purpose of the CAB is a programming board under the umbrella of Student Life,” said Carter, who acts as advisor for the board, emphasizing the importance of student involvement. “Students make the decision of what they want to do and they are given a budget to decide what they want to see. Our tagline is programming for students, by students.”

CAB meets once a week and organizes events like movie nights, the Hunger Games week and co-sponsors the successful WRC Coffee House, establishing a presence on both Macon and Warner Robins’ campuses.

According to Danielle Edwards, a student executive on the board, CAB is an organization ran by the students, for the students.

“As an executive, we are here for you.” Edwards said.

According to Edwards they are there so much for the students that they even have office hours to meet with other students that have an interest in helping out or being on the committee for CAB. The eventual goal is to have the students primarily in charge of all of the CAB activities, with student life acting as a guiding hand.

“Students are important. They are our voice towards helping us spread the word about events,” Edwards commented, emphasizing the importance of student involvement.

CAB has focused on traditional and non-traditional students with a variety of events and family friendly outings like the Brave movie night.

“If a student says there is nothing to do on campus all they need to do is take a look around,” Carter advised. “There is stuff happening on campus every week, whether it is from CAB, student life, or other clubs and organizations. It’s not all geared for traditional or non-traditional students, we have something for everyone. If you need help getting connected come see us.”

Carter said that students should get involved, not just for student life but for their own benefit.

“Students who are more active on campus are more successful,” Carter urged, claiming that many of the reasons for getting involved in campus life isn’t just for college, but the connections you make for it and the future.  

The office for CAB is located in SLC 261. Any student can join the committee and interviews are held for executive chairs.