The Middlebury Campus

Issue date: 10/10/07 Section: News

Media Credit: Avery Rain Booklists will hopefully go online soon should the SGA get its wish. [Click to enlarge]

On Oct. 7 the Student Government Association (SGA) continued their discussion from last meeting concerning the addition of class booklists to BannerWeb. With details still in the works, the initiative will give students the option to buy books online, prior to the beginning of term. Senator Vrutika Mody '10, who sponsored last week's bill on the booklist initiative and is working with Bob Jansen, bookstore manager, hopes to have booklists online as soon as spring semester.

"This might help you with your Add and Drop Period," said Mody, noting that if students could see what they would have to read for a class they might make a more informed decision about adding or dropping it.

"Kids can look at the classes and see what is going to be read in that class and can...get an understanding...of what the class structure is going to be like," said Junior Senator Bobby Joe Smith '09.

Ross Senator Derek Sakamoto '10, however, felt that an online booklist might be unnecessary.

"Are students having problems getting their professors to tell them what books they need for that class?" said Sakamoto. "I mean I got all my books before I got here." Sakamoto said that he e-mailed all of his professors during the summer in order to obtain booklists.

"I think that would be unfair to kids who aren't as comfortable emailing professors," responded Mody.

Sakamoto, however, persisted and even went so far as to say that it is possible to profit from the bookstore.

"Another thing to consider is will the bookstore still buy back books?" said Sakamoto. "I really like buying my books cheaper on Amazon and then getting paid back more by the bookstore."

Others quickly pointed out that while Sakamoto's method works on a small scale, if everyone e-mailed their professors over the summer, the professors would be swamped.

"That seems like a heavy burden on the professors," said Senator Nicolas Sohl '10.

Other senators feared that the bookstore would block any attempt to put booklists online.

Continued...

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