slow motion during bookrush
By TOM WOLFE
Of the Emerald
Probably no one would like to
see the University switch to a
semester system more than the
textbook crew at the University
Bookstore now finishing up winter
term rush.
“I’ve been here 11 years,’’ says
Otto Henrickson, text department
manager, “but I usually count by
terms. This one’s no different.’’
It began with the first day of re
gistration and ends 14 days and
eight hours later, Tuesday at 5
p.m. By that hour more than
100,000 textbooks of 3,500 titles
will have migrated from publisher
to student desk top.
Half-a-million student dollars
will facilitate the flow, predicts
James Williams, Bookstore gen
eral manager.
During rush, waves of students
flow in and out of the store like the
tide. Twenty-five of them remain in
the store through the day to help
regular staff cope with the in
creased workload — they are
rushers.
They, like Henrickson, spend
most of their time in motion, re
stocking shelves, guiding weary
patrons and scrambling to fill late
orders from professors who mis
judged the size of the classes.
Depending on the publisher, “it
will take from a few days to more
than a week to get late orders
shipped in” says Henrickson.
Cost is high since the books often
have to be flown from the East
Coast.
Inevitably, a few of these orders
will be mixed up; the wrong book
or the wrong number of books will
arrive. Some publishers are
notoriously slow and will simply
take a week to get an order sent,
Henrickson laments.
For students, it may seem that
professors perpetually undere
stimate the number of textbooks
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needed for their courses. But
overall, Henrickson estimates “30
to 35 percent of the books we
order are never sold." Most of
those have to be shipped back to
the publisher.
On the average, this reshipping
costs three to four percent of the
This student keeps up the fast pace necessary to breeze through the
vast array of books (only to find he must face a long line of fellow book
buyers). The book rush is almost over says bookstore personnel en
thusiastically and students can look forward to another term curled up
by the fire with a good' book.
book price.
Any solutions to this waste?
“Not really,’’ Henrickson says.
"Some people have suggested a
pre-registration system (for stu
dents) but this wouldn’t be
scheduled soon enough to help
us. Then, with drop-adds you
never know what's going to hap
pen.”
An additional problem is that
professors seldom deliver their
textbook orders to the bookstore
on time. The suggested deadline
for the current term, Sept. 15,
passed with about 70 percent of
professors submitting no orders at
all, Henrickson says.
When unexpected problems
with their orders come up there
may just not be time to make
changes, says Henrickson.
A few warnings to rushees.
The last day to return unused
texts with a cash register receipt is
Jan. 21.
Used books may be resold to
the bookstore through the term at
half-price if the book will be used
later. Bookstore employees re
shelve them and charge three
fourths the original price.
The bookstore also has a
notorious reputation for being
rough on shoplifters, sporting a
yearly average of 100 to 125 ar
rests, says Williams.
Many of these occur during the
winter months when five-finger
discounters are wearing extra cloth
ing with lots of pockets, ostensibly
to guard against the cold.
Value of the take makes no dif
ference. A student spent four
days in jail last year after being
caught with a 50-cent ruler he
didn't pay for.
He, like most other offenders,
was nabbed by undercover sec
urity guards hired to keep the
merchandise from being covertly
escorted out the door.
'
Too many voters bring about
new voting precincts in Eugene
By PAUL WALDSCHMIDT
Of the Emerald
A new University area voting
precinct has been created by the
Lane County elections division.
Ralph Hoehne, county elections
manager, said Tuesday the new
precinct — No. 211 — was
created out of parts of University
precincts 207 and 209.
More than 13,600 voters will be
shuffled to new precincts
throughout the county. Hoehne
said the affected voters will be
notified by mail this week.
Most of the reshuffling, which
resulted in the creation of 15 new
precincts and the deletion of two,
was limited to the Eugene area.
Hoehne said the shifting of pre
cinct boundaries was necessary
because state law prevents pre
cincts from including more than
1,500 voters.
The two deleted precincts are
Eugene 513 and 607. Incorporat
ing the precinct changes, Lane
County now has 170 voting pre
cincts, with 142,850 registered
voters.
According to the latest county
voter registration figures, 82,240
voters are registered as Democ
rats, 44,734 as Republicans,
3,282 as Independents and
12,594 as Non-partisans.
Don Penfold, director of the
county’s General Services De
partment, said the county tried to
identify areas where population
increases were expected and to
leave room for additional voters.
No changes were made in county
commissioner or state represen
tative districts.
According to the county elec
tions division, most of the precinct
changes occured in the south and
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southwest areas of Eugene and in
the Bethel, Santa Clara and El
mira areas.
Penfold said the next precinct
boundary adjustment period will
be in January, 1980.
Besides the University precinct,
the new precincts are Eugene
303, formed from parts of Eugene
301 and 315; Eugene 317, from
parts of Eugene 319; Eugene409,
from parts of Eugene 411 and
413; Eugene 417, from part of
Eugene 415; Eugene 423, from
part of 419; Eugene 517, from part
of Eugene 521; Eugene 519, from
part of 533; Eugene 547, from part
of Eugene 551; Eugene 609, from
parts of Eugene 513 and 607;
Eugene 611, from parts of Eugene
513, 607 and 617; Eugene 613,
from parts of Eugene 513, 607
and 615; Eugene 619, from part of
Eugene 621; Demming precinct,
from part of the Elmira precinct;
and Santa Clara 4, from parts of
Santa Clara 2 and 3.
University students and staff
who have not previously regis
tered and who wish to vote may
either register in person at the
county elections office at 175 W.
8th Ave. or by mail.
Mail registration forms are a
vailable at post office stations,
banks and fire stations. A card
with the voter’s precinct location
and number will then be mailed
back to the registrant.