Oregon Daily
WEDNESDAY, JUNE 3, 1992
EUGENE, OREGON
VOLUME 93. ISSUE 166
While you were in class...
-ptmrbjmsi Hjjs***
S/'/an Hoeler spent Monday afternoon riding the waves of the
Willamette River to Peat the heat Today's temperature m the
Eugene-Sprmgfieid area is expected to reach up to 85 degrees
Split-Roll tax initiative
backed by ASUO, OSL
j Student President Bobby
Lee says split-roll property tax
would reduce the need for fu
ture cuts at the University
By Tim Neff
Emerald Associate E ditor
An Initiative designed to restore much of
the lav revenue cut by Measure '• drew the
support of University student government
Tuesday morning at a joint (tress confer
ence
ASUO, Student Senate and the Oregon
Student hobby endorsed Oregon I air
Share's Splil-Koll Initiative, which is
aimed at increasing properly taxes for rent
al-property owners and businesses but not
homeowners
That increase would restore an estimated
70 percent of thi- property tax revenue
eliminated by the passage of Measure f> in
1‘i‘H)
ASUO President Bobby late said lire ini
tiative would provide much-needed relief
to the University, which has compensated
for the Measure fi budget crunch by raising
tuition and cutting programs and services
"This initiative is part of « solution that
will play a significant rule in lowering lot
lion and restoring services." Lee said
The student groups portrayed the initia
tive as a “bat k-up’ plan and urged the Leg
isluturc to convene a special session id
hammer out .1 tax reform proposal
"If a sjnTi.il session is not culled by thu
log is In tors, thu split-roll lax package would
be tin' bark-up plan to give Oregonians tin*
ojijHirtumlv to voir lor replm rinmil rrv
nnun," l.rr said
Tin* split-roll tax would generate rrjilut e
menl revenue by taxing businrssrs and
rrnlal jiropurtii’s at a blglirr rale than
homeowner*
Passagr of tbr split-roll miliallvr would
jdai.r tbr upward limit on businrss |iro|>rr
ly taxis at S 10 |>rr SI.000 of assrssrd val
ur Krsidrntial property taxers would Im
i.apfird at S1 S pur $ I .(too
Under Measure ,r>, lax rales lor Isilli bus!
ness and residential projierties will It re
duced lo SIS |>er $t.0(H) ol assessed value
by ItHlf) l ltr resulting dro|> in pro|>rrly lax
revenue has reduced money available lor
I cm ally funded programs
Measure T> requires thill the the state
compensate lor the shortfall, whit h il lias
done by si|droning money from the slate
general fund That re.dim alum lias cut
money available lor stale programs and six
vices, including universities
Ort-g Parker, direi lor of communications
for the Oregon State System ol Higher lain
cation, said Measure f> resulted m on 11
percent system-wide budget cut When
Turn to INITIATIVE. Pago 4
Course to address race issues
□ Law School offers sum
mer course on racial injus
tice in the criminal system
By Daralyn Trappe
Emerald Associate Edita
On thu hauls of the Kodnoy King vor
dict awl subsequent riots. lh« Uni varsity
School of Law is sponsoring a course
this summer that will otidress thu on
going problem of racial injustice
"Facial Issues in the Criminal Sys
tem" is being organized by several fac
ulty and staff members In tbe law school
but Is open to oil University students.
Faculty from several disciplines on
campus, including law. Knglish and cor
rections, will lie on hand to offer per
spectives Because the class Is being or
ganized on short notice, some final doci
Turn to COURSE. Page 5
Buy-back book prices subject to outside influences
jThe bookstore strives to give stu
dents a fair price, but lack of publish
ing competition puts retailers in a bind
By Mandy Baucum
Fmeraid Reporter _
Although students may feci the bookstore Isn't giving
them a good price for their used books, the buy-back
price is subject to change because of influences outside
the bookstore.
In addition, publishers tend to jack up new book
prices because they don’t make u profit on used books.
Bookstore General Manager Jim Williams said.
Williams added that fcWor course books are sold from
publisher to bookstore because of the rise in used book
sales over recent years Ten years ago, fewer user! books
were offered and the prices were lower because of it, he
said.
Copyrights give publishers a lock on the market for
their books. The lack of competition allows publishers
to set their own prices, putting retail outlets in u bind.
"Wo have no control over invoice prices." said Me
linda Hochendoner. bookstore used book coordinator.
Teachers who fail to submit their book orders early
also have an effect on user) book prices
"Teachers are more conscious of book order subrais
slons now than they were fivo years ago." VViiliurns
said.
Hod) Wiiliums and Hor.hendoner said they try lo give
students the best buy-back price they possibly can. Hut
sometimes the prices vary because after the bookstore
reaches its limit on a certain book, the buy-back price
reverts back to the national wholesale price.
The University bookstore has three nationwide
wholesalers who buy and sell used books. The whole
salers are located in Mississippi. Nebraska and Missou
ri.
The bookstore aims for 50 percent of the new hook
price us their buy-back rate, until they fulfill their quota
for that book. After that, the book returns to the nation
al wholesale price
For example, a student buying a new hook from the
book store during fall term at S40 will usually receive
S20 (if the bookstore quota has yet to be filled) as the
buy-back profit
That same book is resold for S30 as a used book The
$10 difference is part of the bookstore's grt>ss profit
which supplies ti with enough money to run itself if
the hook was not going to he used for the next term, it
would he bought back at a price determined by the
wholesalers. In this case that would lx; an $H buy-back
price.
Of the SH buy-back price, SI.GO goes to the bookstore
for operation costs.
‘Buy-back prices are not an
arbitrary decision. The bookstore
has a very systematic way of
determining book prices. We try to
be a resource for students and
faculty members.’
Jim Williams,
Bookstore general manager
If a toucher turns in a book order lute, and the lx>ok
sloris, not knowing the hook will be used, sells the book
to one of its three wholesale companies, the buy-back
price of the book will tie lower (SH) than it would if it
hud never left the bookstore (S20). because the bixik
store has to buy buck the book they just sold to the
wholesale company,
If the txxik is not solfl to the wholesalers it is, as stat
ed earlier, sold to the student for $30 But the buy-back
price will still be S20. bused on tin- original new hook
price.
New edition publishing is another factor affecting
Turn to BUY-BACK, Page 4