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About The Clackamas print. (Oregon City, Oregon) 1989-2019 | View Entire Issue (Feb. 13, 2008)
2 News Clackamas P Wednesday, Feb. 13, 2008 Book rentals to be offered in fc Kenton Benfield The Clackamas Print At the beginning of every term, students face the daunt ing prospect of paying for it all. The second largest cost for the average student, after tuition, is represented by the textbooks that accompany most classes. In fact, textbook prices have ratcheted up over the years, general ly faster than infla tion. For Bookstore Director David Holcomb, this is not news. “Across the United States, there has been a lot of conversation and concern about textbook prices,” Holcomb said. HOLCOMB A possible solution to these expenses is for college bookstores to offer a textbook rental program - similar to a library but not free - to help cut costs for students. Soon, Clackamas will have its own rental pro gram, to be piloted Fall Term of 2008. “That’s great, actually,” said student Mike Takeyama. “It helps those of [us] that have to pay our way.” A rental program would allow a student to pay a frac tion of a book’s cost - rough ly 35 percent - for an entire term and then return it at the term’s end. If the student wanted to keep the book, then he or she would be charged the remaining 65 percent. The same thing would happen if he or she never returned the book or did so but had dam aged it significantly. The idea has been under investigation since last fall, but only recently did the pro posal go before the textbook committee and, finally, the College Council. The initial program will not be available for all book titles, but rather about 10 to 15 options will be offered, spanning multi ple classes, as decided by the teaching faculty. Ideally, the book candi dates for the program would consist of the more expensive and popular titles that tend to remain in their current edi tion for at least two years. As book editions are con stantly updated, keeping up a rentable stock would become cost-prohibitive. Also, not all titles would be eligible, such as tear-out workbooks and books with supplemental material such as CD-ROM disks, if the course required those extras. While it may not seem obvious, there are some major logistical hurdles to jump before the program can be expanded to include the majority of titles. “The challenge to starting a brand new rental program is for somebody like us ... we estimate that it would cost $3 million to start a complete, full-blown rental program,” Holcomb said. This amount is the-price of the inventory that would need to be on-hand to support every title. Not only must the book store procure a new computer software tracking syst the simple need for tory space to store the would require a dou| the current floor spac; These constraints feasible, and as such, program will be limi trial period or marks for now. This pilot ] is slated to last for tw after which a further < will conceivably be m Although the Ass Student Government book exchange and te can be purchased onli advantage to the rent gram is that students have to worry about sei the books later. Furth buying online can unpredictable and results due to shippinj With the coming rei gram, students can e save approximately cent of textbook co receive their books free on the spot. Now it may be pos afford to eat someth besides Top Ramen fo TUTORS: Positions are open in all tutor ing departments, math hit the hardest Continued from TUTORS, Page 1 The rift between tutors and those who require their aid is the product of an increase in tutor requests and a slight decrease in applica tions for tutoring jobs, along with the fact that many former tutors have recently moved on to four-year universities. At $9 an hour, some tutors work in between classes in order to make extra money, and not enough can work the hours necessary to help all of the individuals in need. Another department that has not escaped the shortage unscathed is the Writing Center, the campus’ only resource for writing tutors. According to Carol Burnell, an English instructor and the Writing Center coordinator, the Writing Center is frequently manned by just one person. Too often time slots throughout the day are unavailable to students due to the lack of tutors and a budget that won’t allow more people to be hired as part-time staff. The result, Burnell said, is only 20 hours of available tutoring time per week Burnell believes that with just an extra 10 hours per week, the department could Mistymarie Wilks-Salguero Clackanu meet students’ needs and even offer some James Morris, center, carefully surveys a packed math tutoring lab. online or evening sessions. Unfortunately, this would require double school, this is not a likely scenario for the near Hall. Students wishing to acquire I the current budget for part-time staff, and stop by and sign up. with budget cuts taking place throughout the future. Tutoring at Clackamas For further information rega is open to nearly every Writing Center, Burnell can be read subject and is always free. 5188. All a student has to do, for To become a tutor in the Writins any area besides writing, is student must contact an English in go to the tutoring services the college from whom he or she b department - room 141 class. The instructor must acknow: in the Community Center the student passed the course with a - and speak with Tutoring a“B.” Services Specialist Adam The same process is necessary in Kriss. Kriss will give the become a tutor for another subject bu student a card for his or her the consent of an instructor who wo instructor to sign. Then, he appropriate department. With no clear end in sight, student or she will be set up with a tutor. on the hunt for academic aid will be The Writing Center is fend for themselves in some situate located in room 240, on they are willing to be patient, the i the second floor of Barlow available. Proof of citizenship needed for driver iy n Theillegal mmigration issue simmered just below a Monday as the Oregon Senate approved a bill to requi legal U.S. esidence to get a driver’s license in the stat. The measure was sent to the House on a 23-7 vote aft« ers said Oregon’s loose rules have made the state a tar j. citizens who seekto obtain identification cards for “nc. pwposes. iposes up te»•• * Several senators who voted “no” Said the requiremcN " ate hardships for many of the state's undocumented wc.kc“ force them to drive unlicensed with no insurance. The measure would largely place into state statutes tig"'] identification requirements that are included in an execute- by Gov. Ted Kulongoski that went into effect las’ week. < Under those requirements, people seeking to obtain. ren|j or replace ah existing license are required to provide a ‘ - ; Security numberor other proof of legal residence that c- t verified by the state Driver and Motor Vehicle Service Additionally, immigrants must show' they have a c to be «tele to get a v.as lor the visa is valU • - . • -The Moated Press " •
