Recently, the University announced that the bookstore would be transitioning from an on-campus store to a fully online service. There have been a fair number of people who have a difference of opinion on this change.
Some people are not surprised by these decisions, others were unaware that we had a bookstore, and the remaining student population saw this transition as a mistake for the SXU community.
Throughout these past four years, there have been several issues that have given many of us pause. While this may not be the most severe or grievous of these actions, it is the most recent.
One of the key reasons cited for this decision was “in response to the increasing costs of textbooks and the growing trend of students choosing to purchase their textbooks and course materials from online booksellers.” This is something that all students are aware of, but is this really the best course of action or even the only suitable course of action to use in this situation?
On this topic, one editor for Xavierite said, “The whole ‘cutting back on costs to save money’ doesn’t sit right with me, because where has our money been going this entire time for them to keep raising tuition and suddenly cut down on things. Plus, I think it also takes away a job opportunity for students who want to work on-campus. The smallest things can make a big difference.”
Upon a quick google search on the topic of universities closing their bookstores, one is met with a number of articles from both before and during the pandemic. Some talk about the death of independently owned bookstores at the hands of companies like Follet, who SXU is cutting ties with to partner with Akademos, while other articles talk about the death of printed books.
The issue is that these reasons are that a bookstore is not just about the books, but the school supplies and the merchandise. It is what makes the bookstore a staple of any college campus.
Having access to a bookstore is what is essential for SXU students, especially if they need something for class last-minute. It is the opportunity for a student, future or current, to show with pride that they are going to Saint Xavier University.
As one editor from the Xavierite put it, “I understand trying to cut costs, but in the middle of the school year? This is just an inconvenience to students. Students should be able to visit a physical space with their friends, not shop online. What about parents who excitedly drop their kids off at the beginning of the year and they want to buy school merch? You have to tell them that they have to place an order online? Pathetic.”
Another editor had this to say, “I wish they would have gotten rid of it next semester instead of the middle of a semester. I have heard from other students that they did not know it was closing and tried to buy books from there. The store was cleared out of books, and people who had fast-track classes starting were not able to get their books as soon as they thought they were. Overall I think it is definitely more cost-efficient for the bookstore to be online, but [I] wish they would have warned people at the beginning of the semester/waited to close and clear off the books after the semester ended.”
[This was the thing that was the late addition; “You know I liked the idea of the book store there when you needed it for a book or for a shirt or something. But it stinks it will be gone but its okay if books will become cheaper. It seemed at times more expensive buying/renting through the school then from another source. Just another thing with the times. No need for a brick and mortar place when things are online SXU bookstore closing is just another example of keeping up with the times. At a smaller level”
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