Over the past several semesters professors and students at The University of Memphis have voiced concerns over The University Store’s handling of textbooks. Professors say the bookstore doesn’t order enough books. Students don’t like the prices.
The problems have some questioning whether the contract with Barnes & Noble, the bookstore’s vendor, should be renewed when the current contract expires on June 30, 2002.
“It is very important to administration to get this problem rectified,” said Dr. John Haddock, interim vice provost of academic affairs. “It’s absolutely crucial that students get their books on time.”
Barnes & Noble, who has had the contract since 1991, is vying for the new contract with Follett, another large college bookstore distributor.
A 14-person Bookstore Committee has been formed to meet with representatives from the companies and report its findings.
John Cothern, assistant vice president of business and finance and chair of the bookstore committee at The U of M, said the committee will review the proposals made by the two companies and then make a recommendation to University of Memphis President Shirley Raines, who will make the final decision.
The goal of the committee is to choose the company that will provide the best service for the students—specifically, getting books in on time. The recommendation should be in by December, Cothern said.
The contract’s set-up is based on an initial lump sum of money. Currently, Barnes & Noble has a contract with The U of M to pay $800,000 to The University regardless of gross sales. However, because of decreased revenues, the new contract’s guaranteed commission to The University will likely be lower, Cothern said. Last year’s revenues for the bookstore were about $6.2 million.
Complaints about the bookstore’s service reach across campus to several departments.
“I have never had a semester when all of my students have had all of their books at the beginning of the semester,” said Dr. Julia Heath, chair of the economics department at The U of M. Heath said she had to postpone her first exam in principles of microeconomics for a week so her students could find the book that had not been available at The University Store.
Seven journalism classes were short of books at the beginning of the semester, according to Dr. James Redmond, chair of the journalism department. Redmond said the problems with the bookstore were brought up at the Provost’s Luncheon on Sept. 10.
Although each department is required to turn in estimates for books needed to the bookstore by halfway through the prior semester, students often find empty shelves and a suggestion to go check at the Tiger Bookstore.
The question frequently asked is, if the books are ordered, why are they not on the shelves?
If the bookstore orders too many books, they have to be packaged and shipped back to the publisher, which costs the bookstore money. Accusations that the bookstore under ordered books by 30 percent because the managers thought the Tiger Bookstore would carry them were strongly denied by company representatives.
“Barnes & Noble has told us that it should not be a corporate attitude and it is not a company policy to depend on another store to supplement what the bookstore doesn’t have in stock,” Cothern said.
Rodney Merriwether, University Store general manager, said the bookstore is implementing a plan to keep up constant communication between the departments and the bookstore.
“We plan to stay in contact with the chairs of the departments through visiting, e-mailing or calling them and keeping them informed about orders and when they are made,” Merriwether said.
Redmond was so upset with the bookstore’s lack of service earlier this semester he had planned to send all of his students to the Internet for their books next semester. However, he said he is willing to give the bookstore one more chance, “because hope springs eternal, and mine is still springing,” Redmond said.
