Digital vs. Bookstores

Three years ago on November 10th, Jeffrey R. Young wrote a very interesting article which he named “As Textbooks Go Digital, Campus Bookstores May Go Bookless”. Young really emphasized the question “ If textbooks go digital , does the campus even need a bookstore?” all throughout his article.

Both online retailers Amazon.com and Half.com have given college students (like myself) the options of buying those old-fashioned textbooks sitting in the bookstores in our campus’. Jeffrey says that some publishers now sell cheaper electronic versions of their textbooks, either through their own web sites or through coursesmart, which is a commercial service supported by major textbook publishers. If these colleges want students to buy textbooks from them like before they must add a price-comparison tool to its website like a Kansas store recently did. The tool allows a student to click on the courses they’re taking from a menu, and the site pulls up a list of required textbooks and shows what each title would cost in the campus bookstore, on web retailers such as amazon.com or any other textbook rental services. A portion of the article Jeffrey wrote discussed the ideas of these College Bookstores getting a Makeover.  They listed dry cleaning, flu-shot clinics, performance space, expanded snack sales, photo printing and study space as some of the ways the store could be used differently. I think any of the ideas stated would be more successful than sitting around all day waiting for a student to purchase a text from the school.

I also think that Jeffrey did an awesome job in this article. I picked this one out of the rest of the articles because as a college student I could definitely relate. When I first started Hesser College in the Manchester campus I bought all my textbooks and even though I sold them back the school after I was done using them the amount I was given back after only having the books for less than two months was ridiculous.

(Ex: A [USED] psychology book I bought was $165.00 at the beginning of the term. When the two months were over, I went down to the bookstore and was given $25.75 back).My parents were having a really difficult time paying for my books and not to mention the dorm living expenses which was a tremendous amount. I listened to my older sister advice (a college graduate) and bought my books elsewhere. There was a “sell your textbook” store 10 minutes away from the campus and a lot of my classmates were selling back their books there as well. The store obviously did not give us back the same amount we paid for the book but we got atleast half and we were able to buy future textbooks there as well. I was saving money that way and things were going better. Now, I rent them online through Amazon and or I download them online if it’s available and free. The article was well written. He gave examples of some colleges who’s bookstore was not selling a textbook and confessed that the money they were making from students was of them purchasing potato chips and beverages rather than the textbooks.

Abortion

Three weeks ago, Allison Yarrow wrote an interesting story describing what her day was like inside of the Norman, Oklahoma Abortion Clinic.

Dr. Larry Burns and his wife, Debby, have provided abortions for 40 years in a state with very tight restriction and few providers. The Abortion Clinic opens four days a week at 7AM. Larry and Debby Burns clinic is one of the five (about 200 miles from Wichita) that are now the closest remaining options for women there. Yarrow was the first reporter they’ve given such access to in 40 years of practice. Two other clinics who have seen an influx of Wichita women, in Kansas City and Tulsa, have declined to have any reporters visit their site. 

Burns saw fourteen patients the day Yarrow went to visit. The closest patient that day was coming from Oklahoma City, 45 minutes away and the farthest, from Oklahoma’s panhandle, traveled four hours. Debby stated that on other days, patients arrive from as far off as Texas and Arkansas. This shows how badly these women need the procedure and it’s ridiculous that they have to travel so far for what should be done in their own states. 

Larry, a 68-year old father and grandfather has been practicing whats been called both one of the safest and one of the most controversial surgeries for 40 years, since 1973’s Roe. vs. Wade decision changed the legal abortion landscape. 

Oklahoma, banned abortion after 20 weeks, and require those wanting an abortion to wait about 24 hours before making an appointment to have the procedure, to learn about the alternatives and risks as well as remind them that the person who impregnated them would most definitely be responsible for child support.

 Cost is a big concern for many women who see Dr. Burns. Insurance policies in Oklahoma are ordered to not cover the cost in abortion procedures.The only way they can is if the mother’s life is endangered. It costs exactly $550 dollars for the procedure, anesthesia, and a two weeks checkup. About one in four women get financial aid from the Roe Fund run by the Oklahoma Religious Coalition for Reproductive Choice. Debby says that most of their clients pay cash and about one in ten patients will not even cover their full bill. 

It’s easy for anyone to judge these pregnant ladies.But its even harder to walk in their shoes. I believe that society should really focus on how to trust these women to know when and how many children they are capable of raising. Women have rights they should be able to do what they want and what they need to when it comes down to this decision. It’s heart breaking for me to read stories and watch these women get tortured by protestors and it’s quite traumatizing. These ladies should be able to walk into the clinic to get the procedure done without anyone yelling “BABY KILLER”, “MURDERER”. 

These women get abortions for various reasons. Some of these women decide it’s best to get an abortion if they are victims of rape and sexual assault, if they aren’t mentally, emotionally or financially ready. Allison’s report was well written. It was easy to understand and she made sure she included only the important information. Her description of the procedure was interesting. The interviews of the women before and after the procedure at the clinic really made this report stand out from the rest of the articles on Times.