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Week 3: More Book Exchange Obsession

Friday February 4th, after coffee time

Yup so it looks like this semester is all about the Book Exchange. Funny thing is I'm not the one driving all of this attention. It started with John Kelly's article in the Colgate Maroon-news, two weeks ago. I put a copy up here (with permission). This was followed by a 'rebuttal' by Colgate Bookstore director Leslie Green Guilbault. It's available here at the Colgate Maroon-News website. I haven't asked permission to publish that here, and I'm a little pessimistic about the odds.

So yah, here's the response I wrote to last week's Letter to the Editor:

To the Editor:

This is a response to Leslie Guilbault’s letter in last week’s issue of the Colgate Maroon-News. In her letter, Guilbault outlines the merits of the Textbook Buyback program at the Colgate Bookstore. As the founder of the Book Exchange website, an alternative to Textbook Buyback, I feel I should point out the options that the Colgate Bookstore has to improve Textbook Buyback.

I think the single most important argument I can make here is that the Colgate Bookstore needs to give us more information. In my opinion, the Buyback program is not helping Colgate students as much as possible. It forces us to haul all of our books to downtown Hamilton, wait in line for up to an hour and then find out if our books are worth anything. Guilbault states that Buyback rates vary between 5% and 50%. That’s a difference between getting back $10 or $100 for $200 worth of books.

My proposed solution would be this: publish these numbers. Let students know what they can expect before they get in line each semester. Currently, the Colgate Bookstore website just has some general claims and statistics, similar to those stated in Guilbault’s letter. Why not publish real-time Buyback rates on there as well? That way, students would be able to make an informed decision. The Book Exchange already lets students compare offers between individual student sellers; there is no reason the Colgate Bookstore can’t compete using its own website.

That said, there is one point in Guilbault’s article that I would like to address directly. Guilbault states: “the Book Exchange’s website includes a page of lengthy disclaimers…” and “The Book Exchange operates on an ‘as is,’ or ‘buyer beware’ system.” I would argue that Book Exchange is based on common sense above anything else. The Book Exchange’s Terms of Service are actually very similar to those of most popular student websites and search engines. The terms are available at https://bookexchange.colgate.edu/terms.php. Feel free to have a look.

There are valid arguments to make for both the Book Exchange website and Textbook Buyback program. Clearly I’m slightly biased towards the Book Exchange. Still, I believe that having both services around generates healthy competition that will ultimately benefit students and the University.

The editors went easy on me; they only added one error 8) The Maroon-News has the article here. Note the extravagant title there too...

Comments:


  1. Sista Kim:

    Well done Pieter! I have to go to Korean Class now, so I will post another comment later.

    reply to this comment
    (2005-02-05 02:48:27)

  2. Hooimama:

    :-)

    reply to this comment
    (2005-02-05 07:34:26)

  3. Sista Kim:

    This morning I went to Korean class although I seemed to be a little bit ill. Yesterday wen I went to bed everything was spinning (do you know the feeling of being drunk and the whole room is spinning around?). This morning it did not feel any better, but since Patrick would drive I decided to go anyway. Because of the new Korean schoolyear (staring at the end of Frebruary) we are trying to learn a Korean song. While practicing someone said... let's hear the girls and the boys sing apart... You know how much I like to sing (Not at all), but I thought wat the... I am going to sing as good/ hard as I can. After the first line I did not hear any of the other girls sing, but I decided just to go on. After the song was finished they all applaused... the other girls had chickened out. Then the boys started (they were with quite a few more and they did not seem to have any problem with singing out loud ;-) So that was pretty funny.

    reply to this comment
    (2005-02-05 09:16:16)

  4. Kaleena:

    Well, it's sinus infection season again! Woo hoo! Hope it goes away soon. I have to write a paper proposal today...I think I'll write a paper on Korea. Don't know what specific topic to write about yet, but I"m working on that. Hope everyone's having a great Mardi Gras!
    (and good luck with that song ;) )

    reply to this comment
    (2005-02-08 10:51:11)

  5. Sista Kim:

    inspired by Kaleena — #4 You will probably know the song... I'll mail it to you ;-) LOL

    reply to this comment
    (2005-02-08 12:18:26)

  6. Hooimama:

    inspired by Kaleena — #4 Good luck with your paper prposal and if you don't mind we'll skipp the mardi grass. Hooipapa can hardly move and he's not the best drinker in the world too, so ... We're kind of unsteady because of the sleepless nights, imagine what would happen if we started drinking nowwowwow ......

    Pieterson, are you ok?

    reply to this comment
    (2005-02-08 12:29:26)

  7. Arjo Hooimeijer:

    Someone say drinking? Am I invited?

    reply to this comment
    (2005-02-08 17:47:06)

  8. Pieter Hooimeijer:

    inspired by Arjo Hooimeijer — #7 Speaking of the best drinker in the world...

    reply to this comment
    (2005-02-10 13:30:56)

  9. Hooimama:

    inspired by Pieter Hooimeijer — #8
    Yes, I know him too!

    reply to this comment
    (2005-02-10 14:52:24)

  10. Arjo Hooimeijer:

    inspired by Pieter Hooimeijer — #8 inspired by Hooimama — #9 Cheers!

    reply to this comment
    (2005-02-10 16:55:54)

  11. Sista Kim:

    *HIPS*

    reply to this comment
    (2005-02-11 06:42:57)

  12. Sista Kim:

    Mom, do you also have some muscleace from cardiofitness?

    reply to this comment
    (2005-02-11 06:43:48)

  13. Hooimama:

    inspired by Sista Kim — #12
    No, not with this trained body of mine! ;-)

    reply to this comment
    (2005-02-11 06:59:55)

  14. Sista Kim:

    hoi piepertje, hoe gaat het?

    reply to this comment
    (2005-02-11 09:42:48)

  15. Hooimama:

    Ha pieterson!

    Thank you for the card, Pieterson and Kaleena!
    We appreciate it very much!

    reply to this comment
    (2005-02-12 09:22:23)

  16. Sista Kim:

    Hoi lieve broer,

    Heb je al een tijdje niet gesproken, maar bij jou is geen bericht over het algemeen goed bericht! ;-) Als je tijd hebt, bel je dan vanavond even? Wij gaan bij paps en mams spagetti eten zo. Daarna gaan we meteen weer naar huis. Als je geen tijd hebt probeer ik het van het weekeinde wel even.

    Liefs van je zus

    reply to this comment
    (2005-02-17 11:14:57)

  17. Sista Kim:

    going to sleep soon, so I will try and call you somewhere this weekend.

    reply to this comment
    (2005-02-17 16:39:05)

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