Students have been unsatisfied with the lack of books and supplies at the Nicholls University Bookstore.Since the first day of school, students have been complaining about not receiving their books. Some students are unable to get the books they need because of the store being sold out.
Others are complaining that the books are too expensive. Freshman Donny Blanchard from Napoleonville said, “I think if they had more books, they wouldn’t have to mark the book prices up. I had to spend an extra $20 for a book from the bookstore once.”
The lack of books is not only affecting students, but also faculty.
“The Curious Writer” is a required textbook for instructor of English, Brian Ellender’s English 101 class. The textbook comes with a product key that gives access to My Comp Lab, an Internet-based tool for English students.
Pearson Education, the makers of the book and lab, gave a workshop in the library last week on how to use My Comp Lab. Many students had to share a computer or follow the Pearson representative’s PowerPoint because they did not have a book.
“The bookstore has always done a great job for us,” Ellender said. “I’m not sure what went wrong this year.”
Some students prepared for the rush of finding books in time for class.
Freshman Katelyn Simoneaux from Belle Rose said, “I preordered my textbooks so that I wouldn’t have to worry about my books being sold out within the first few weeks of school. It also benefited me because I didn’t have the stress of waiting in long lines.”
Matt Labat, freshman from Thibodeaux said, “I think that the bookstore should be the first choice for students to buy books rather than a last resort for students who can’t find their books online or at another store for a cheaper price.”
Angelle Caillouet, bookstore manager, said the main cause of the lack in supplies this semester is that some book order requests, which are filled out by academic departments and due by March, did not get turned in until a few weeks before classes began.
“We use a formula to determine the number of books we order,” Caillouet said. “If the forms are not returned in March, we cannot buy back from our students in May. When they are turned in to us in August, we do not have a chance because we have already turned those books away from our students who want to sell them back to us.
