End of semester means book-shedding time

With one semester ending and another set to begin, a lot of students are scrambling to rid themselves of textbooks from this semester as they prepare to lay own cash for those required in January.

Not all of the expensive textbooks from this semester are getting bought back by the university’s bookstores, and this does not sit well with some students.

“It’s ridiculous how they don’t buy my book back because they aren’t being used (in future semesters), then they come out with version 12 or whatever the next year,” said Scott Mckenzie.

According to Usha Gupta, a clerk at the Richmond bookstore, the university does not necessarily buy back all the text books out there. They will pay 50% of the cover cost for text books needed in future semesters. But the bookstores’ buyback program isn’t the only way students can recoup some of their costs.

The Kwantlen Student Association has bulletin boards at all the campuses, but according to Richmond campus director Kareem Elmassary, all postings have to be run by the KSA. “Any posting or advertisement that is not stamped would be torn down.” While students may not get approval to advertise their books for sale on the official bulletin boards, ads wind up taped to walls throughout the campuses, and particularly in common areas for some programs.

Elmaasary said that the KSA encourages students to use websites such B.C. Bookworm, which is run by Kwantlen business student Mike Robson, to sell their books if they do not want to sell back to the bookstore.

Book buyback dates at the bookstores are:

Richmond and Surrey campuses — Dec. 15-17 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.; Dec 18 from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.

Langley campus — Dec 15 and 16 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.; Dec 17 from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.

Students are required to have their ID card with them.