:: Tuesday, August 18, 2009 ::

A 100 year institution can't even get one small thing right...

I miss college. I like to learn (although my family is convinced that I refuse to read.) I'm glad that there are institutions for people like me to congregate and share knowledge and experiences. One such institution is proudly "charting a second century" in helping bring education to the future of America.

However, after 100 years, they still haven't figured out how to properly order and distribute schoolbooks for students to purchase and learn from during class. The last semester I enjoyed at NSU was the fall of 2007. I printed off my schedule, took it to the bookstore, the book finders handed me a pile of books, and I paid for my new (or used) books. It was quite a simple task, and I was not surprised how easy it was. Apparently I did not have much company in this school of thought.

So an entrepreneur fellow decided to open an off campus bookstore and call it "The Campus Bookstore." Of course, this caused some confusion for us who don't like to shop around for better deals. My wife, on the other hand, does shop around and she found "The Campus Bookstore" to be cheaper than the campus bookstore. (It's easier to tell the difference when you can actually put quotation marks around the name.) She has had mixed experience with the campus bookstore and "The Campus Bookstore" but tends to like "The Campus Bookstore" better than the campus bookstore. (I'm trying my hardest to make this confusing so I can have a little backing on my side.)

For this semester my wife decided to buy her books at "The Campus Bookstore" and I, reluctantly, agreed to as well. I printed my schedule, handed it to the book finder, and he handed me a bag of books. "Wow. That was pretty easy," I said to myself. However, Ann wasn't as lucky. They only had one of her required books on hand and the rest she could prepay for and pick up at a later date. She, reluctantly, agreed seeing as how she had a similar problem with the campus bookstore and decided to wait.

Yesterday was the last day of waiting. We went to "The Campus Bookstore" and they still had not received any of Ann's books. We ventured around the university taking care of a variety of other tasks (some of which we didn't accomplish due to a staff member's incompetence and that didn't help matters any at all.) After a somewhat long trek (and wet trek because God decided yesterday was a perfect day for rain), Ann decided to buy her missing books from the campus bookstore and get a refund at "The Campus Bookstore."

While glancing at the receipt from "The Campus Bookstore" so we knew which of Ann's books to buy (yes, sweet love, I finally understand what book you didn't want to buy and why), I noticed I had only bought four books from "The Campus Bookstore" for six classes. That set off a little bell and whistle in my head. So after more trekking, we returned to the campus bookstore to see what books they said were required for my classes. Some quick adding, subtracting, and division later, I determined I needed eleven books for my six classes; however, I only bought four from "The Campus Bookstore." Problem? Yes.

Some quick searching, writing, and comparing later, we found out that the campus bookstore only had eight of my eleven books available for purchase. Problem? Yes. The university where I will be attending for class and rely upon to provide books for me to learn from in class didn't even have the appropriate books available for me. Problem? Yes.

So there are three options for buying books at NSU. The campus bookstore, "The Campus Bookstore," and buy them online. Between the first two, I have seven of my eleven books for class. The rest? I guess I'm just screwed because the professors are choosy about the books they want students to have and choose the most expensive.

A 100 year institution can't even supply the books students are required to have for study. One hundred years of mismanagement. Cheers to the "next century."

Here I sit, three days away from class, and totally unprepared for a few classes due to the lack of care from the two places students can (and should be able to) purchase required supplies for class.

Great way to start school again.

:: Ben 12:20 PM [+] ::
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