The dark side of energy conservation
I commend the efforts taken by our university in conserving power and energy resources, but my experience over the weekend made me think twice about the steps we have imposed upon ourselves. It was a quiet Saturday evening as I made my usual stop at the Stamp Student Union on my way back [to the South Campus Commons] from the Eppley Recreation Center. As I finished my snack, I felt the urge to answer nature's call (the extended version) and decided to make use of the toilets located on the ground floor of the Student Union. Halfway through the biological process that I would rather not describe, the lights in the restroom suddenly turned off. First impressions led me to believe that there was a power failure, but a deeper analysis reminded me that the lights automatically turned on when I walked in.
Yes, it was the effect of those motion sensors installed in the restrooms that detect the presence of people in the main walkway and in turn decide the lights on/off. While it is a good step forward to assess the need to burn energy, it unfortunately does not take into account the presence of people in the stalls. The weekend entailed that there wasn't anyone walking in and out of the restroom to activate the sensors either. As a result, I was stuck without the slightest ray of light (quite literally). Anxiety set in as I had to dig through my bag to find my cell phone in an effort to shed a little light rather than depend solely on my sense of touch.
While I successfully made it through my funny little ordeal, I dread the thought of ever using those bathrooms again on the weekends. A sign outside, indicating such a situation, would be greatly appreciated and the provision of an override switch would be helpful.
Srivatsa Viswanathan Sophomore Computer science
Against monopoly
Joe Welty wrote an excellent follow-up to the textbook issue with his letter "SGA playing politics with textbook bill." Welty should be commended for his insight in explaining the monopoly that University Book Center controls and the SGA supports.
Currently, the UBC and Testudo only list the title and author, making it impossible to buy textbooks outside of the university. Several ideas, such as textbook bills in Annapolis and Freedom of Information Act requests, have been suggested as a method to force the university to release ISBNs, numbers that universally identify a book. Welty mentions that Salisbury University decided to publicize the ISBNs for textbooks because students and student groups used FOIA requests. Unfortunately, this idea won't work at this university.
A Maryland Public Information Act request was submitted to the university requesting textbook ISBN numbers for the criminology and criminal justice department classes. The university replied that "The university, however, no longer retains original versions of these documents [textbook requisition form] ... the documents [now] contain confidential proprietary information ... by Barnes & Noble." However, the university can recreate this information for a cost of at least $155.44. That means to get all the ISBNs for Maryland classes (136 departments), the cost would be at least $21,139.84 per semester.
As Welty states, the current policy is "ludicrous," and it's time to rein in the problem by utilizing the democratic powers Maryland citizens have at Annapolis. That means supporting Annapolis bills such as Senate Bill 166 and House Bill 1092.
If you would like more information on how SB 166 and HB 1092 help visit www.bookholders.com/sb166.asp and take action!
John Verde BookHolders.com CEO
Student interests on textbooks
I would like to clarify my position on the textbook situation. I do not and have not supported any policy that restricts students, or anyone, for that matter, from obtaining information. I also do not support the administration or the University Book Store unless that support is congruent with student interests.
Careful consideration of SB 166 demonstrates that disclosing ISBNs automatically upon receipt will not allow for any check that the ISBNs are correct. This opens up the potential for 10 percent of the textbooks students buy to be incorrect. What was intended to help students might actually cause them to lose more money in the end. It's also important to note that SB 166 was not introduced or motivated by student interests, but by outside companies such as Bookholders.com.
The efforts by student leaders at Salisbury University to bring forth change at the university level is highly commendable and precisely the type of initiative I supported in my column. The positive outcome, as evidenced by the efforts of our peers, is generally more successfully achieved when handled locally. It is essential to find ways to disclose ISBNs on Testudo, without putting students in potentially adverse situations. Working out issues such as this on the campus allows us to ensure textbook policies are initiated exclusively to benefit students.
Working on the campus is the absolute best and most responsible way to make textbooks cheaper for students. The "I'd Rather Be Studying Campaign" has been working passionately on this issue, and I am working with it and the Student Government Association to initiate a plan where students, not bookstores, will receive all the money from buying and selling books. This isn't about playing politics; it's about doing what's in the best interest of students.
Andrew Friedson Director of governmental affairs Student Government Association
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