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The bidding period for a new contract to run the University Book Center ended in late January, but most students were not given a chance to weigh in on the issue until yesterday, angering student activists.
However, administrators assured students the new contract would have provisions that could lower the cost of textbooks, including the possibility of creating a student-run textbook co-op.
An open forum about the Book Center's operation was held yesterday, but during the bidding process, Stamp Student Union administrators only held focus groups with members of the Student Government Association, Graduate Student Government and the Stamp Advisory Board - not with general members of the student body.
"We're disappointed we couldn't have a serious dialogue before the bidding period was over," said Bob Hayes, a sophomore mechanical engineering major and member of the College Park Students for a Democratic Society.
Stephen Gnadt, the associate director of Stamp, said administrators could have done more to solicit student opinions.
"We relied too much on [those student groups' input] and not enough on general student input," he said. "We understand there are still concerns out there and ... we need to made sure we're as transparent as possible so students can give their input."
During the forum, a group of about 30 students gathered to fire questions at Gnadt and Stamp Director Gretchen Metzelaars. With the students sitting at tables surrounding Gnadt and Metzelaars, the forum occasionally resembled an inquisition.
Hayes, who is also a university senator, said the forum should have been better publicized and held earlier.
"We understand that the Stamp administrators don't have to consult us on every issue, but an issue of this magnitude should be publicized," he said.
He also said the absence of SGA President Jonathan Sachs was disappointing and that it reflects the poor handling of the situation by the SGA as a whole.
Sachs, reached later, disputed Hayes' comments.
"That notion is just foolish. Does this guy really believe that the SGA is not already a part of the process because I had a scheduling conflict?" he said. "I have been and will continue to be engaged in an ongoing dialogue with the Union about the bookstore."
During the forum, Sachs was working as part of a committee to select a new vice president for administrative affairs and later went to a discussion in Upper Marlboro about education and the economy hosted by Gov. Martin O'Malley (D).
Tad Greenleaf, a senior government and politics and economics major, said there should have been more publicity about the Book Center's contract renewal so that there could be more student involvement, but all of the blame didn't lie with administrators.
"The street goes both ways," he said. "Should we [as students] have been more conscious of this and investigated our options? Perhaps we should have."
Gnadt agreed and pointed out that during negotiations for the last contract, which ends in May, students and administrators didn't ask for a voice in the process.
The new contract will include a provision for a nonprofit student-run textbook co-op, rules about how high book prices can be marked up, the creation of a textbook advisory board that will include students and faculty and a requirement for the company to continue to post ISBNs early.
Jim Osteen, an assistant vice president for student affairs, said the contract will take into account the pool of used textbooks the company that manages the Book Center has access to.
"Big companies, like Barnes & Noble, will get [used books] wherever they can," he said. "If they need to get more, they have the ability to do so. That's a critical issue."
Metzelaars also said a big store like Barnes & Noble gives students greater access to used books, and they are more likely to carry the more obscure books that places like BookHolders and the Maryland Book Exchange often don't have.
She said she and Gnadt are more than willing to listen to what students have to say about the issue and that she wants to keep the line of communication open. She even scheduled another open forum on the subject in two weeks.
"Gretchen and I have always taken an open-door policy," Gnadt added.
Staff writer Derby Cox contributed to this report. russelldbk@gmail.com, langdbk@gmail.com
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