Students opting to use other sources to purchase books

For many students at Southern University, buying books for class is a necessary yet costly burden that is often expensive to bear.
“The bookstore prices are ridiculous,” said Denetra Griffin, a sophomore animal science major from Tallulah. “I think they should have stipulations on how much they can charge because they are taking advantage of us as college students.”
Considering the fact Southern, unlike most universities, does not have a voucher system that would allow students to purchase their books before receiving their refund checks, most students are forced to wait weeks before they have the funds to purchase books.
As a result, some students are opting to save money by purchasing their books from sources other than the university bookstore.
“Because of the bookstore prices, I buy my books from the Internet to save money,” said Lafondria Carson, a senior microbiology major from Monroe.
Many students have opted to rent books or buy them from the Internet. In fact, students have now become businessmen and women buy buying books on the Internet and once the semester is over, selling them back to the bookstore as a new book, allowing the student to receive more money.
However, sometimes one can run into trouble when searching for books that are made particularly for the university. Many departments on campus have special books for Southern University students. These books are fairly different from other books made by the manufacturer.
Books that are made for the university may include the history of the university, glossaries and even sample essays of students.
In contrast, passing a class without a Southern University special edition is possible but according to policy, the university bookstore will not buy back a book that is not the Southern University edition.