The state of Florida: threat or menace? Even more La Voz satire in Opinion and Forum| PAGE
La Voz Weekly THE VOICE OF DE ANZA Vol. 41, Issue 25
May 19, 2008
The Week Ahead
Asian Americans in the Media Journalist/writer Andrew Lam will speak on significant Asian American issues and East/West relations. Monday, May 19, 1:30 to 3 p.m., in Campus Center Rooms A&B
Student Athlete Recognition Ice cream, cookies and drinks will be provided a the student athlete recognition program. Wednesday, May 21, 1:30 to 3 p.m, in Campus Center Room B
‘Dream of Doubt’ Screening This film follows post-9/11 hate crimes against Sikh immigrant communities. It will be followed by a moderated panel discussion. Wednesday, May 21, 1:30 to 3 p.m., in MCC 116
‘Mechina: A Preparation’ Screening This documentary by a Duke alumna shows six Israelis preparing for enlistment in the IDF. It will be followed by a discussion with the producer. Wednesday, May 21, 4 p.m., in the Campus Center Don Bautista Room
Express Art Contest for HIV/AIDS Awareness The winners of a performance art contest perform as part of national Asian & Pacific Islander HIV/AIDS Awareness Day. Thursday, May 22, 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., on the Main Quad stage
Find a complete list of campus events on PAGE 2
INDEX
Campus Snapshot...............p3 Meeting Notes...................p3 Campus News....................p4 Economics for Everyone.......p5 Features........................p6 Editorial........................p7 Sports.........................p8 La Voz Weekly is a first amendment newspaper, produced by students for the campus community of De Anza College. La Voz Weekly is printed on recycled paper.
7
“Onomatopoeia!” Graduation Days De Anza literary festival draws in renowned
poets, excited students and faculty| PAGE
5
De Anza administrators urge students planning on transferring to get their associates’ degrees and graduate along the way | PAGE
4
Will students pass the buck? De Anza weighs election ballot initiative to provide free VTA transportation, results this Wednesday Stacy Lane LA VOZ NEWS
In an effort to help reduce student expenses and curb global warming, the De Anza Associated Student Body Senate has proposed an initiative to provide every full-time student with an Eco Pass, a special Valley Transportation Authority Pass that allows unlimited use of VTA buses and light rail. The initiative was placed on last week’s DASB election ballot for the approval of full-time students, who would see a $5 increase in their registration fees should the initiative pass. The results of the election are expected this Wednesday. A similar system is already in place at San Jose State University, and students there say they find it to be useful. “I love it,” says Grace Rosenthal, a student at SJSU. “I just sit back on the
DE ANZA VOICES:
What do you think of the Eco Pass? Compiled by Nitzan Beck/la voz
way to school, and I don’ t have to pay for gas.” The upcoming vote seeks approval from students to implement the fee, and does not actually ensure that the Eco Pass will take effect.
“We have negotiated with VTA, but they are reluctant to give the pass to part-time students.” Yujin Yoshimura, DASB Senator
Students voted on the initiative during this election because the senate wants to implement the Eco Pass system as soon as possible, and wants to avoid having to wait until next year’s elections to hold a student plebiscite. SEE “ECO PASS” PAGE 4
Photo illustration by josh bays/la voz
A possible version of the Eco Pass on a DASB card, similar to the version used on student IDs at SJSU.
“It’s definitely a good thing. I live fairly close and it‘ll give me the option to take the bus instead of driving.”
“For just $5 you can use the bus and the light rail. That’s like one stop at Starbucks.”
“I take the bus home once a week. [With] light rail that’s already $180 per quarter.”
Peter Guidotti, massage therapy major
Oliver Seet, computer science major
Khang Nguyen, biochemistry major
Coming soon: Rent your textbooks In yet another effort at De Anza to combat rising prices, bookstore pursues textbook rental program Daniel Gamberg LA VOZ NEWS
To address the soaring cost of textbooks, the De Anza College bookstore will launch a pilot textbook rental program this fall, where students can rent a textbook for a fraction of the retail price. “Our purpose here is to serve the students,” said bookstore director Jeri Montgomery. Bookstore administrators are currently searching for the best rental system to implement at De Anza. One possible system is the Affiliate Program offered by online textbook rental service Chegg. In this program, the bookstore would receive a 10 to 12 percent commission on each student purchase. Bookstore administrators me with Chegg representatives last week, but have not yet finalized any deals. The company hosting the retail program currently in place at the bookstore, Missouri Book Services, is offering the school an alternative rental system using a software module. The module allows the store to catalog, finance and distribute books to students. In order for any such program to succeed, faculty members must be willing to commit to using the same textbook for a minimum of
two years so that the bookstore is not stuck with textbooks it doesn’t need. In addition, the bookstore still needs to break even in terms of profit and expense and the rental program might stand in the way of that, bookstore officials said. Last winter, the bookstore’s expenses were greater than its revenues, resulting in a 10.4 percent loss that must be recouped through future sales. A number of options are available for funding textbook rental programs and lowering overall textbook costs. The San Mateo County Community College District has utilized state and federal grants to develop their nationally distinguished program. The De Anza bookstore has networked with the California State University, Fullerton to learn more about their textbook rental program. CSUF uses a depreciating cost system to recover funds over a number of years, whereas SMCCCD purchases its textbooks with grants, funds and fundraisers and doesn’t have to recover costs over long periods of time. There are also a number of risks associated with establishing a textbook rental program. Determining prices that would be reasonable to students and creating an effective returns contract are
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essential to maintaining revenue. “The number of students that don’t return books [is] a huge problem,” said Tom Bauer, director of auxiliary services for SMCCCD. SMCCCD has implemented a number of policies to prevent student textbook theft, including the freezing of student accounts and the withholding of transcripts, and is debating whether to prevent students who owe more than $250 from registering for classes, said Bauer. From July 2005 to Jan. 2008, SMCCCD students saved $707,482.53 by participating its bookstore’s textbook rental program. “This is the first place I’ve worked where the students actually really like the bookstore,” Bauer said. “And that’s kind of a cool thing.” According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, college textbook prices have nearly doubled since 1986, and are continuing to spiral upward. Colleges around the country are looking to alternatives to printed textbooks, such as opensource online e-books (see La Voz Weekly 5/12). Daniel Gamberg is assistant copy editor for La Voz. Contact him at danielgamberg@lavozdeanza.com
BY THE NUMBERS
10.4% Net loss in revenue the campus bookstore yielded last winter
$886 Average dollars spent by two year college students for textbooks, according to a 2005 Government Accountability office report
2x The price increase in textbooks, as compared to the rate of inflation, from 1986 to 2004
707+ Dollar amount, in thousands, that San Mateo Community College students have saved by using a textbook rental program from July 2005 to January 2008
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