Salmon Arm’s Roots and Blues festival
The Omega Thompson Rivers University’s Independent Student Newspaper
News Page 1
Editorial & Opinion Page 3
Pg. 4
Volume 23, Issue 1 September 4, 2013
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Life & Community Page 2
Arts & Entertainment
Sports
Pages 4-5
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Textbook costs can add up, but students have options Karla Karcioglu Ω Roving Editor
Sukh Matonovich, Carlee Poleschuk, Kristen Hamilton, Dixie Smeeton and Nic Zdunich (left to right) are ready to serve students in a variety of ways. Find the help desk at the base of the stairs in Old Main by the registrar’s office. (Karla Karcioglu/ The Omega)
As the fall semester begins and students mind their pocketbooks, they should keep in mind the various ways money can be saved on required reading for the year. Glenn Read, TRU’s bookstore manager, said the bookstore does their very best to provide TRU students with affordable options by bringing in as many used textbooks as possible, offering a rental program, a digital
textbook option and by providing a textbook buyback program. “I do believe prices are high,” said Read, stating that prices are controlled by the publisher and the bookstore has a modest markup to cover costs. “Sometimes the bookstore is quite reasonable,” said Larissa Pepper, a fourth year business student, adding “If you’re looking to save, do some research.”
See E-BOOKS, Pg.
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Students Corner desk ready to serve you in Old Main Karla Karcioglu Ω Roving Editor Old Main has a new desk to lean on. Students Corner, a student-run part of the Centre for Student Engagement and Learning Innovation, opened this summer. The goal of the desk is to provide a visible place for domestic, aboriginal and international students to come and seek help with anything they need, according to Sukh Matonovich, manager of student retention and engagement at TRU. “Most often places are hidden behind closed doors,” Matonovich said, “We wanted to create a space that was approachable.” The corner is a collaborative effort between staff and students to provide a peer-to-peer resource where students can get direct guidance for any of their questions. “The cool thing about Students Corner is it’s kind of like a centralized hub where you can get help on anything you want,” said Nic Zdunich, a summer coop student in TRU’s Bachelor of Business program. Students Corner is a place to help students find the right resources on campus to answer their questions
by making phone calls, finding out the necessary information, and even walking them over to where they need to be, Matonovich said. “We’re here to help and we’re here to answer questions,” said Kristen Hamilton, full-time staff member at the Centre for Student Engagement. “If we don’t know the answer we will get them that answer. Students are not turned
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providing a resource to help ease the transition to post-secondary for new students. She added that she’s especially excited to see the student orientation program grow from a one day program to a summer long support program. “It’s something students wanted, something they felt they needed and we heard their voices,” Matonovich said.
We wanted to create a space that was approachable.” —Sukh Matonovich
Manager, Student Retention and Engagement
away here, they leave with the help they need.” One of the centre’s successful programs is the timetable support lab, where volunteers are trained to help students navigate the website and plan out their courses. Matonovich said a big part of the Centre for Student Engagement and Learning Innovation is
“It’s the vision of the students, and it can’t fail because it’s what students are looking for,” she added. “My vision for what the centre is has all come from students.”
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Costs for textbooks, like the books themselves over the years, can really stack up. Do your research to find the best deals. Oh, and find out if you actually need the book before you buy it.
(Karla Karcioglu/ The Omega)