2008 Woodie Awards
Students plan to launch site for textbook sales
Mike Baldwin
Issue: 5/21/08 Section: News
"We wanted to open a source to buy a cheap textbook and get it today," said Cook.
One of the underlying reasons students seem to choose the bookstore to buy and sell books is a matter of convenience. Book lists for classes are usually not released, due to a number of factors, until a couple of weeks before the quarter starts. And students always have the assurance that they can sell their books back to the university, albeit at a largely reduced price.
Larios admitted that the process of buying and selling books on campuslinkup.com will not be a perfect art, due to changing course lists and new editions of textbooks, but said everything has been done to ensure the site moves as smoothly as possible.
"It gets to a point where you can't guarantee perfection," said Larios.
While the site will open strictly as a resource for Seattle U students, the group hopes to expand the site to other area schools with the hope of one day going national. The group intends to establish a reputation at Seattle U by connecting with different clubs on campus.
Mejia, a former resident assistant, is in talks with different residence halls on campus to co-host events using the campuslinkup.com name. And Cook hopes to eventually be able to set up a scholarship fund using profits from the Web site.
One primary concern over the launching of the site is how the university will respond to a student-run site that could potentially hurt the bottom line of the university bookstore.
But, Cook maintains that is not the goal of the site, arguing that other sites already exist for students to buy and sell books.
"We're not really selling anything," said Cook. "This is just a convenient resource for students."
The group has already set up its first advertising contract with a local Laundromat and hopes to gain more advertising revenue once the site launches. The group anticipates updating the site continuously and encourages students to send e-mails with any kind of feedback.
One of the underlying reasons students seem to choose the bookstore to buy and sell books is a matter of convenience. Book lists for classes are usually not released, due to a number of factors, until a couple of weeks before the quarter starts. And students always have the assurance that they can sell their books back to the university, albeit at a largely reduced price.
Larios admitted that the process of buying and selling books on campuslinkup.com will not be a perfect art, due to changing course lists and new editions of textbooks, but said everything has been done to ensure the site moves as smoothly as possible.
"It gets to a point where you can't guarantee perfection," said Larios.
While the site will open strictly as a resource for Seattle U students, the group hopes to expand the site to other area schools with the hope of one day going national. The group intends to establish a reputation at Seattle U by connecting with different clubs on campus.
Mejia, a former resident assistant, is in talks with different residence halls on campus to co-host events using the campuslinkup.com name. And Cook hopes to eventually be able to set up a scholarship fund using profits from the Web site.
One primary concern over the launching of the site is how the university will respond to a student-run site that could potentially hurt the bottom line of the university bookstore.
But, Cook maintains that is not the goal of the site, arguing that other sites already exist for students to buy and sell books.
"We're not really selling anything," said Cook. "This is just a convenient resource for students."
The group has already set up its first advertising contract with a local Laundromat and hopes to gain more advertising revenue once the site launches. The group anticipates updating the site continuously and encourages students to send e-mails with any kind of feedback.
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