The Daily Egyptian is published by the students of SIU at Carbondale. Except during vacations and exam weeks,
The Daily Egyptian is published Monday through Friday during the fall and
spring semesters and TWThF during the summer semester."
For those ending their summer classes, it's the start of a very welcome break. But for those who have been off all summer from courses, the days, hours and minutes until the fall semester begins only slip faster and faster away.
And the University Bookstore is ready.
Brand new textbooks rest on the shelves; new t-shirts styles hang on the racks, and the 2003-2004 DawgBook is available.
General Merchandise Manager Sheila Edwards pointed to a shelf full of mini SIU Saluki football helmets.
"This is something that I think is really going to go good," she says.
The football helmets are among several new items that the University Bookstore has stocked for the fall. There are also decorative plush Saluki signs and plush key chains featuring different SIU sports balls, such as basketballs and baseballs. There are also new Auto Windshield Shades, new hat styles and new graphic tees.
The popular DawgBook came in early this year and costs $3.95. While the agenda page layout is slightly different, the coupons and extensive information included inside remain the same.
"People call, call and call, asking if we have it," Edwards said, "We usually sell out of them."
The range of possibility at the bookstore is wider than ever this year.
"It's getting better, there's more variety," says Stacy Gray, a senior and cashier at the bookstore. "They're getting more stuff that the students want, instead of just bringing in whatever they want."
Kristin Foreman, another cashier at the bookstore who is also a senior, agrees.
"There's a lot more clothes, backpacks and supplies," she said.
The girls listed several items that will make on-campus living easier for those in residence halls, such as ironing boards, soap, hair dye, detergent and shampoo.
Basic necessities are closer now than before.
"There's no need to go off campus if you don't have to," Foremann said.
Back in the textbook area, the bookstore staff is abundant and busy organizing for fall.
Tim Naumann, the new text manager of the store, is in the middle of the textbook action.
"We're getting in the fall books, big time," he said.
He said they have a lot of help trying to get the new and used books out as they're coming through.
"We're doing our best to make sure that all of the books that are needed are here," he said.
Naumann said that the only problem they've seen is that 18 percent of professors haven't responded in regards to whether or not they are using the same textbook again this year, despite a mid-April deadline.
This is an inconvenience to both the bookstore and the students.
It provides less time for Naumann to find the best deals on necessary texts when it comes to which retailers he orders from, which will inevitably affect how much students pay to rent and buy books.
It also places students at a disadvantage when it's time to purchase textbooks and the professor has not specified what they require for the course.
Still, for the most part, things are going well at the University Bookstore.
"We definitely have more books than we've ever had," Naumann said, "We're endeavoring to get more used books, either through buyback or used through wholesalers.
"It's a win-win situation for everybody that way."
