Letter to the Editor: Privatizing the bookstore would be disastrous
The university is looking to sell the University of Calgary bookstore to Follett, an American corporation worth $2.7 billion. Bringing in a private corporation to sell textbooks to students would be kneecapping the student body at its most vulnerable during a pandemic, a recession and yearly tuition hikes.
Currently, textbooks are sold to students as close to at-cost as possible, keeping prices affordable. However, we all know that textbooks are still unaffordable, which is why the bookstore has three cost-saving programs the Book Loan program, the Sponsored Students program and the Textbook Rental program.
Despite challenging conditions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, eight international exchange students joined the UA community this semester.
Some of the students were planning to study abroad at the UofA in Fall 2020 when the pandemic broke out last March. Since then, they have battled visa appointment cancellations, rescheduled flights, delayed program starts and uncertain circumstances at the UofA before arriving in January.
The pandemic forced the closure of U.S. embassies worldwide, leaving students unable to receive the J-1 visa they needed to travel abroad. Some program advisors adapted to the uncertainty, postponing the studentsâ time abroad until the spring.