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THE
Clarion Call CLARION UNIVERSITY’S STUDENT NEWSPAPER SINCE 1913
FEBRUARY 28, 2013
VOL. 99 ED. 16
Community store “Book Nook” closes on Main Mark Emch MANAGING EDITOR
CLARION, Pa. After 37 years of business, the Book Nook bookstore closed its doors for good Feb. 28. Located on Main Street, merely a few blocks from campus, Book Nook offered a diverse collection of reading material, including magazines, classic novels and children’s’ literature. Owner Matt Elliston set up shop in 1975, around the time other notable businesses, such as Bob’s Subs, sprang up along Main Street. “Book Nook was the place to go if you wanted to find a book or magazine to read for pleasure,” said Clarion University junior Andrew Waugaman. “They had stuff you couldn’t find at Walmart or the university’s bookstore.” Bookstore closings have become a regrettable trend over the past decade. In 1997, there were 12,363 book stores open across the nation. Today, about 10,800
Nicole Caratelli / The Clarion Call
The Book Nook displays “Going out of business” signs. Located on Main Street since 1975, Book Nook closes Feb 28. remain open, a 12.2 percent drop. “Electronic media has cut into store profit everywhere,” said Elliston. “Amazon is the main culprit, followed by the Kindle and the iPad.” Amazon.com, the eighth most visited website on the internet, has
cut a considerable slice out of the profit formerly collected by independent and chain bookstores. The site boasts a nearendless supply of novels and magazines that are often offered at a lower price than retailers are able to provide. E-books (electronic
books) have soared in terms of popularity over the past decade, thanks mostly to the arrival of such multiuse gadgets as Amazon’s Kindle and Apple’s iPad that allow for easy accessibility to websites and online stores that offer e-books at prices lower than their printed counterparts.
In 2011 alone, e-book sales reached $3.2 billion, and that number is expected to grow to $10 billion in the next few years. Independent stores such as Book Nook aren’t the only ones hurting from the growth of the e-book market. Chain retailers such as Waldenbooks and Bor-
ders, who once dominated the market, have been forced to shut down in recent years due to a stark drop in profit. “There are famous bookstores in good locations like New York City and San Francisco where you know there is a reading public that has been around for many years, and they have all gone out of business,” said Elliston. Barnes and Noble has thus far succeeded in weathering the storm, due to its willingness to invest in the e-book market. The company began manufacturing its own e-book reader, the Nook, in 2009. Its sales now account for 27 percent of the ebook market. “It’s a shame to see the Book Nook leave after all this time,” said Clarion alumni Phillip Hoffman. “I for one prefer to buy my books from an actual store as opposed to online. It’s a darn shame that the rise of a new technology has to put these kinds of places out of business,” Hoffman said.
Clarion University begins brand marketing initiative Alizah Thornton NEWS EDITOR
CLARION, Pa. - Clarion University is working on creating a new website to use as its primary marketing tool to recruit new students. “That’s priority No. 1,” David Love, Clarion University’s director of marketing and communication, said. The university plans to launch the site by fall 2014; however, the date launch date is not finalized.
The website will be geared toward four categories of students. Traditional-age students, or students just out of high school, adult learners, transfer students and military students, whether Veterans or active-duty, are the four groups. “Our research shows people identify with one of these groups,” Love said. “We need to have a different presentation for each group.”
The universit y hopes to create a website that tailors to the needs of the students in each group. For example, adult learners may not be interested in housing preferences, but may be interested in services that can help them transition into a school environment if they have been away for a period of years. See Marketing on page 2.
Student Senate recommends activity fee increase, RSOs and RUOs budget decrease Rhanisha Tillman-Hill STAFF WRITER
CLARION, Pa. - Student Senate voted to recommend an increase of the student activity fee by $40 and an decrease of Recognized Student Organization and Recognized University Organization’s budgets by 9 percent in the 2013-2014 school year. The recommendation will be sent to the Clarion Student Association before being sent to President Karen Whitney for final approval. Shelly Wilson, student senate adviser and business manager, said that there is a 20 percent variance in the budget that was approved last year,
and without increases in the student activities fee, RSO and RUO budgets will face greater cuts in the upcoming school year. The increase in the student activities fee will make Clarion University the seventh lowest student activities fee compared with the other Pennsylvania 13-stateowned universities. Wilson said that some universities charge the maximum fee to students taking nine credits; however, at Clarion, students are charged the maximum fee for taking 12 credits. Senators shared their suggestion on the budget situation. Sen. Gregory Jacobs proposed a system similar to
systems used in other state schools in Pennsylvania. The system, he described, used by Slippery Rock University, would allow students to choose the organizations their student activity fees go to. The opposition to his proposal was that if students chose based on their interest, it would exclude less popular organizations. Some organizations need funds to operate despite their popularity among students. Sen. Jessie Snyder said he felt that the discussion on the budget situation should have happened months ago in order to effectively plan. “No matter which way you cut it, I think we
are just a day late and a couple thousand dollars short,” Synder said. He said he feels that the amount of students who attend programs sponsored by larger organizations should be considered in order to plan better for next year. Harry Tripp the faculty adviser for the Student Senate, said that when creating budgets the CSAs purpose and goals, for the money, should be reviewed in order to allocate appropriately. Tripp said he thinks that the exposure to processes of governing and voting is an area of high impact practice that all students should experience while they are at Clarion. Budgeting issues were
experienced last year, so Tripp said he feels that “forward year and multiyear looking” needs to take place in order to plan effectively. With the university facing a 20 percent reduction across the board for organizations, two budgets should be made for each student and university organizations, Tripp said. The final budget for the organizations would be contingent upon the enrollment remaining steady or decreasing in the upcoming school year. Treasurer Kayla Lavery said that budget proposal will be looked at line-by-line this year to modify the budgets as much as possible. Roundtables were held Feb. 26 and 27 and
THIS WEEK’S EDITION
Inside
INDEX
Paul Woodburne presents on financial literacy. FEATURES PAGE 5
Preview for “Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson” play. ENTERTAINMENT PAGE 9
Spring baseball preview. SPORTS PAGE 12
News Opinion Features Classifieds Puzzles & Comics Arts & Entertainment Sports Standings
RSOs and RUOs budgets are being reviewed for the coming year. Student Trustee Darrin Young attended the Board of Trustees meeting last Thursday, Feb. 21 and reported that best case scenario is that enrollment will remain steady, and the retention rate has risen 1 percent from the last semester to this semester. Sen. Moyo Wills was appointed to Student Senate’s vacant chair after returning from serving in the military. Parliamentarian Jeff Donor reported that the Clarion Borough council meeting will be March 5 Interhall Council reported that it is looking to fill two vacancies on the executive board.
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