September 22, 2011
Volume 80 No. 5
www.FlorAla.net
Student newspaper of the University of North Alabama
Students seek lower prices for textbooks 2W[P ;SIOO[
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@UNAFlorAla @FlorAlaSports
A LOOK INSIDE
See page 2 Sodexo adds Einstein Bros. Bagels to their food options available to students.
According to recent research by the U.S. Public Interest Research Group, seven out of 10 of 1,905 undergraduates have gone without textbooks to save money while in school. The study also stated that textbook prices have risen 22 percent in the last four years. Recently, a UNA student was arrested on assault charges at the Off-Campus Bookstore on Court Street after he allegedly struck the bookstore manager. Textbook prices have been on
the rise as of late, and vary in price from vendor to vendor. Students like UNA senior Lauren Davis don’t buy many of their textbooks in order to save money. “One, they are too expensive,” she said. “Two, if it doesn’t pertain to my future career, why should I keep it? Three, what’s the point of buying it, when in a few years there will be a new edition?” Buying books early in the semester is sometimes not an option, she said. “I wait on my refund check, because I can’t afford it until the refund check comes.” Davis said.
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photo by Darrick Dawkins
Bianca Hernandez buys a book with the help of Alyssa Parker.
Getting back to normal
Cale: Economy could play role in lower enrollment 2WZLIV *ZILTMa
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See page 3 UNA routes nighttime shuttle buses to downtown businesses.
See page 5 Free breakfast from Einstein Bros. Bagels caused a student sleepover Tuesday.
photo by Darrick Dawkins
Bobby Schiavi (above) walks through the tornado-damaged parts of Harvest five months after the storms.
Students reflect on recovery since April tornadoes 4]Ka *MZZa
See page 8 A look at UNA student Kaylie Watts. Check out the profile.
See page 9 Lions prepare to avenge last season’s loss to Harding, but this time it’s during homecoming.
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“I couldn’t believe it,” she said. “I kept thinking it’s not really happening. You always think some-
Five months after a devastating tornado ripped through Hackleburg, UNA student Sarah Paige Holmes still considers the storm-ravaged town her home. The tornado outbreak, which tore through several parts of north Alabama, was the most destructive storm Holmes had ever encountered. She and her family had not been in their storm shelter for 12 minutes when the tornado struck and wiped away her apartment complex. Holmes and her family felt a sense of shock and grief when they stepped out of the storm cellar to see the home they once loved and shared lie in rubble on the ground, she said.
President Bill Cale, Sarah Paige Holmes and John Thornell.
photo by Shannon Wells
thing like that would never happen to you.” Holmes and her family gathered personal items, such as clothes, electronics and photos, from what was left of their home the night of the storm and temporarily relocated to Brilliant, about 30 miles from
Hackleburg. Adjusting to life at UNA since the storm has been positive for Holmes, who transferred from Bevill State Community College to the university this fall. Holmes said it had always been her plan to attend UNA this year, and the fact that she is able to live in Florence now provides extra relief from the devastation she experienced months ago. “I love it up here,” she said. “It’s a great atmosphere, and it’s actually kind of helped me because I don’t have to sit in (Hackleburg) every day.” In August, UNA secured a $15,000 grant through the Disaster Relief Fund for Postsecondary Education Students, which is an integral part of the Caring for the Pride fund.
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After three years of single digit fluctuations, UNA’s fall semester enrollment has dropped by nearly 100 students, according to the Registrar’s Office. Both undergraduate and graduate enrollment dropped from the 2010 fall semester to the current semester, but despite the drop, UNA President William Cale believes the university is still doing well. “UNA managed well,” he said. “We didn’t have to lay off anyone. Though, one of reasons we managed so well was because of a raise in tuition.” Over the summer term, the board of trustees voted to increase overall student tuition by 10.3 percent, or $19 per credit hour, to help in part pay for faculty and staff. UNA overall enrollment, which was at 7,279 students in fall 2010, dropped to 7,182 students this semester, with undergraduate enrollment dropping from 6,231 students to 6,185 students and graduate enrollmen dropping from 1,048 students to 997 students, according to the Registrar’s Office. The number of new freshmen attending UNA also dropped from 980 students last fall semester to 891 students. There are several ways to explain why student enrollment dropped, Cale said, but his main focus was on the economy and the effect it has on students seeking a degree. “Just by looking at the aggregate numbers, economy plays the major part in it,” Cale said. Despite the state of the economy, other colleges in the state have been able to not only increase their enrollment numbers, but readily thrive in
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