THEUWMPOST est. 1956
the student-run independent newspaper
Issue 3, Volume 57
September 17, 2012
Twenty-six student arrests in MPD’s Support your school
second East Side crackdown or save your wallet? The Post rides along with officers to evaluate “zero tolerance” initiative
Textbook prices higher than ever By Stephanie Schmidt Assistant News Editor news@uwmpost.com
A student gets cuffed and arrested for the second week in a row in MPD’s crackdown. Photo courtesy of Zak Wosewick By Caitlin PenzeyMoog News Editor news@uwmpost.com
Twenty-six students were arrested on Milwaukee’s East Side Friday night, the second week in a month-long push by police to curtail noise violations and
underage drinking in the surrounding campus neighborhoods. Forty people were arrested altogether in the bust, with 49 individual charges brought against them. The vast majority, 32, were for underage possession of alcohol. Individuals were also charged with excessive noise, disorderly
conduct, public drinking, obstruction of justice and vandalism. Another member of the UWM men’s basketball team, Mark J. Williams, senior, was arrested Friday. Last week, five members were arrested for charges ranging from underage possession to disorderly conduct.
Tuition and housing costs are not the only dollar figures steadily rising; the cost of textbooks continues to grow as well. Marc Sanders, the manager of the course book department at the UWM Bookstore, said textbook prices are “shocking.” “Textbooks have always been higher than what students would like them to be,” Sanders said. “Bottom line, if the book helps you pass the class, which helps you graduate and get a better job, then it’s worth it. If you don’t use the book, or graduate, then it probably is not.” College Board, a non-profit education advocacy group, puts out a yearly estimation of college costs. One study explores the books and supplies category. For the 2003/2004 academic year the College Board told students that their textbook budget should be $898; eight years later in 2011, the budget reads $1,168 for books and supplies. “Now though more than ever, when you buy a book, you are paying for more than just the book itself,” Sanders said. “It often comes with additional software… a CD, DVD or access code…. Also, especially for books adapted for the large lectures, publishers provide the instructors many free materials to help teach the course, including PowerPoints, instructors manuals, tests, etc. That all gets included in the price the publisher must charge for the book.” Sanders said that the UWM Bookstore took in $7 million during the 2010/2011 school year, a dollar figure that does not account for the hundreds of students who buy their books elsewhere, such as online or at used bookstores. UWM senior Jacqlyn Pellmann, an international studies major, bought the majority of her books through Amazon. “I still have to get two more [books], but so far I’ve spent a little under $500,” Pellmann said. “When I’m done I’ll be just over $600…[my books] would probably have been way more expensive if I
went to the bookstore.” Pellmann attended UW-Waukesha before coming to UWM and said that she spends more money now than she did then. “Every UW bookstore is different,” Sanders said. “There is no system coordination of the bookstores. We are owned and operated by UWM. Green Bay, Oshkosh both also operate their own store, as do some others. Other UW campuses have outsourced or privatized their bookstores to out of state chain stores such as Follett or Barnes & Noble. Waukesha and Parkside are examples of this.” Sanders said that some the perks to buying from the UWM bookstore are accuracy and convenience, even if it can be cheaper to buy online. “[It’s] supporting your school,” Sanders said. “When you purchase or rent books from us you can be assured it is the correct item your instructor requested. If for some reason it’s not, we will take it back. Even if it is correct, but you just decide you don’t need it we will take it back, no questions asked, during the first two weeks of class. The other reason is that we are owned and operated by UWM. We employ local people, mostly UWM students and alumni – like me. Any money the bookstore makes stays on campus.” The bookstore does have return policies though, which are handed out when students purchase their books. Shrinkwrapped books must still be shrinkwrapped and students need their receipts. According to CBS, America’s highest priced college textbook is the Acta Philosophorum, which costs $1,450. UWM’s most expensive book for the 2012/2013 school year costs less that a quarter of that at $332. The book in question is Echocardiography in Pediatric and Congenital Heart Disease, which is required for the Pediatric Echocardiography class. The least expensive book is a $0.65 pocket Constitution. “Fuck textbook prices,” UWM freshman Nastasia Ralien said. Ralien spent a total of $762.17 on her schoolbooks this semester.
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Dorm prices rise
By Justin Jabs Assistant News Editor news@uwmpost.com
The average price for a student to live in a UW-Milwaukee residence hall has increased by 7.5 percent from last year. Additionally, this is the first year in which freshmen are required to live on campus. To live in Sandburg Hall, RiverView, Cambridge Commons or Purin Hall for an academic year, the average cost
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is $5,928.30, an increase of $447.30 from the 2011-12 school year. The mean price of a meal plan has also increased by $84.33. These increases stem from decreased occupancy of various halls and rising operating costs for the department. “The overall expenses are only getting greater, and fewer people are carrying the weight,” University Housing Director Kelly Haag said. University Housing receives no money from tuition fees or the state of
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Text Books on The Rise
Decreased occupancy and rising operating costs contribute Wisconsin, said Haag, and is completely self-supported. Residence hall expenses are paid for through room rates. Total hall occupancy reached a low in the fall of 2010, when only 84 percent of the rooms were filled. Preliminary estimates for 2012 occupancy are at 93 percent, but are still below Haag’s goal, despite the freshman living requirement. The housing budget is put together assuming a five percent vacancy.
Infographic by Mark Glatzel
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