The Statesman Jan. 23, 2013

Page 1

Student volunteers in Tanzania read more, B4

THE STATESMAN

WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 23, 2013

UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA DULUTH

WWW.UMDSTATESMAN.COM

UMD revamps textbook rental options for students BY SHANNON KINLEY kinle005@d.umn.edu

Last semester, the UMD bookstore rented out four times as many books as it did spring semester of 2012—2,300 books to be exact. This jump in numbers can be attributed to UMD revamping its rental program. UMD Stores now partners with a new wholesale company and offers different prices and has other resources available for students who can’t find the titles they need at UMD Stores. “It is a great option for students to have,” Jeff Romano, Director of UMD Stores, said Romano thinks that their program is very comparable to other programs out there and better than some online rental companies. “Online renters are often more complex because they have multiple fees that come into play,” Romano said. Now when renting students get a 53 percent discount off of the new price of the book. It used to be that students would have to pay a rental fee and the price of the book upfront. “I think that was kind of scary for students,” Romano said. Romano believes another reason the rental program has become successful over the years is students are allowed to rent their books through the textbook reservation tool on UMD Stores website. Last semester UMD Stores had around 500 titles available for rent. This semester they will have around 250 titles available for rent. There are typically less titles available for rent during spring

UMD students pack the lower level bookstore to buy essential books and supplies on Jan. 22

semesters due to less courses being offered “We are limited to how many books our partner can give us,” Romano said. If students are not able to find the title they need they have the option to use a program called SKYO which can be found on the UMD Stores textbook website.

SKYO is an independent company and external partner to UMD Stores. “It has a lot of titles and is pretty comparable to our program. However when students rent from them it is under their own terms and conditions,” Romano said. Prices on SKYO vary based on the title and how long you need the

book. “A successful rental program requires dollars, commitment and space,” Romano said. “It is often hard to get faculty members to commit to using the same textbook for several semesters.” Senior Ben Byrne, communications major, says even though UMD’s program is probably com-

ALEX LEONE/STATESMAN

parable to other companies he wouldn’t recommend students rent textbooks from UMD Stores. “I haven’t really looked inti it to see if it is worth it or not, but I felt I was getting ripped off,” Byrne said. However, Byrne said that UMD Stores had the majority of titles he needed available for him to rent.

see TEXTBOOK, A3

Cricket makes Duluth feel more Fiscal cliff allows students to take like home advantage of many tax breaks

BY JOSH MACVEY macve004@d.umn.edu

Friday night. It’s the top of the first. No bases are loaded. In fact, there aren’t any. Indian native and UMD student Rohit Sharma steps up, bat in hand. The ball shoots through the air and it… it hits the ground? “Hey,” Sharma says with a smile. “It’s cricket.” Playwright Harold Pinter called cricket “better than sex,” and now it’s available in Duluth. Armed with bats, balls, wickets, and archrivalry, the UMD Cricket Club arrives at the University’s field house every Friday night to host the “gentleman’s game.” Crack!—Sharma smashes the ball clear across the field house. “It’s a sportsman’s mentality,” says Pranav Bhandari, President of both the club and UMD’s Pakistani Students Association. “For those of us who wouldn’t normally come together, this is a place for people to play even despite years of bad politics.”

see CRICKET, A3

BY GRAHAM HAKALA hakal045@d.umn.edu

DANIEL BADWHA/STATESMAN

Hammad Quddusi is blowing to a batsman on the striker end during a match on Nov.15, 2012.

College students and their families can continue to take advantage of certain tax incentives thanks to the deal struck in the wake of the “fiscal cliff” debates. These incentives are aimed at easing the financial burden brought on by the steep cost of higher education. Several tax credits and deductions affecting students were set to expire at the end of 2012 and have been extended and altered as a result of this legislation. “I already feel like I pay way too much for school,” said UMD senior Nahom Abegaze. “Financial aid is a great help, but I think (college) could be more reasonably priced.” With the new tax alteration President Obama and Congress

signed into legislation, financing college will now be a little easier for both students and parents. One of the biggest reliefs to students is the permanent extension of the Student Loan and Interest Deduction Act. With this act, student taxpayers can deduct up to $2,500 in interest off their student loans, either public or private. Parents of college students can also get some benefits with the American Opportunity Tax Credit. They will be able to claim more on their taxes and reduce their feral tax bill by up to $2,500. While this act has only been extended for the next five years, Congress is considering making it permanent as well. The Tuition and Fees Deduction has been extended through to the end of the 2013 tax year.

see FISCAL CLIFF, A3

-Locally made glass pipes and art -138 flavors of shisha 30 West First st. INDEX:

News: A1 - A4 |

Opinion: A5 - A6 | Sports: B1 - B2 | Outdoors: B3 | Student Life: B4 - B5


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