With the spring Text Book Swap in the past, the Associated Students of Madison’s Academic Affairs is working to increase its efficiency through increases in security and new technology.
According to Academic Affairs Chair Jonah Zinn, 400 students participated in the spring Text Book Swap — approximately 1 percent of the University of Wisconsin student population.
Because students pay with cash, Zinn said it is dangerous to have so much money lying around during the swap.
In the past Text Book Swaps, a police officer has escorted ASM Text Book Swap volunteers with the cash box back after leaving, but there has never been security at the Text Book Swap.
“What we’d like ideally is a cop. We just really want someone with a presence,” Zinn said, who estimates hiring security for the Text Book Swap would be costly.
There have not been issues with security in the past, save a few books that have been unaccounted for.
Student Service Finance Committee Chair Brandon Williams said that as the 2010-11 ASM budget stands, Academic Affairs has included no increases for security.
Williams also added that the majority of Academic Affairs’ annual budgeted funds — $500 in total — was spent on pizza given to volunteers during the fall semester book swap.
For the 2010-11 budget, Williams said Academic Affairs asked for an increase in technological equipment, including a printer for labels on the books.
Other technological improvements to the textbook swap include Academic Affairs member TJ Madsen’s newly designed software which will improve the efficiency.
The swap, formerly what Zinn called a “logistical nightmare,” now uses software which tracks how many textbooks come through and also serves as a check out system.
He added the spring Text Book Swap faces difficulties in staffing because of the scheduling of winter break, and the fall Text Book Swap has almost doubled in attendance.
The software has brought organization to the swap, which formerly wasn’t there, and decreased the need for volunteers.
When the software was integrated, the number of volunteers needed to run the swap dropped from approximately 80 in the fall to 30 in the spring, according to Zinn.
The ASM Text Book Swap is a step towards combating what Zinn refers to as the “text book problem”.
In a survey conducted by ASM in Oct. 2009, UW students were asked if they had ever refrained from buying textbooks because of price and 48 percent said they had.
“If you’re a professor and half the students do not have the required readings, it affects the amount of students who can learn,” Zinn said.
In the past, the Text Book Swap has been held the weekend before classes start. In the fall, students are on campus much earlier before commencement than they are in for the spring semester.
This means students arriving on campus later for the spring semester are detrimental to attendance, Zinn said.
Chalking is one of the primary ways the Text Book Swap is advertised in the fall but not for the spring semester, as Zinn said it’s hard to chalk sidewalks because of the snow.
