An argument for the more staid and aggravating traditions at Camosun College could be this: “We’ve always done it this way! A curse on all creative solutions!” There are inexplicable oversights not tied to higher costs, like (finally) moving the smokers further out, or not addressing the very real health issue of perfume-overdosed students in the classroom.
One of my top three pet peeves in attending this normally phenomenal institution is the first week of each semester’s access to textbooks. Every semester it’s the same nonsense, although September wins as worst host in the “welcome back” department. The college stuck in a weeklong waste of time that affects everyone, not just the students.
The entire process is initially complicated by student loan money only available on the first day. Issuing those funds sooner, one can assume, is impossible, as the government’s inability to break from reliance on bureaucratic traditions is legend. But could Camosun not issue pre-semester credit through the bookstore in lieu of loans? Or offer a more comprehensive rental or online textbook option? And, come on: let us pay less for just the online access code; we don’t need the paper book.
As a student with an invisible disability, the lineup at the bookstore is a huge issue for me. I’m unable to stand for long periods of time. For the last three semesters I’ve (mostly) avoided this painful barrier by finding cheaper options online. So, instead, I get to bus around town to find the books, wasting time in a process that can take a couple of weeks to find a cheap book in good shape.
And I’ve learned to target the bookstore early in the morning (whether I have to be on campus or not) to get at things like course packs and locker rentals.
I didn’t think it could get worse. Here’s the latest agonizing textbook twist: the last three courses I’ve taken signalled certain textbooks were needed. I manage to purchase them, under the previously mentioned conditions, only to get to class and not need them. The material was covered in lectures, projects, and presentations, and by going online for answers.
Returning the textbook only works if you’ve bought the stupid thing from the bookstore. So when I can, I return the book. At least I get to commiserate with bookstore staff when they express irritation over the trouble this causes them in ordering books, only to have to reverse the whole process.
I am confident that someday these glitches will get worked out. In the meantime, maybe we could afford a row of chairs for that bookstore lineup by next September?
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