Students and club representatives had the ear of the Student Association in an open forum this past Wednesday - concerns over the general welfare and status of the university, citing concerns over the rising prices of textbooks and the safety lighting on North and South Campus were all raised by over 50 people in attendance.
Shannon Palermo, assistant director of academic affairs, said that efforts are being made to address the issue of textbook costs.
"The Academic Affairs Committee is working on the cost of textbooks," Palermo said. "We are researching the costs of books by looking at prices from Half.com and Amazon.com, and then comparing those prices to the University Bookstore."
Comparing average prices is only the beginning, she said. As soon as research is finished, a resolution will be written, describing what must be done to curtail rising costs.
The committee has also come up with other interim solutions to the problem, such as eradicating book bundling.
"Book bundling is when you have to buy a package of five books and notebooks in order to get the one you want," said SUNY SA delegate Rob Mercurio. "You have to pay an exorbitant amount when you only need one book. If students just want to buy that book, they should have the right."
Public safety on campus was also addressed. A question came from the crowd if UB was taking any measure to deter rape and other violent crime.
Nick Dellaneve, SA student assembly chair, explained some of the ways in which the university is attempting to increase campus safety.
"A resolution was passed last year at the end of the spring semester for more blue lights and lighting," he said, referring to the blue-light emergency phones seen on campus. "We highlighted specific spots, mainly around South Campus."
According to Dellaneve, these changes should be completed by 2008.
"I believe the administration got the message and plans on putting up the lights in the next two years," he said. "The majority of the committee noticed lighting was a problem, and we tried to push the administration to take action. When it is a matter of public safety, it is a priority for everyone."
According to Aparna Rawal, director of SA student affairs, having a communication link between student government and students is especially important on a campus as large as UB.
"So many things happen on campus. That is why we have a focus group - there are issues we wouldn't know about," she said. "SA is trying to interact with the student body - we want feedback."
Rawal also said that open-forum focus groups would continue to be held periodically, with the next one set for Nov. 29, at 6 p.m. in the Student Union.
Those that cannot make it still will have a chance to "speak up", however.
"There is a message board on the SA website for students who don't want to come down in person to post questions and inquiries," she said. "If we know about your problem, we can work on it."
Photo: Courtesy of Laron Fomby
