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VSU’s financial aid pays for book

VSU Day 1 textbook savings program seeks to help students pay for their course materials at lower rates through the bookstore by automatically charging students with the lowest prices by the publishers, according to the auxiliary services.
Professors have the option of offering this program to their classes, allowing students to purchase the required texts using their financial aid. The program cannot be accessed unless the class offers it.

Lynn Darsey, assistant director of operations and auxiliary services said the auxiliary services plan to get more of the campus involved.
“We are constantly working with faculty to add the Day 1 program to classes where the program produces benefits for students,” Darsey said.

If a VSU student has a class registered to the Day 1 program they will automatically be charged for their course materials. Students may opt-out of this registration by finding a link in their “welcome email”. Students are only able to opt-out during the Drop/Add period.

Some VSU students are concerned about the automatic charge and believe it is not financially beneficial.

“The charge is taken automatically, which means it is without your consent,” Sydni Crosby, a junior criminal justice major, said. “Even if you convey to your professor that you don’t want to be a part of the program, if you don’t officially go online and remove yourself it will continue to charge your account.”

“In my opinion, this is a bad decision on Valdosta State’s part because if students are being charged for books they don’t need taken from their financial aid funds, they are taking advantage of resources that don’t belong to them or the responsible party.”

The program began in Spring 2019 and over 4,000 students are registered for at least one class participating in the Spring 2020 semester. According to Darsey, this has not increased the sales at the VSU bookstore.

Darsey said students prefer the Day 1 program’s prices from the bookstore over outside sources.

“There is a high participation rate because students find the price of the course material to be lowest offered and excess financial aid can be used to cover the cost,” Darsey said.

The program has steered VSU students back to purchasing from the bookstore instead of using outside sources for their material.

“I usually buy or rent my books from Amazon,” Taylor Kelley, a junior exercise physiology major, said. “It is definitely a cheaper option for books. It’s definitely helping me with my statistics course. It’s one less book I have to carry around. It gave me access to the online my math lab I needed for a much cheaper cost than the bookstore.”

Some VSU students still prefer outside resources to purchase their books, claiming there are better prices than the Day 1 program.

“I’ve never even heard of the Day 1 program and don’t see myself using it,” Chrissy Vesseau, a junior health sciences major, said. “I rent them from Chegg because it’s always cheaper than from the school.”

Professors are on-board with the program and believe it is beneficial to VSU students.

“This is my first semester wit the Day 1 program,” Dr. Mark S. Groszos, associate professor of geosciences, said. “I’m sure most people are using it because it saves students a lot of money.”

Written by Kayla Pool, Staff Writer. Photo Courtesy of  the VSU. 

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