Two weeks into the semester textbooks are still not available for some classes at the University of Connecticut. (Vanita Patel/The Daily Campus)
Two weeks into the semester textbooks are still not available for some classes at the University of Connecticut.
Pearson, the largest publisher in the world, supplies the university with thousands of textbooks every year.
“A recent update to our systems has caused delays in the availability of select Pearson textbooks,” Director of Media Relations for Pearson, Scott Overland, said in a statement.
He went on to apologize for the inconvenience, saying that, “Our sales teams have been working with instructors and the bookstore to keep them updated on the status of the orders and assist them in obtaining digital versions of the materials.”
Some students affected by the backorder have said that the unavailability of textbooks has been frustrating and inconvenient.
“Numerous college students rely on Pearson to supply a book they are required to have for class,” third-semester marketing major Kristen Labanca, who is currently enrolled in Statistics 1000Q, said. “Personally, as a student who was never good at math, I heavily rely on my textbooks to re-teach myself lessons and lectures.”
Statistics professors, including Robert Apruzese, have been in contact with Pearson. The company’s university representative has made the early chapters of the Minitab textbook available online to students, Apruzese said.
Yesterday, Apruzese sent out an email to all students enrolled in his Statistics 1000Q class that the next chapter would be available online.
According to a representative from the UConn bookstore, Pearson has informed the university that the required text should arrive tomorrow, Sept. 12.
Textbooks from other publishers have also been on backorder, such as those for Calculus I.
Some students have expressed concerns that they might not be able to make the deadlines for textbook returns due to late arrivals.
First-semester biomedical engineering major Nikos Xenakis, who is enrolled in Calculus I said he was told that he would be unable to return his backordered textbook unless it was returned in the same condition as received.
“This seems unfair as any student would open the packaging prior to class. If they get to lecture realizing they purchased the wrong textbook, there is no way for a refund, which can be upwards of a 100 dollar loss,” Xenakis said.
Xenakis also said he was told that the deadline to return textbooks had already passed, and would not be amended due to the backorder.
“I felt very pressured into spending 90 dollars on a textbook that may have had no use after I purchased it with no way of returning it,” Xenakis said.
Joseph Piccolo is a campus correspondent for The Daily Campus. He can be reached via email at joseph.k.piccolo@uconn.edu.