Price the prime concern of students

Ask most students on this campus what they really care about when buying books, and they will most likely say price. Textbooks are a necessity rather than a leisure purchase and must fit into the range of a student's limited budget. Other factors we may consider are immediate availability and hassle-free return policies. What kind of business doing the supplying is a secondary - and often ignored - concern. On a college campus, whoever best satisfies the demand will attract the most students, period.

Many of you might exclaim at this point, "I always support my local independent bookstore! What of the demise of the small businessman?" This is a true example of classic Oberlin behavior. Surely the steadfast, passionate individual who stands up to the big exploitative system always emerges morally victorious, whether this system be racism, sexism, the American food industries, oil spilling companies or the School of Americas. Indeed, the Co-Op itself was an idealistic venture; it was founded by a group of dissatisfied students in 1936 who organized a book-buying-club which was chartered four years later as a non-profit company. Their main motivation was of course, price; their success relied on their ability to outsell their product.

The kind of business the first Co-Opers began is of course important. Their customers most likely congratulated themselves on supporting an independent establishment while saving money at the same time. Despite their happy denial of self-interest, they were right. Anyone could have begun a cheaper bookstore as a for-profit upstart (hypothetically), but it was a cooperative effort that was launched, one that succeeded for over 60 years. This says a great deal about the possibilities of alternative business structures. OSCA members remind themselves of this daily.

It is possible that a corporate chain like Barnes and Noble might move into the prominent glass corner of the downtown Oberlin "business district." It is also very possible that their prices would be considerably less than those to which we are accustomed. Those who have turned to internet suppliers have overcome this dilemma already, justified by pure economic theory. We might even see those who mourned the loss of the Co-Op in its bright interior, arms burdened with purchases, guilt splashed across their faces, but the thrill of a good deal filling their hearts. Or those who completely subvert the process by stealing might send this one down the corporate toilet too. In any case, we'll see where we stand come February, when we'll be glad someone has books for sale. Will we forgive ourselves for being economical creatures?

Security exercise goes awry

In light of recent events on campus it is good to see the Office of Safety and Security taking an active role in encouraging safe behavior among students. They recently tested doors to see if residents were locking theirs and checkee to see if students used their peephole to identify their prospective guests. This gave many students an undeserved scare.

Students who happened to go to the bathroom or to get a drink from the water fountain at the time Security was passing through were greeted with a very unexpected, very frightening locked door upon their return. This may have been Security's point, to show students that they must always lock their doors no matter where they are going or for how long they will be gone. Yet many students did not even receive a note telling them that it was Security who locked their door, and in turn were led to believe that an intruder had gone into their room and locked it from the inside. These measures by Security were too much in light of what happened last week. While this is the perfect time for the College and its officers to educate on safety precautions students about they must make sure that they are stressing the educational aspects and not the shock value of these exercises.

This could have been done in many ways. If Director of Security Keith James had announced to the whole campus that Security would be testing doors, perhaps students would have been more careful. You could say that this would have undermined the element of surprise to the lesson, but if it is locking doors that the College is looking for they could have achieved such results through an announcement, even if for no other reason than to not be caught unprepared by Security. At the bare minimum, officers should have left notes explaining their actions to students. In the future Safety and Security, as well as the College, must do a better job in enforcing safety precautions on campus while not scaring the wits out of students.