The end of another semester is drawing near, and through all the stress of cramming for last-minute projects and finals, one glimmer of hope remains for students: book buyback.

Whitney Knight

Yes, it’s that glorious time of year where students can hurl their cussed textbooks at a smiling bookstore employee and then gleefully turn tail, knowing that they will never see that bloody algebra book again.

But it gets even better: Not only do you rid yourself of your semester-long burdens, you get paid to do so. What could be better than that?

Unfortunately, there is a catch.

Currently, textbook buyback begins during the last week of classes.

That means bright and early on Monday morning, dozens of students will be clamoring to line up in front of the bookstore window, wanting to make sure they sell their books before the bookstore receives too many and can’t take anymore.

Although many professors might no longer be lecturing from books at this time, some might be. And even if they aren’t, students might appreciate being able to study from their textbooks before their big final.

This presents students with a dilemma: sell back fast and get cash, or hang onto the book a little longer and hope the bookstore can still take it when they’re done using it?

The current system is simply unfair.

It is unfair that students who have a Monday morning class might get money for their books, while ones with a Friday evening class might not.

It is unfair that a student might have to pick between an extra night of studying and a few extra dollars to put towards new textbooks next year.

OCCC needs to do something about this system. It would make more sense if book buyback were held at the very end of finals week, or even pushed to the week after.

This would level the playing field and make the buyback period a fair game for everyone.

Students could decide when they wanted to go in to sell their books, not be forced to choose between studying and getting some extra cash.

The college makes a habit of telling us we are in it for ourselves — it’s about time they get in it for us.

­­To contact Whitney Knight, email onlineeditor@occc.edu.