Bookstore and local businesses help curb cost of textbooks

Aug. 30, 2016  | Community |

The Harding University Bookstore partnered with four local businesses — Sonic, Whistle Stop BBQ, The Rock House and First Security Bank — to give away $1,250 in Visa gift cards last week to aid five students in paying back-to-school costs for items such as textbooks.

As students came through the line to pay for their textbooks in the University store, they were entered into a daily $250 Visa gift card drawing to help alleviate the cost. A different business sponsored the drawing each day and provided coupons and other information to students as they waited.

“When we began contacting local businesses, it wasn’t difficult to find people who wanted to participate,” bookstore manager David Hall said. “It’s just another way to foster a relationship between area businesses and our students.”

According to Gene Morris, supervising partner for three Searcy-area Sonic Drive Ins, agreeing to sponsor the giveaway was about more than helping pay for books.

“We love what Harding represents in our community,” Morris said. “Harding students have always been a big part of our business, and we employ several Harding students — so this was just a small way for us to give back.

Obviously we hope it relieves some of the financial burden buying books can bring, but we also hope it lets students know there are businesses and people in the Searcy area who care enough about them to try to make a difference in their lives.”

Katie Beth Blankenship, a business management major, won Tuesday’s prize sponsored by Whistle Stop BBQ. She planned to use the money to purchase her remaining textbook and supplies online.

“Textbooks generally are pretty expensive for me,” Blankenship said. “I work all summer so I can afford school and books, and this will help out a lot.”

The back-to-school giveaway is just one way of many that the bookstore tries to address the problem of high textbook costs. According to Hall, the store offers faculty resources such as custom textbook tools, open educational resources, and wide varieties of course content.

“I know how much of an issue the price of books is,” Hall said. “We are always trying to do whatever we can to lower the cost. We are working really hard to find more used books, digital books and other solutions. We are working on it — but it’s a big task.”