As early as Fall 2006, Ball State University students may be able to use the financial aid in their bursar's accounts to purchase textbooks at the Ball State Bookstore.
The Student Government Association discussed legislation Wednesday that would allow students to use their financial aid and scholarship money to purchase textbooks and class supplies. The legislation will be voted on during next week's meeting.
Eean Bailey, a sophomore Knotts/Edwards representative and Student Safety committee chairman, said deducting the cost of textbooks from students' financial aid would allow students who did not have money on hand to purchase their books.
Students can use the bursar's account to purchase books, and if the total cost exceeded the money in their account, the rest would come out of the student's pocket, he said. If the cost of the books was less than the amount in the bursar's account, the money left over would still be returned.
The legislation states that only those students with financial aid or scholarship money can use this service, and those students without financial assistance would still have to pay for books the way they normally would.
Danny Gonzales, a junior member of the off-campus caucus, said to implement the policy would just be a matter of connecting accounts of the bookstore, Bursar's and Financial Aid offices. Students would not have to pay for the service.
Bailey said some senators were concerned with the policy and did not understand the process. However, overall, the members liked the idea and thought it would ease students' minds about how they spend their money, he said.
Loren Ray, a freshman diversity multicultural committee whip, said he did not get financial aid. High prices at the local bookstore have caused him to sometimes buy his books on the Internet. He thought the new policy could potentially raise book prices, and he said for those students not on financial aid, the prices could be too high.
"Those students not on financial aid might resort more to the Internet to buy their books," Ray said. "Students not on scholarship tend to go to the Ball State Bookstore last because the store has a tendency to have higher prices than T.I.S. and C.B.X. bookstores. It could be justified to have two separate prices for those with financial aid and those without financial aid."
Bailey said the new policy would allow students to buy their books two weeks before classes start and the first week back at school.
This would allow students to wait and see what books their professors require before deciding to use their financial aid money, he said. The process would be an electronic transfer so students would get their financial aid checks the following week.
Issues were brought up regarding T.I.S. and C.B.X. and that only having the policy with the Ball State Bookstore could cause students to have less of a choice on where they buy books, Gonzales said.
"There could be a competition and a rise in book prices," he said. "It is hard to predict if there would be an economic repercussion, but if there was it could have a negative impact on those who do not have scholarships. If there was not a negative economic repercussion then I do not see a problem for those who do not have scholarships and it would be beneficial for those who do."
Ray said he also had concerns on how book buyback would work. He said he wondered if refund checks would be given, if the refund would be the amount the Bursar's Office charged, the normal buyback rate or if students would have to keep the books forever.
The hope of the university and SGA is, Bailey said, if the new policy was accepted, it would begin Fall 2006. Similar services are available at Purdue University, Indiana University and Ivy Tech State College.
Having a similar policy would allow Ball State to keep up and stay advanced with the other schools in Indiana, Bailey said.
Students who wish to voice their comments or concerns on the new policy can attend the next meeting of SGA Wednesday, Feb. 22 at 3:15 p.m. in Cardinal Hall at the L.A. Pittenger Student Center, or visit the SGA Web site to e-mail or post on the message board.
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