The new textbook purchasing system, known as Wolverine Access, has now become a center of controversy as both students and faculty argue for and against it. The new system will charge students $250 to electronically access their materials for the semester, with access to said materials expiring at the end of it. The new system will be implemented next semester depending on how the program is received.
When reached out by the Review, several faculty members stated that they had not heard about the program until now or were not informed of its deployment until last week. Some faculty members have also expressed concern about the program’s “opt-out” function, a feature that requires students to manually opt out of purchasing textbooks through the new avenue. Additionally, some members of?faculty have criticized how the program was born and implemented without consultation, calling it unorderly and unprofessional on the part of its creators. The main argument against the new system appears to be a concern for cost, with faculty members stating that the costs of certain textbooks will be less expensive through other means as opposed to the new system.
The new access system may be beneficial to STEM students, and students of specialized majors. Many of those students face mounting costs regarding the number of textbooks they are required to purchase, and Wolverine Access may prove beneficial to them. The program also features a function that would allow students to purchase textbooks individually through the system to avoid some of the additional costs, should a professor make their required texts available to students at no additional costs.
The new access system raises questions for some and provides answers to others, and it is the right of anyone within UVU to make those questions and answers known. Any student who wishes to give their opinion on the matter can visit the?student government in SL 122 or through the following methods.
Email: uvusa@uvu.edu
Phone Number: (801)-863-8652
