PHOTO: Courtesy of WLUK
OSHKOSH, WI (WTAQ) — More changes are coming to UW-Oshkosh.
The campus bookstore, University Books and More, is currently self-operated but will soon be outsourced through either Follett or Barnes and Noble College.
Wendy Van Ahn, assistant to the director of University Books and More, says outsourcing means higher prices and decreased selections.
“Corporations are profit-driven, versus us as a self operated entity; our mission is the institutions mission and that’s what drives us” said Van Ahn. “Yes, we are a revenue-generating entity, but our mission is to the institution.”
Outsourcing may also mean fewer staff. According to Van Ahn, there are currently 27 students employed through the bookstore. “The news of being outsourced has been stressful for them, as the future of their employment on campus is unknown,” said Van Ahn.
There are only three institutions within the Universities of Wisconsin that don’t outsource their bookstores; which are UW-Oshkosh, UW-Whitewater, and UW-Madison.
The university formed a Bookstore Business Model Task Group in May 2024; which put together a risk/benefit analysis of outsourcing the bookstore. That analysis came out in August and the final decision to outsource came in October.
While the director of the the bookstore has been receiving some communication from campus leadership regarding the outsourcing, overall Van Ahn says the topic has been very hush-hush, as the bookstore team hasn’t received formal communication from campus leadership. She recalled a discussion email list on the topic, that’s overseen by a moderator, that went from active, to silent.
“It’s very rare that a conversation just stops like that when you’re on a conversation that is important to people,” said Van Ahn. “So, I formulated a response and sent it out to the list. It did not get posted, and I don’t know how many other posts weren’t shared.”
News of the outsourcing of the bookstore comes as UWO tackles a multi-million dollar deficit; the bookstore has about a one million dollar deficit.
While administration has not yet signed a contract with either Follett or Barnes and Noble College, Van Ahn says changes would likely be officially implemented for the fall 2025 semester.
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