The University of Idaho Argonaut

Many students, faculty and staff are eager to learn the fate of the University of Idaho Bookstore.

On March 31- April 2, three vendors who submitted proposals to take over bookstore management visited campus. The company representatives held 50-minute open forums in TLC classrooms that were filled with concerned students, staff and faculty.

The three companies who submitted proposals were Barnes & Noble, Follett Higher Education Group and Validis Resources, a division of Nebraska Book Company, who UI already works with. UI’s Bookstore is owned and run by the university.

The request-for-proposal committee — composed of two people from auxiliary services, a representative from staff affairs and a student representative — reviewed the lengthy proposals and met with the responders. The current bookstore director was a non-voting member of the committee.
On Friday, the RFP committee made their recommendation to UI’s administration of what vendor is best for the university and students. For legal reasons, the name of the vendor cannot be released until a contract is signed between the university and company.

The final decision will be made by Vice President of Finance and Administration Lloyd Mues, Provost Doug Baker and President Tim White. The administration hopes to have a decision made by May.
“This is where the real discussion is going to begin,” said Dan Noble, chair of Staff Affairs and the staff representative in the RFP committee.
Noble said he hopes the administration will meet with the
campus community.

“We need to be active and vocal and put our opinion out there,” Noble said, to ensure the leadership has all the needed information, perspectives and opinions. 
The administration can decide to proceed with the RFP committee recommendation or another plan, such as maintaining current bookstore operations.
“It is a university-wide decision,” said Michael Jolly, assistant vice president for auxiliary services. “Anytime that there is significant change like this on the university campus where peoples’ lives could be changed there is angst brought into the process.”
Whether or not UI decides to sublet the bookstore, change will happen, Jolly said.

“Certainly it is in the university’s best interest not to have it change for the worst,” he said.
Efforts will be made to enhance the bookstore to make it of better use for students, faculty, staff and alumni.
The RFP committee provided a good recommendation, Jolly said.
 “The committee discussed it thoroughly,” he said. “Everybody left the room knowing it’s a good decision.”
The committee members read and re-read the proposals and were engaged with the presenters, Jolly said.

“The committee was highly engaged in the process and took it very seriously,” Jolly said
Senior Justin Doble, ASUI presidential policy adviser, was the student representative on the search committee. He said the students were well represented in the committee.

“I could not be happier with how the committee turned out,” Doble said. “Everyone who was working on the committee was working with the best interests of everyone associated with the University of Idaho.”

The RFP committee received many comments from students, staff, faculty and community members.
“We received a substantial amount of communication between the students,” Doble said. “Students, members of the public, alumni and anyone associated with the university has done a great job of expressing concerns and opinions.”

A great deal of consideration was used regarding bookstore employees, Jolly said. The bookstore employees have been great, he said, even with how unsettling and uncomfortable everything has been.
“The university rallying behind the bookstore shows loyalty and dedication of bookstore employees,” Jolly said.

UI staff was well prepared with their responses to the vendors, Noble said. They were prepared with their questions and were specific about the issues that concern them in areas including retirement, transition and control, he said.

Subletting the bookstore has been a heated topic since earlier this semester, when ASUI found out about efforts to outsource the bookstore, Doble said.
The Senate passed a resolution in reaction to the decision to outsource the bookstore to ensure students will have a voice in the bookstore’s future.
Doble said serving as the student representative on the RFP committee and the open forums were results of the petition.

Dean Throop, Senate pro-tempore, serves as a liaison between auxiliary services and the ASUI Senate. He said the university has been listening to the students.
Throop calls himself an “agitator” in the bookstore controversy. He said initial reactions to outsourcing the bookstore were based on the assumption that the university would go with whoever makes the most money. But as the process has continued he has realized outsourcing is not a bad thing for students.
“If the vendors follow up with what they are processing it may be a good deal for students,” he said.

Throop attended the three open forums. He shared his opinions about the vendor groups with two Facebook groups he is in charge of, “The Real Deal with the UI bookstore” and “Save the Bookstore!!!!”

A general student consensus, he said, is that Barnes and Noble is bad. In the open forum they barely gave hard numbers, he said, but his research has showed the buyback percentages would worsen.
“They don’t have a strong used book program,” Throop said.

Also, he said many people had heard of bad stories from Washington State University when their campus bookstore was taken over by Barnes and Noble. At the forum, the Barnes and Noble representatives said the WSU process was not normal for them and UI would not have the same experience.

Follett offered the middle of the road options for financial gains and renovations, Throop said. The company only runs university bookstores and, like the other two vendors, offered remodel options. The bookstore needs to be community oriented, Throop said.

“Their bookstores all look like university bookstores,” he said. “It fits us. Most of the student body doesn’t like a corporate feel.”
Follett can provide a larger selection of used books, he said, because even if a book is discontinued at UI, Follett can still buy it back if the book is offered at another store.

The RFP committee duties are over but some members, including Doble, will continue to watch the process. Comments can be sent to Doble at This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it