Collegiate Times

Even with lower textbook prices available at many local competitor stores, a majority of students continue to buy their books at the University Bookstore, where perhaps unbeknownst to them, their purchases are helping themselves and fellow students.

The official Virginia Tech campus University Bookstore is part of a non-profit organization on campus that aids in the funding of student scholarships and projects to ensure that Tech students receive the best college experience that they can.

Each year, the University Bookstore and Volume Two prepare their inventory by stocking their shelves with literature from various publishers.

"We purchase our books from any and all publishers that produce a book that a faculty member has requested," said Dave Wilson, associate director of the university bookstore.

Although the bookstore places many orders for new books each year, their goal is to offer as many used books as possible.

The bookstore buys as many old books "as possible directly from Virginia Tech students so that we can help them by providing cash for their books," Wilson said.

Wilson said that University Bookstore and Volume Two both discount their textbook prices by up to 10 percent from the national standard price. The decrease in prices forces many local competitors, such as BookHolders, to find ways to lower their textbook prices.

"Ninety-nine percent of the books that we have available for students to purchase were bought from students throughout the various semesters," said Brian Allen, manager of BookHolders. "We look at the local demand versus the national demand and calculate the difference in pricing so we can offer Tech students the best deal."

Both University Bookstore and Volume Two are part of Virginia Tech Services Inc. a non-profit corporation set up to benefit Virginia Tech. The bookstores receive no state funding and pay their own bills, so at the end of the year, any surplus generated goes to the Virginia Tech Foundation and is used for student-related purposes.

According to Raymond Smoot, chief operating officer and secretary of Virginia Tech Foundation, over the bookstore's 40 years in business at Tech, it's returned more than $42 million to directly benefit Tech.

The Virginia Tech Foundation serves as a resource for many student-related purposes. The Bookstore's Web site lists where the proceeds go, including athletic scholarships, student health and fitness facilities, Squires' endowment, computing center endowment, distinguished speakers, the creative arts and student services.

Along with the student-related purposes that many of the Bookstore profits go toward, the Virginia Tech Foundation also provides $17 million a year in scholarships to students.

"The Virginia Tech Foundation began in 1948 as a means of receiving gifts in support of the university," Smoot said. "The foundation allocates those gifts as scholarships, building projects, and endowed professorships across our campus."

In 2008, Tech received approximately $90 million in contributions through the foundation, Smoot said.

"It is true that the money goes to the Virginia Tech Foundation, but the use of the money is controlled by the university," Smoot said.

The foundation has been working in conjunction with the University Bookstore since 1968 to create revenue for various student programs on campus.

Smoot says that the relationship between the Virginia Tech Foundation and the University Bookstore has been linear since the beginning of their involvement with each another.

"The funds have helped us manage the university's endowment through contributions to the Corporate Research Center, the Hotel Roanoke, WVTF radio, the Pete Dye River Golf Course and the Center for European Studies and Architecture," Smoot said.