In a recent interview with Jessika Garcia, the Bookstore Manager on the Armstrong campus, I asked about some of the problems students have noticed in the Student Union.

Things have been less than ideal in the Student Union, with Starbucks’ hours being cut, the closure of Chick-fil-a for the first few weeks of school and the absence of the beloved Gus Mart in this common area.

Many students are scratching their heads about what could be going on with our campus’s hottest-spot.

Firstly, the Gus Marts new location is permanently moved inside of the Bookstore, according to Garcia. At the time of the interview she said that they were still waiting on electrical work to be done so coolers could be moved in. Garcia says that this process has not been easy, with only three weeks to make room and move everything in.

But what will be taking the place that was once occupied by the Gus Mart?

“We don’t know what’s happening there,” said Garcia.

This was not exactly the answer I was looking for, but this quote does speak to some of the confusion we are all experiencing regarding the changes in the Student Union.

Aside from the mysterious vacancies we are seeing in the building, I wanted to know a little bit about some of the issues students are having specifically in the Bookstore.

I, for one, am having trouble purchasing an Ebook through the schools portal, much to my confusion. After entering my payment information and receiving a receipt of confirmation, I was refunded the payment and did not receive access to the textbook I desperately needed.

Garcia acknowledged that the bookstore has had several issues with electronic books this semester and says that, “When that happens we do not have any control of that. The publisher for some reason discontinued the availability.” She recommends that students work with their professors and utilize the help desk in these instances.

In recent years, the entire world has suffered from an apparent shortage of labor and unfortunately, student jobs have not been spared from this crisis.

Garcia reports that the bookstore is receiving less applications than in previous semesters. The bookstore offers flexible hours for students and is always looking to employ them, but they are having a hard time finding people to fill the positions.

Unsurprisingly, the answer to how this problem may have arisen could be attributed to the pay. Starting positions at the bookstore are accommodated with merely $8 an hour. This job is paying less than $1 an hour above minimum wage to college students, some of the most financially vulnerable people. At this time I am unsure how or why this pay rate has been decided upon, but I do know that it simply isn’t going to cut it for most students.

Garcia appeared optimistic and was pleasant throughout the interview, in spite of how stressful some of these problems may be for someone in a managerial position.

At the end of the day, the bookstore is where students go to get all of the materials and supplies they need for their classes, and Garcia seems to be doing what she can to support them.

“We are always here doing our best to help you. Our goal is always to help as best we can with your needs with classes and books,” said Garcia.

Stay tuned to the George-Anne Inkwell edition for more developing news about the changes in the Student Union. For more information about some of the essential services provided by Georgia Southern visit the Auxiliary Services webpage