For those of us who have been laid off and have gotten our checks....maybe it's time for an email campaign to the follett family or the board or follett contracted schools..they can't do anything to us now. We need to go public with the horrible way we have been treated. Maybe the campus contacts at Notre Dame or Stanford would like to hear about good ole Mary Lee.
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Good idea in theory, but I can tell you that Notre Dame doesn't care about the layoffs or Mary Lee as long as they get their percentage.
Professors, teachers, students, and other faculty members care. The bookstores helped many campuses in various ways. And the teaching faculty is all to familiar with not getting appreciated for their work and how a administration change can affect their jobs and steps that are available to minimally have their voice heard and support others in the same situation.
812, lets re-examine your thought about schools being squeezed for funds. Perhaps community colleges are squeezed. They don't/can't raise tuition at the same rate as their 4 year counterparts. They are very dependent on tax payer support. However, the cost of education, at 4 year institutions has never been higher. We know that grad students are paid little and we know that more "lecturers" are being hired rather than add tenure tract positions. We know that support staff aren't paid much and they don't received big raises. If the price of college is going up and other costs seem to be held in check, can we safely assume that colleges are cash strapped?
Frankly, universities don't specialize in retail. That's why they leased their stores. Follett could drive a better result and the university would be certain that they'd get some return. Further, students always think the bookstore is ripping them off. In every campus, every store, every student body this true. Frankly, Follett did little to hold down costs and their head cutting is going to drive costs up (less efficient buying/returning practices will cut into already thin margins).
Perhaps we bookstore alumni can educate our campuses on where the real profit is generated; clothing. Boycott the clothing and watch Follett crumble.
Then send them info about working with Amazon. They will pay a % of every sale a student makes. not just what's in the bookstore.
Not sure the Follett family cares either. They just want their money as well.
True but why not embarrass Mary Lee a little if not just for shits and giggles.
I would venture a guess that no one in administration cares. As schools become more squeezed for funds, they are really only concerned that the royalties and money keep rolling in. Private schools, you might make a difference. But public institutions and state schools and others will probably look the other way. I think the schools that did care spoke up and things happened, but most will view it as a necessity that the stores stay in business and do their bidding as long as possible. Not to say you can't try, but good luck.