The Kennesaw State University Bookstore’s program, Day One Access, improved and grew since its inception to prepare students to save thousands of dollars on textbooks and course materials for Fall 2019.
According to Director of University Stores Paul Oliphant, savings to students participating in the Day One Access program during the Fall 2019 semester are expected to be as high as $750,000.
“In preparation for the Fall 2019 semester, there are 28 courses using Day One Access materials. As a result, an estimated 15,000 students will benefit both in ease of access to their course materials, as well as a reduced overall cost of their required books,” Oliphant said.
The numbers have already jumped to at least 11,000 students using Day One Access materials this Fall semester, Oliphant said.
“The fundamental structure of the Day One Access program is grounded in the legal guidelines that make the program possible,” Oliphant said. “For this reason, there has been no change in terms of the way the program operates. What has changed is increasing awareness of the Day One Access program among both faculty and students at Kennesaw State University.”
According to prior reporting from the Sentinel, the program makes a student’s course materials available digitally on or before the first day of classes and saves students money since they do not need to purchase a printed book.
“Day One Access is one more tool for University Stores to use in their efforts to reduce the cost of course materials for KSU students,” Oliphant said.
When the program began in Fall 2018, there were only three sections of accounting materials, impacting 113 students, Oliphant said.
“It saved them nearly $19,000 in comparison to the cost of comparable printed course materials,” Oliphant said.
During the Spring 2019 semester, the program expanded to include seven courses and helped more than 2,300 students save approximately $250,000, Oliphant said.
“As we continue to see increased utilization by faculty, the change we are focused on is expanding the program to more courses and departments across both campuses,” Oliphant said.
University Stores Associate Director Kimberly Holland previously told the Sentinel that money used on materials from the bookstore is reinvested 100 percent back into the campus for student facilities, programs and projects that benefit the student community.
“We believe the Day One Access program, as well as expanded offerings in other digital course materials, keeps University Stores on the cutting edge of affordable course material initiatives,” Oliphant said. “We knew this program could be successful, and we welcome more faculty to make the decision to utilize everything this program has to offer.”
