The BYU Bookstore recently announced the winners of its 28th semiannual Textbook Grant Program, awarding more than $2,500 to ten students through Bookstore gift cards. Winners were randomly chosen from 31,149 students who swiped their BYU ID cards while making textbook purchases. The grants ranged in value from $156 to more than $500.
This semester’s winners include Preston Anderson, Ana Sofia Ferreira, Peter Fry, Mike Jarvis, Griffin Kennedy, Brandon Lewis, Jordan Lofgreen, Shanae Randall, Jon Walton and Marc Watterson. Winners were honored at a luncheon hosted by the Bookstore textbook d epartment and attended by textbook department employees as well as Roger Reynolds, director of the BYU Bookstore.
Peter Fry, a senior majoring in civil engineering from Portland, Ore., was very excited to be a winner. “At first, I was totally skeptical when I was told I had won,” he said. “When I found out I really had won, I thought, that’s an extra car payment I just got back!” he said.
“This is a real benefit of the Textbook VIP Program,” said Tom Hirtzel, Bookstore textbook manager. “The more textbooks each winner bought at the Bookstore, the larger the grant was. Plus, any student who buys textbooks at the Bookstore and swipes a BYU ID card qualifies as a VIP for textbook sell-back. VIPs will receive 60 percent of the new book price if the Bookstore is buying the textbook for future semesters.”
The BYU Bookstore gives more money back to students through textbook sell-back than any other university bookstore in the country, according to Hirtzel.
The Textbook Grant Program is funded with proceeds from sales of the Starving Student Card. The owners of the card program, Kyle and Kim McLaughlin, also attended the winners’ luncheon. “We are pleased that the Bookstore’s proceeds from the Starving Student Card have helped so many students through the Textbook Grant Program,” they said.
Writer: Norm Nielsen
