Assistant professor Kathy Kitts and her students in Geology 103 had a dispute with the University Bookstore over spectrometer kits. The kits are used to measure light and Kitts claims they are an essential part of her class curriculum.

Geology 103 is a planetary and space science class which studies stellar and planetary movement.

“We need to learn how to measure light with the spectrometer and the students need it in order to do their homework,” said Kitts, assistant professor of Geology and Environmental Geoscience. “When I told [the bookstore] to order a specific number of these, I expected those to be ordered. Something clearly went wrong in the time between when I placed the order and when they were actually ordered.”

Junior history major Cary Wolovick has had problems buying the spectrometer.

“The first time, I got a broken one and I had to return it. I just recently received my new, working spectrometer,” Wolovick said. “But we’re one-third through the semester; it shouldn’t be like this.”

At first, the bookstore allegedly did not have enough on the shelves, partly because some had broken during shipping, Kitts said.

Don Turk, manager of the University Bookstore, said the bookstore has ordered and stocked the spectrometers as requested.

“We ran out at one point and had to re-order. This was partly because of the damaged kits. We can’t control that. We were out for four or five days; it’s not an unusual occurrence,” Turk said. “As for these not being in on time, we ordered these before the semester on July 12.”

Another problem Kitts said she has with the bookstore’s method is they are overcharging students for kits.

“I wasn’t sure about the whole situation, but when I heard they were charging them extra, that upset me,” Kitts said.

The bookstore, however, says the price is correct.

“I’m not sure how they see themselves getting overcharged,” Turk said. “The price is in line with what they’re asking. It’s the publisher’s list price.”

Kitts believes there are more complications other than ordering problems in this situation. She said when students went to buy the kit, the help desk told them they did not carry them. But when Kitts checked, they were on the shelf.

“It bothers me when students go to the store and they tell them they don’t have any. But they were sitting right on the shelf. It’s like they don’t even know what’s in their own store,” Kitts said.

Turk, however, said it was not an employee-related problem.

“It depends which desk the students went to. If they went to the art supplies help desk, they might not have been pointed in the right direction,” he said.

Some students have mixed feelings about the kits.

“I’m sharing one spectrometer between three people. But I’m not even going to bother with buying one. It’s $16 for a piece of cardboard,” sophomore business major Jeff Lem said.

Another student said the kits in class were not worth the cost.

“These things are really a waste of time and money. They’re really a rip-off for what they are,” freshman undecided major Jim Wilson said.