There have been many changes to the way that the 2020-2021 academic year is being conducted. The pandemic has been responsible for many of the changes that students are seeing on campus, but there is one significant change that is only partially motivated by COVID.

As many students know, the pricing on school materials can be quite expensive. Students across the country are finding themselves having to drop out or delay their education to save up the money for their schoolbooks. This is a problem only made worse by the economic slowdowns that came about due to the pandemic.

In the Fall 2020 semester the Averett University bookstore introduced a new program, called Averett All Access, that aims to curb the cost of schoolbooks and simplify the process of getting books and other learning materials for classes.

For students to be registered for the program, they must have responded to an email sent to their school provided student email account that contained a link to the Averett All Access Portal. Once the student has clicked on the portal and set up their account the bookstore receives a list of that student’s required course materials. The bookstore then gathers the books and sets them aside waiting for pickup by the student.

Averett All Access simplifies the process for students to get their books from the bookstore, and reduces the cost of purchasing schoolbooks individually. The program is popular among students here at Averett.

“Approximately 370 students participated in the Averett All Access Program during the Spring 2021 semester,” Dana Nelson, Averett University Campus Store Director of Operations, said. “We have received tremendous positive feedback from students.”

The simplification of the process on the students and the lowered cost was a big selling point for Caleb Wyatt, a senior who is in Averett’s aviation program.

“I really liked that all I had to do was show up and get my books,” Wyatt said. “It’s way better than having to go to the store with a list of books and have to wait around to pay an arm and a leg.”

While the program has benefitted many students on campus, there are some students that think that the program would not be beneficial for them. Connor Tavenner, a junior who is also studying aviation, thinks that the program was not a good fit for him.

“I really like the idea of the program, but it would have cost me more than renting from somewhere else. My schedule was pretty weird this semester and I ended up only needing a book or two. If I needed more books I would have definitely used the program,” Tavenner said.

If students have any questions about the program, Contact Dana Nelson by phone at (434) 791-5640 or send her an email at [email protected].