After a relaxing interim abroad, you, the typical St. Olaf student, head to the bookstore to purchase your books. Classes have started, syllabi have reached your anxious hands ­ now its time to get down to work. But wait! You need books! While browsing through the shelves, students begin to faint unexpectedly. One girl screams "No more pizza!" Another guy breaks into a cold sweat, mumbling something about loan payments. The cash register seems like a death sentence. What's going on?

Sticker shock.

Following painstaking tuition bills, horrendous holiday credit card statements and the parking ticket you got for parking in the Buntrock lot the night before, the hum of receipts ringing up hundreds of dollars in books gives you an excruciating headache.

Professors want their students to study the best ­ the wisest, the most scholarly, the most documented ­ but with that desire comes a hefty price tag. Textbooks bills are rarely less than $200. Most students can't leave the bookstore without leaving a small dowry.

Could it be that cost should not factor into the quality of the class? Perhaps. Famous authors deserve some sort of gratuity. But should that burden be placed on the financially-challenged student?

No.

Splurging for most is ordering pizza on a day other than Thursday. For others, it might be that heralded cup of coffee from the Cage on the way to class. We do not have the budgets for hundreds upon hundreds of dollars in books. But to do the work and get the grade, you need the book.

Alternatives are limited. With the Internet at our fingertips, many resort to Varsitybooks.com or similar online vendors. The St. Olaf Bookstore also offers a price break to those that order early. Anyway you go, though, at best you can save 15%. That's another four pizzas.

There are some professors that have thought ahead and worked to minimize costs. For example, limited numbers of books are on closed-reserve at the Library. Other teachers order only books that are classified "used."

Over in our mother country, things are handled slightly differently. Lancaster University has a short-term loan facility, allowing all students access to the appropriate required texts for limited periods of time. Although there is a hefty late-fee for tardy returns, the system has proved successful. Students can check out books for their classes without ever hurting their pocketbook. Many St. Olaf students return from Lancaster content knowing their tuition money was sufficient for their education and puzzled that their own institution doesn't follow suit.

It's time for students to question their professors' text selection method. It's also time for professors to look at the dollar amount attached to what reading they assign. And it's even time for the school to consider creating a short-loan system.