Response2_RobertM

Team Members – Annie H & Nikki O

We wanted to start off at a smaller scale than the “Yes Men” team, so we could realistically accomplish our problem. A generally common problem most students have is the price of text books, and especially the buy back rates. Sometimes you can pay $150 for a new used book, and walk away with eight bucks and a pat on the back. The materials that we need to learn are priced extremely high, and we buy them with no promise of ever getting that money back. If the information we need is going to cost us an arm and a leg, I think it’s safe to say that this method isn’t conducive to learning whatsoever.

So we thought of a few different strategies for going about making an impact on our problem. We thought of some ways that would seem similar to the ways the “Yes Men” went about their trials. Instantly, we thought of the idea of making an announcement on the book store’s behalf, promising back 50-75% the price of the books upon returning them. The ways in which we want to go about that announcement vary. I think all of these methods would be effective individually, but even more so if they were implemented at the same time.

Our first two ideas were to write messages on chalk on all of the walk ways around campus and print out small flyers saying the same thing, and putting them on windshields of cars. Seeing messages like “Bookstore Blowout! 50-75% cash back on returns!” and other similar messages in chalk on the sidewalks on campus, and around the mall, is similar enough to what people see on any given day, so I think it would have the same kind of impact. We’ve all had flyers for something or other placed underneath our windshield wipers, so doing that wouldn’t be anything out of the ordinary. Overall, I think that these first two ideas would be effective ways to get the message spread relatively well throughout the intended audience: the students. Getting the message across in such expected means adds to the silliness aspect of the hoax.

A slightly more serious approach we thought about was getting access to one of the social media pages across campus, ideally on Instagram or Facebook, and posting about it that way, and then sharing it for more and more students to see. Another option would be sending out a chain email to the entire student body. The news would probably spread exponentially faster this way, which is why it would be a bit more serious, but there can be a middle ground between silly and serious.

After it’s revealed that the news was fake, we could figure out how much profit the school system makes off of text books. It will be less than some students expect, because there are many different fees for the author and the publishing company, etc., but it will still make people think about how much money they’re spending and where it all goes.

I think when money is concerned, and especially potentially losing money, this issue would immediately grab the school’s attention. I believe that it would have to prompt a response from the school, because if a large amount of students are expecting money back, and receive significantly less than that (as per usual) there would most likely be some talk. As far as appeal goes, I  believe students would immediately be intrigued by the idea of getting any amount of money back, especially from the store that they all dread going to at the beginnings, and most likely the ends, of every semester.