The Office of Multicultural Affairs has instituted a program designed to help freshmen and sophomore students pay for books, entitled the Bookmark Program.

The program began at the beginning of spring quarter and depending on its success will continue in the future. According, to Stephanie Rivale, the program assists 25 students of diverse backgrounds. The Office of the Provost provided the funding for the startup of the Bookmark Program. In the program, the Office of Multicultural Affairs purchases required textbooks for each student participant.

The main purposes of the Bookmark Program include assisting students in defraying the heavy cost of required textbooks, enhancing life and study skills and maximizing grade-point averages for undergraduate students. The Office of Multicultural Affairs owns each textbook and the students are expected to return the books at the end of the quarter. Those eligible for the program are full-time students, primarily freshmen and sophomores who have official work-study status as well as demonstrate financial need. In addition, students are required to attend four biweekly workshops on time management, financial advice and goal setting.

“I was really excited that we could offer this program to the students,” Rivale said. “I think it is an excellent program and hopefully we can improve on it each quarter.”

Students who meet all of the requirements in the spring quarter will automatically be eligible to participate in the program in the fall quarter.