With the price of textbooks on the rise, Temple is helping Honors students offset the cost.
Incoming Honors students receive the Provost Book Award. The stipend is $500 in the form of Diamond Dollars and is only applied during students first semester at Temple, but some Honors students wish it was more than a one time gift.
George Keddie, a junior religion major, said the stipend was part of the reason he chose the Honors program and that he wished it was every year.
“The Honors classes are harder and we don’t really get any other privileges,” Keddie said.
Dr. Ruth Ost, director of the Honors program, said the stipends are a small step in attracting top students to the university.
“In general, [stipends] are to help attract some very top quality students from across the country, so this is a very small gesture. Other schools give full rides to Honors students,” Ost said.
“It’s not like we give huge extra dollars to students in the Honors program and no one else,” said Ost, who added that Honor students are hardworking and deserve to be rewarded.
Salem Bryant said Temple needs to compete with other schools who are trying to attract Honors students. Even though Bryant is an Honors student, she is open to the idea of all students recieving the stipend.
“I think it should be offered to students with good grades, it’s an extra incentive for keeping your grades for any student,” said Bryant, a freshman communications major.
Junior Latin American studies major Jon Kaufman said that everybody deserves the stipend but there has to be some sort of reward for Honors students.
The stipend is meant to make up the fact that Honor students often have to buy more books for their classes. In a regular Intro to American Political Science book, the two required texts cost $85.50 and $15, if purchased new. While an Honors Intro Political Science class requires five textbooks that range from $7.95 to $49.30.
“It’s really kind of shocking the extent of book costs,” said Ost. “A few hundred dollars one way or the other is helpful.”
Ost said Honors books are no better than non-Honors books, there just happen to be more of them.
Eric Buchanan, a freshman BTMM major, didn’t use his entire stipend for books but thinks that non-Honors students shouldn’t be excluded from the stipend.
“I think everyone should get it, books are expensive and everyone needs help,” Buchanan said.
LeAnne Matlach can be reached at leannematlach@temple.edu.
Reporter Victoria Hudgins contributed to this story.
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