Dear Editors,

My name is Jacob Reyes, and I am a 21 year-old college student living in Clayton, California. I want you to know that I love Diablo Valley College, and the opportunities it is giving me to be able to learn, obtain an AA for transfer, as well as work part time. The best part is that DVC allows me to achieve my goals and get an education that is extremely affordable.

However, one issue I have found is the lack of materials available to students in the Book Center. This semester, I am taking Environmental Science with a Lab, which requires me to have a Lab Manual for the class. When I went to the Book Center however, I was informed that the Book Center ran out of lab manuals, and they were going to order more. This was frustrating because I needed the lab manual for class, and the college providing the science class was not prepared and did not have enough lab manuals for the influx of students taking science classes.

According to DonorsChoose, students must be equipped with the materials they need for a better learning experience. When I was in class with no lab manual, it was a very tedious process to have to write out every problem, as well as asking other students what the lab directions were. I was very stressed out in class because I had to rely on other students for information that I am supposed to have accessible to me.

I urge that Diablo Valley College look at the numbers of registered students for classes that require manuals and textbooks, and order the appropriate number of lab manuals and textbooks accordingly. A college should never run out of materials that students are required to have. Imagine the stress that a new student won’t have to go through, if DVC just prepares a little more and has the appropriate amount of manuals and textbooks available for students to purchase.

Sincerely,

Jacob Reyes