After resolving a conflict between the Illini Union Bookstore and Stipes Publishing Co. that prevented students from purchasing some workbooks, the bookstore will resume selling the materials this summer.

The issue began when an Illini Union Bookstore employee failed to disclose the fact that he had a relative working for Stipes Publishing Co.

Dan Posas, director of the Illini Union Bookstore, said all state vendors are required to fill out a conflict of interest form for an ethics committee to approve in order to sell various goods from suppliers. This process ensures that companies are not favoring vendors for unethical reasons, such as helping a relative. 

“Somewhere along the lines, something fell through, so we couldn’t sell Stipes Publishing books at our bookstore,” Posas said.

Ben Watts,  one of three partners at Stipes Publishing Co., said that because the IUB employee didn’t file the paperwork in a timely manner, Stipes Publishing did not receive money for the books that they were supplying for nine months. 

“We have done business on this campus since the ’20s, but we have to get paid just like every other business,” Watts said.

Jenna Schuler, freshman in ACES, said she tried to purchase a workbook for a chemistry class from IUB at the beginning of the semester but was told to go to T.I.S. College Bookstore instead.

“T.I.S. Bookstore is more out of the way, and the IUB was just where I got all of my books,” she said. “Being told to go somewhere else was a big inconvenience for me.” 

Schuler said her instructors made the students aware of the conflict and told them about the change in location. 

“The most important thing is that the books will be back this summer for future semesters,” Watts said. “T.I.S. did a great job, but we will now sell at both IUB and T.I.S., so the students will have a choice to buy books at both locations.”

The conflict was resolved when the IUB employee filed the proper paperwork, and the ethics committee finally received it.

Brian Paragi, T.I.S. store manager,  said the store saw an increase of students purchasing materials from Stipes Publishing this semester. 

“We should have had more staff,” Paragi said. “The period that we call ‘book rush’ at the start of the semester just seemed to go on for a couple weeks longer. … You could tell that it was because of Stipes.”

Paragi said the bookstore noticed a change in clientele during the conflict. He said customers from the Illini Union Bookstore who were looking to purchase materials for certain physics, chemistry, classic civilization and other courses had to shop at T.I.S. 

“We knew (they hadn’t been here before) because they asked questions that are typical of freshmen to ask in August,” he said. 

Brittany can be reached at [email protected].