If you are one of the few UT students still buying books for the semester, you may have noticed the new counter on the second floor of the university bookstore.

The counter, put in place a short while ago, blocks students from entering the floor where textbooks are kept.

‘We did it for loss prevention purposes,’ said Monique Rivas, operations supervisor. ‘There was a lot of theft before we blocked it off.’

Stephanie Tatem, textbook manager, explained that they had put the counter up in the past.

‘We did it last semester, but didn’t really stick to it,’ she said. ‘We’re sticking to it this time.’

Rivas said that the store doesn’t block the floor during the rush at the beginning of each semester because there are too many people that come in.

She also said that since the bookstore is doing inventory now, it is easier to not have students walking around the floor.

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