UNIVERSITY TO DROP LANES FOR BOOKSTORE

Southeast Missouri State University will eliminate its little-used bowling alley in the University Center and move its textbook services into that space.

The Board of Regents approved the move Wednesday and agreed to change the name of the Books & Things campus bookstore to Southeast Bookstore to more clearly identify it as a university operation.

School officials said the bowling alley has proved a poor investment. Revenue from video games and billiards declined nearly 50 percent the past three years.

Only 18 games were bowled a day on average between July and March. At $1.25 a game, the income amounted to less than $23 a day.

It costs nearly $43 a day just to pay student worker costs.

Moving the textbook services from the Kent Library basement to the second floor of the University Center will provide better service to students, officials said.

In addition, the move will free up space for Kent Library.

A stairway will be constructed to connect the first-floor bookstore with the second-floor textbook services.