Bad news from the University of California at Irvine: the school has issued a Request for Proposal to privatize the operations of its bookstore, the Hill.
The store says it will "continue to perform to the best of our ability and seek support from our campus partners, student body, faculty, and staff." It also said that it would "appreciate any advice or strategies that our fellow independent stores can provide in this tumultuous time."
The store was founded in 1981 as the University Bookstore. After several moves on campus, in 2012 it was renamed the Hill. The store is a not-for-profit, self-supporting organization owned by UC Irvine, employing more than 100 students with many alumni on staff. Any surplus is used for programs in the division of student affairs. The store manager is Kimberly Vater.