Professor Aruna Sharma, of Stony Brook’s Asian American studies department, recently hosted a signing event for her new book, “Raga - Swar Prabhav: Creation of Compositions in Popular Ragas.”

Prior to writing her book,  Aruna received her PhD in Indian Classical Music (ragas are a synonym for Indian Classical Music , a traditional style of Indian music that involves a rapid time-signature. She has been composing music since she was six years old. “It’s all about destiny,” Aruna stated, “I never thought I would leave India and come here to teach.”

The Hindustani genre (Indian classical music) has been gaining popularity in the United States, which has presented Aruna with opportunities to teach and flourish. One of Aruna’s main focuses is to make Hindustani music more popular with a younger generation and those unfamiliar with the genre. With this motive and some determination, Aruna sent an application for a research fellowship from the American Institute of Indian Studies. After being awarded the fellowship, Aruna traveled back to India for a year to research, test and compose songs that she hoped might make the genre more popular.

Aruna spent an entire year in Indian libraries  under the guidance of Maestro Ali KHan, searching for information to use for her music. She met with Indian university students and formed groups with which she could conduct her own “musical experiments.” She would compose songs and then give performances, seeking feedback from these students.  She had the opportunity to spend time, learning Thumri, from Mrs. Girija Devi, a famous Thumri singer. It was this feedback that assisted her in making changes to some key elements of her music which she believed would appeal more to her target audience.

While diligently working towards her goal, she discovered that only about two or three other authors had found ways to make Indian music more attractive to certain groups. Aruna was the first to compose and perform all of the compositions on her own, while the other authors received assistance from colleagues and students. She has become an innovator in this field of research and performance.

After completing her yearlong fellowship in India, Aruna returned to the United States to continue working on her book. She repeated the same process with students at Stony Brook University to further her research. Once her book was published, it was lauded by students and leaders in Indian Studies, both in the United States and in India, as very beneficial to those learning Indian music and others who appreciate Indian classical music.

Aruna regards her time spent in India working on the fellowship as “one of the best years of my life.” She is content that she was able to use her knowledge to broaden the appeal of traditional Indian music genres to American students.

Aruna said she is thankful  to her mentor  Amjad ALi, Mrs Sudha, Srivastava, and other scholars and students, both at Stony Brook and in India, have been in helping her with her mission. Currently, she is working on another book which will contain songs from Indian genres transcribed in Western musical notation. This will make studying and understanding these songs easier for Western students.

Our University Bookstore is anything but just a bookstore. Sure, they sell books and other course materials, but not many students know much about the other services the bookstore has to offer.

Will Giler, the bookstore’s general manager, described the bookstore as a “CVS, Bed Bath and Beyond, Barnes and Noble, and Macy’s” all rolled into one. Students can purchase items such as SBU apparel, snacks, e-readers, light bulbs and band aids; the bookstore has it all. The bookstore even has games, dorm room supplies and a large supply of everyday necessities.

The bookstore also hosts special events if students or clubs would like to perform. These events have included book signings, karaoke, musical performances and poetry events. “We are always looking for talent to showcase,” said Giler.

One new tradition the bookstore has started is the Graduation Fair where students getting their cap and gown can learn about the graduation ceremony, class rings, career services and the alumni association while participating in raffles and winning prizes. This semester’s fair is April 14 and 15 from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Many students also aren't aware of the bookstore’s commitment to making textbooks and course material more available. Last semester, the bookstore had over 1.3 million dollars in books in stock when the semester started. As if that number wasn’t large enough, Giler, promised to have “a lot more” in Fall 2015.“We will have a lot more access codes for online material as well as more used books to make buying books more affordable for Stony Brook students,” Giler said.

“We will have a lot more access codes for online material as well as more used books to make buying books more affordable for Stony Brook students”

Buying and selling used books, as well as other exclusive deals offered by the bookstore, saved Stony Brook students around $1.4 million dollars last year. Part of these savings come from the bookstore’s book rental program. Students can save up to 80% when renting textbooks, but on average save 50% — which is already a lot of money. Savings while renting vary based upon availability and demand for the book.

any students don’t know that you can write and highlight in rental textbooks. As long as students don’t rip or destroy the book, students can do whatever makes reading most effective for them; making little notes, highlighting important material, and underlining — it is all acceptable.

Savings wise, Guaranteed Buyback is still the best deal. This is because books that are a part of Guaranteed Buyback are guaranteed to be bought back at 50% of the original price. This means you are essentially getting a 50% off deal on the book, because you will be getting paid that much when you sell it back to the bookstore. This is most definitely the best deal the bookstore offers.

The bookstore also has thousands of trade books, magazines and other texts that students might be looking for. In addition to a wide selection in-store, students can have the bookstore order and deliver any book they want. The book can be ordered and delivered right to the bookstore where it can be conveniently picked up by the student in person. 

Complimentary Desk Copy Service

Many faculty members have already been enjoying the complimentary desk copy service that is offered by simply providing on time course material requisitions. The Faculty Student Association (FSA) wishes to thank you for helping to ensure that the University is meeting compliance as it relates to the Higher Education Opportunity Act (HEOA).

This service brought to you by the FSA is implemented by the FSA Bookstore Liaison’s Office. As some of you may not be aware, the FSA employs over 400 students annually and this office is operated by one full time professional  Deborah DiFranco, the Bookstore Liaison and  eight  student staff  who diligently capture your course material information requests each semester and process your requests for “Desk Copies.”

The Fall 2014 semester was the first full semester that faculty utilized  the new Course Material Requisition (CMR) system. Previously, Desk Copy requests were made by checking a box, however, this past semester with the new system you now need to make your request in the comments section within the requisition.  Many professors assumed that this was a mandatory service and that they would simply receive desk copies every semester, not realizing that this was a complimentary service by request only. This service will be provided to all those faculty who not only submit their CMR on time, but submit their request using the new CMR System.

For those of you not familiar with the difference between a “Desk Copy” and an “Exam Copy,” a Desk Copy can only be requested once you place your course material requisition and commit to using this book for your class and  an “Exam Copy” is a free book that you would like to receive from a publisher because you are considering using it for your class. You must request an “Exam Copy” directly with a publisher; this is not a service that the FSA Bookstore Liaison can provide for you.

Reminders will soon be sent to faculty for the summer and fall 2015 semesters and it is important that you understand the process to have a better experience with this program.

Although it seems early to even consider providing your course material information by the designated due dates each semester, there are many reasons why this action provides the University and your students the assistance they need as it relates to their “Required & Recommended” course materials:

Meeting the Higher Education Opportunity Act (HEOA)

When the Bookstore knows that you will be using the same material next semester, they will pay students more during Buyback which in turn offers more used textbooks on the shelf to purchase the following semester. Used textbooks are the most cost effective way for students to purchase their textbooks.

Students who receive financial aid money and utilize a Bookstore Campus Account (BCA) to purchase their “Required & Recommended” course material  will need to buy their course material at our University Bookstore.

I hope you continue to enjoy this service and for those of you who will now be experiencing it for the first time, let me know if you need any assistance with utilizing our new Course Material Requisition system. My staff and I are always available to walk you through the process.