Purchasing textbooks and supplies is now more convenient for West Virginia University students receiving financial aid.

The WVU Division of Finance and the Office of Student Accounts has established a Reserve Convenience Account through the WVU Bookstore. This option allows students to buy books by simply presenting their Mountaineer ID card at any of the following campus bookstore locations: downtown (next to the Mountainlair), Brooke Tower, Health Sciences Center, College of Law and Potomac State.

Plans are in the works to extend the feature to students attending WVU at Parkersburg and WVU Institute of Technology for fall 2006, noted Tim Bostonia, associate director for WVU Business Services.

Students may also use their reserve account to purchase their books online athttp://wvu.bkstore.comafter Dec. 19.

This is how the program works: After tuition, fees, room and board, and other University fees are taken out of a students account, up to $500 (the average cost of textbooks per semester) will be automatically reserved for the purchase of books and supplies at the WVU Bookstore, Bostonia explained.

The exact amount depends on how much excess credit remains, he said, and will be ready and available for studentsuse Dec. 19.

Students are not required to participate in the program and may opt out athttps://eservices.wvu.edu/osa/login.cfmby Friday, Dec. 16, at midnight (MIX username and password required to log on). They will receive an e-mail confirmation.

Students who participate and only use a portion of the reserved amount will receive a refund following the program closing date on Jan. 15. Any purchases or charges exceeding the amount of the Reserve Convenience Account must be paid by cash, check or credit card at the time of purchase.

According to Bostonia, some 9,700 students are eligible for the program. Instructions about the Reserve Convenience Account were posted to the MIX (Mountaineer Information Xpress) last week, and information was included in the latest round of invoices that were recently mailed to students.

If students have questions or concerns, they are encouraged to send an e-mail to bookreserve@mail.wvu.edu .

For further details, go to the Frequently Asked Questions Web page athttps://eservices.wvu.edu/osa/faq.cfm.