Employees at the UNC Student Stores are upset about the possibility of UNC giving ownership of the stores to a private company. They partnered with the State Employees Association of North Carolina to protest in the pit on Monday afternoon.

“I was in business many years so I know what happens when something like this happens,” said Elsa Turel, whose daughter and granddaughter work at the Student Stores. ” The first people that are going to be affected are the workers.”

UNC was approached in the fall by Follett, a company that runs book stores on campuses across the state, with a proposal to take over the Student Stores.

Follett proposed to pay UNC a commission of 15 percent for the first $20 million in revenue and 18 percent on all revenue above that. It estimates this will total $3 million annually, which will be given to scholarships.

Follett has also pledged to donate $100,000 annually in textbook scholarships to students.

“Do not let the promise of cheaper textbooks or increased scholarships fool you,” said one employee. “Neither promise justifies the impact on the University of losing 49 permanent employees, who collectively have over 640 years of state service.”

In the proposal, the company said it will guarantee all current employees a job for at least one year.

Follett has said it will cut the costs of textbooks and other supplies for students, but UNC professor McKay Coble said this will not be the case.

“In a cost comparison of 100 books used in the UNC system, the cost of textbooks was higher in privatized stores than our UNC Student Stores,” she said. “Total cost of the 100 new books was $15,000. The total cost of these same 100 books in private stores was $16,000.”

The profits from the Student Stores go to scholarships and last year it donated over $400,000.

No decision has been made, but the university is currently listening to offers from other companies, as well as considering Follett’s offer.

Chancellor Carol Folt said it would be irresponsible to not listen to offers if they could increase scholarship money.