Last year, rolly-backpacks seemingly took over the halls of IVCC.  Whether they were slowing you down for class or just annoying the good mood out of you, everywhere you looked there was a rolly-backpack.
But let’s fast forward to now.  It seems like the amount of rolly-backpacks have decreased.  I’ll be honest here; sometimes I tend to overreact to some things, so I asked a few of my friends about what they have observed this year compared to last year.
Student Steve Porter says, “I’ve definitely noticed a difference. Last year I couldn’t take two steps without seeing a rolly-backpack. Now, some days I can get lucky and not see them at all.”
“Last year I would get so irritated just seeing one of those things.” said Saralyn Simpson, another student. “I still get annoyed when I see one, but this year I don’t see nearly as many, and I’m alright with that.”
So why aren’t there as many rolly-backpacks this year compared to last?  There could be a few different reasons.  For example, depending on the brand of backpack a person gets, the cost is still generally between $20 and $40.
However, in one of my previous reports about rolly-backpacks, one woman said she paid $60 for hers.  This, mixed in with the fact that a rolly-backpack’s life span generally lasts around one year, makes for a costly addition to any student’s wallet.
However, another reason could be the fact that there are not as many students attending IVCC that are above the age of 30.
Bob Mattson, director of institutional research at IVCC, sent me the numbers comparing students between Fall 2011 and the Fall 2012 semesters.
During the Fall 2011 semester, there were 1,161 students above the age of 30 attending IVCC.  However, during the Fall 2012 semester, there are 1,048 students above the age of 30 attending IVCC, a drop off of 113 students age 30 and up.
Now I am not trying to be an ageist here, but it seems that many of the people with rolly-backpacks are older, mostly because of back problems and having to carry loads of books on their back is not a simple task when a person gets older. Trust me, I’m 20; I know what I’m talking about.
These are just a couple of reasons why the “rolly-backpack fad” could be decreasing.
To find out the real reason, a survey of all the people who converted from rolly-backpack to standard backpack would have to be held, and find out why the made the switch.
Unfortunately, I do not have the capability of doing that…yet.
Maybe someday in the future if rolly-backpacks make their way onto the streets of America, I will do a major report for CNN.