Almost a year's work of near-futile lobbying finally is paying off for Student Government Association President Dan Nowiski and Student Book Exchange General Manager John Belco.

SGA officials approved a resolution last week that presses the university to allow students to charge textbooks to their university accounts at off-campus vendors - in CMU's case, the SBX, 209 E. Bellows St.

And it's about time.

Making textbooks more affordable and easier to attain has been Nowiski's calling card since he assumed office in March 2006. He and Belco have worked together on endless lobbying efforts to Lansing, the university and SGA to allow students the option of charging textbooks at either the SBX or the CMU Bookstore, located in the Bovee University Center.

But their pleas fell on deaf ears last semester.

On Aug. 15, 2006, it seemed the water had cleared. Gov. Jennifer Granholm signed into law Public Act 340, a bill that, among other things, included a provision to allow competing bookstores to use university account systems.

But there was a catch - and it was a laughable one. The Michigan attorney general's office told Central Michigan Life in September that the state has no means of enforcing the provision. It basically was approved to appease Belco's constant requests, while at the same time putting no pressure on CMU to adhere.

So university officials, having no obligation to comply with something that couldn't be enforced, politely listened to Nowiski and Belco make further arguments, and did nothing.

Strike one.

But Belco and Nowiski weren't finished. Belco continued to write and e-mail the university and continued to address the issue at the September 2006 Board of Trustees meeting. And Nowiski continued to lobby for the textbook resolution to be voted on by SGA officials.

It looked as if he accomplished his goal when the Senate adopted a bill on Sept. 25 in support of extending student accounts, giving the university a month to respond. But it took just one week for the House to reject the resolution, once again stalling the issue.

Strike two.

On top of trying to convince a stubborn university, Nowiski had to face a divided student government heading into 2007. And strike three was rapidly approaching, considering we have less than a month before student body president election talk begins.

But for once, something finally went right last week for Nowiski and Belco. There again is pressure on the university to allow students to charge textbooks at the SBX, as SGA officials set an April 1 deadline for a CMU response.

We've criticized Nowiski many times during his tenure as student body president. But what he may lack in a political agenda, he surely makes up for in persistence. He never gave up on this issue and he deserves some credit.

But the road ahead still is littered with potholes. And you can bet Belco and Nowiski will be at next week's Board of Trustees meeting, armed with plenty of reasons why Public Act 340 should be adopted.

You've done your job, Dan.

Barring any more unforeseen setbacks, CMU finally is up to bat.

And this time, this university's students will be counting the strikes.