Students fight to lower cost of pricey textbooks

I was reading the following article on the ABC News Web site. I came up with an idea. Why not publish textbooks on CDs? This would eliminate the cost and waste of paper/trees. What do you guys think?

Students fight to lower cost of pricey textbooks

Posted: 08/21/2006 07:00:03

TUCSON, Ariz. (AP) -- Arizona students who spend an average of about $900 to $1,000 a year on textbooks have joined scholars nationwide in the fight to lower costs.

At the University of Arizona, the student government is taking part in a national campaign to make textbooks affordable. And this year, the Arizona Board of Regents formed a task force to examine what the university system as a whole can do to lower textbook prices.

Citing several practices within the publishing industry that have driven costs higher, a government report last year put the rising cost of college textbooks at four times the rate of inflation over the previous decade.

According to the Government Accountability Office college textbook report, publishers have turned to bundling books with CD-ROMs and other instructional supplements that often go unused and are issuing more frequent editions that often aren't necessary.

Regent Gary Stuart, who's part of the regents task force on textbook prices, said the cost of books is a "significant burden for students."

Student Regent Edward Hermes of Arizona State University will lead the task force, which will include two senior administrators and two students from each university, plus other faculty members. Meetings will start in September, with a final report expected to be ready for the regents by January.

The task force will collect data to examine the problem from the student perspective, Stuart said.

"Is there something the university system can do that individual students cannot?" he said. "Is there some way the university system can assist students in buying textbooks?"

UA students are aiming to achieve similar success as schools in other states. In Connecticut, the state Legislature passed a law this year that requires publishers to provide price information to faculty members. In Virginia, professors are encouraged to limit new editions of books, and textbooks aren't sold bundled with other materials unless specifically requested by faculty members.

"We want to hit this issue head-on with the actual publishing companies," said Erin Hertzog, UA student body president.

Students are also asking professors to understand their plight by submitting book requests earlier so the bookstore can plan ahead in terms of buying books back. That would increase the likelihood of used books being available for the next term.

"Professors aren't aware the damages some of these delays are doing to students," Hertzog said. "There's a disconnect right now that we students hope to point out and hope to solve from the very root of the problem."

(Copyright 2006 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)