Textbooks prices: Is somone to blame?
By Matt Simko
IV Leader Staff
Textbooks may seem to be a fundamental part of college life,
yet for some IVCC students, the selection of just which books to buy has become
a key practice keeping book expenses under control.
When questioned about the rising cost of textbooks,
engineering transfer student Doug Alleman responded that in some cases the books
are not worth the money, citing the fact that some classes simply do not require
students to read the textbook in order to earn a high grade.
Jen Wallin, a sophomore music major, admits she doesn't
always buy all of her books. "I don't buy them all. If I hear through the grape
vine don't you won't use a book for a specific class, then I save my money." So
far, Wallin hasn't had any problems getting by without all of her books.
Mark Hedgcomb on the other hand buys all of his books. His
reasoning is simple, "I expect the instructors to teach from them or to use them
in their courses." For the most part, Hedgcomb has found his textbooks helpful
and got good use out of them.
The gap between what students actually use in their coursework and what
publishers are providing in their textbooks seems to be the central problem in
the perplexing and politicized problem of rising textbook costs.
The US Government Accountability Office's (GAO) report
indicated that the average, full-time student textbook costs have now reached a
$960 annually, a number comparable to IVCC, where students interviewed recounted
costs ranging between $700 and $1100 annually.
Textbook costs as a serious concern lead many, not the least
of which has been the United States Congress, to ask why text book costs are
rising and perhaps more importantly, what can be done to resolve the problem.
Answering the question of why textbook costs are rising has become a "blame
game" of sorts among those involved.
Dr. Matthew Johll, a chemistry instructor at IVCC who is the
midst of publishing a text book points to facts that may be behind the extra
materials and frequent edition changes that have played a large role in driving
up prices. "Its important to understand that each year that a particular edition
of a textbook is out, fewer and fewer new copies are sold because of the
circulation of used books." says Johll.
Johll also said that the marketing of textbooks dictates that
a company that decides to sacrifice the latest materials, like CDs, in order to
lower costs risks losing sales because of that decision.
While the publishers cite market demand and other marketing
and sales pressure, book stores have mostly tried to stay hands-off in the
matter, simply selling the books that the faculty chooses in accordance with the
prices imposed by the publisher.
The National Association of College Stores (NACS) said on its
website that the average gross margin reported by campus book stores has been
steady at 22.4% since 1998, a percentage comparable to other retail margins.
With the cause of increasing textbook prices likely to be
like in numerous places, it has been difficult for any action to take hold in
improving the situation.
A variety of laws have been passed by state legislatures that
range from removing sales tax from books to allowing textbook purchases to be
written on tax returns.
Many schools have implemented book rental programs that allow
student to temporarily rent books for the semester for a nominal fee, but such
programs have generally required faculty to select a book for a 3 to 5 year
period, by the end of which books are often in poor condition.
Other schools have tried subsidizing book costs by using
allocating student fees for "book scholarships", which IVCC freshman programming
board member Jenna Moore thinks is well-intentioned but would undoubtedly result
in difficulties in determining need and fairly distributing funds
So far it seems that the students themselves have been able
to effectively reduce costs for themselves, using Internet sites like Amazon.com
and e-Bay to buy and sell used books at prices more favorable than used book
store used book programs. The sites not offer favorable pricing, but allow the
students to sell books with opened CD cases and so far have managed allowed some
students to save hundreds of dollars on their books. By taking matters into
their own hands, many students have been able to avoid sacrificing books in
order to have enough left over for the tuition for a teacher.
Johll also said that the marketing of textbooks dictates that
a company that decides to sacrifice the latest materials, like CDs, in order to
lower costs risks losing sales because of that decision.
While the publishers cite market demand and other marketing
and sales pressure, book stores have mostly tried to stay hands-off in the
matter, simply selling the books that the faculty chooses in accordance with the
prices imposed by the publisher.
The National Association of College Stores (NACS) said on its
website that the average gross margin reported by campus book stores has been
steady at 22.4% since 1998, a percentage comparable to other retail margins.
With the cause of increasing textbook prices likely to be
like in numerous places, it has been difficult for any action to take hold in
improving the situation.
A variety of laws have been passed by state legislatures that
range from removing sales tax from books to allowing textbook purchases to be
written on tax returns.
Many schools have implemented book rental programs that allow
student to temporarily rent books for the semester for a nominal fee, but such
programs have generally required faculty to select a book for a 3 to 5 year
period, by the end of which books are often in poor condition.
Other schools have tried subsidizing book costs by using
allocating student fees for "book scholarships", which IVCC freshman programming
board member Jenna Moore thinks is well-intentioned but would undoubtedly result
in difficulties in determining need and fairly distributing funds
So far it seems that the students themselves have been able
to effectively reduce costs for themselves, using Internet sites like Amazon.com
and e-Bay to buy and sell used books at prices more favorable than used book
store used book programs. The sites not offer favorable pricing, but allow the
students to sell books with opened CD cases and so far have managed allowed some
students to save hundreds of dollars on their books. By taking matters into
their own hands, many students have been able to avoid sacrificing books in
order to have enough left over for the tuition for a teacher.