2008 Woodie Awards
Textbook tyranny
part 1
Carl Miller
Issue date: 4/18/08 Section: Headlines
Most full-time students are paying upward of $300 for textbooks every term, according to the Student PIRG (Public Interest Research Group) and maketextbooksaffordable.org "The average student spends $900 per year [on textbooks], and textbook prices increase faster than inflation."
The Bureau of Labor Statistics Producer Price Index shows that while all finished goods have increased in price by 14 percent since 1994, wholesale textbook prices have jumped by 62 percent in that same time period.
Not only do book prices rise faster than a rocket, publishers tend to point a new edition of their book nearly every year. This creates a two-fold problem for students. The new editions are more expensive than their predecessors and they make the sell-back value of the last edition plummet.
According to the Student PIRG, new copies of new editions cost 45 percent more than a used copy of an old edition. Not only that, but the non-used price is raised an average of 12 percent every time a new edition is released. The Student PIRG also notes that "three-fourths of the faculty surveyed in 2004 said that they found new editions were justified only 'half the time or less.'"
There is also the practice of "bundling" extra supplemental materials with new textbooks. Another study done by the Student PIRG found that "65 percent of professors report that they 'rarely' or 'never' use supplemental items included in bundled textbooks." Actually, students already know from experience that these materials are rarely used.
The federal government is addressing the problem with textbook prices. There is currently a bill proposed in the House of Representatives, named the College Opportunity and Affordability Act. According to maketextbooksaffordable.org, the three main components of the act are: "1. Requires publishers to include textbook pricing and revision information up-front to faculty. 2. Requires publishers to offer textbooks and supplemental materials 'unbundled' (separately). 3. Requires institutions, to the maximum extent practicable, to provide the list of required and recommended textbooks (including prices and ISBNs) when students register for classes."
The Bureau of Labor Statistics Producer Price Index shows that while all finished goods have increased in price by 14 percent since 1994, wholesale textbook prices have jumped by 62 percent in that same time period.
Not only do book prices rise faster than a rocket, publishers tend to point a new edition of their book nearly every year. This creates a two-fold problem for students. The new editions are more expensive than their predecessors and they make the sell-back value of the last edition plummet.
According to the Student PIRG, new copies of new editions cost 45 percent more than a used copy of an old edition. Not only that, but the non-used price is raised an average of 12 percent every time a new edition is released. The Student PIRG also notes that "three-fourths of the faculty surveyed in 2004 said that they found new editions were justified only 'half the time or less.'"
There is also the practice of "bundling" extra supplemental materials with new textbooks. Another study done by the Student PIRG found that "65 percent of professors report that they 'rarely' or 'never' use supplemental items included in bundled textbooks." Actually, students already know from experience that these materials are rarely used.
The federal government is addressing the problem with textbook prices. There is currently a bill proposed in the House of Representatives, named the College Opportunity and Affordability Act. According to maketextbooksaffordable.org, the three main components of the act are: "1. Requires publishers to include textbook pricing and revision information up-front to faculty. 2. Requires publishers to offer textbooks and supplemental materials 'unbundled' (separately). 3. Requires institutions, to the maximum extent practicable, to provide the list of required and recommended textbooks (including prices and ISBNs) when students register for classes."
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