COLLEGE TEXTBOOKS:

BREAKING THE BANKBY: ZEUS LANGARICA, DANIELLE LIVES, AND

JAREN CRANE

THE RISE IN COLLEGE TEXTBOOK PRICES

•TEXTBOOK FEES ARE UNAVOIDABLE•ALL MAJOR CLASSES WE TAKE REQUIRE TEXTBOOKS•TEXTBOOKS ARE SPLIT

TEXTBOOK

•“WHAT WOULD BE THE BEST WAY TO OBTAIN NECESSARY, INEXPENSIVE COLLEGE TEXTBOOKS FROM THE SCHOOL BOOK STORE?”

ANALYZING THE PROBLEM•STUDENTS HAVE HUGE PAYMENTS TO MAKE THROUGHOUT THE COLLEGIATE CAREER.•TEXTBOOKS ARE DEMANDING A LARGE

PORTION OF THE MONEY STUDENTS SPEND EVERY YEAR.•THE AVERAGE FULL TIME STUDENT AT SLCC

SPENDS $1,800 PER SEMESTER FOR CLASSES, AND SPENDS $300 - $400 FOR TEXTBOOKS. •THE NATIONAL AVERAGE STUDENTS PAY

FOR COLLEGE TEXTBOOKS IS $655.

WHO DOES THE PRICES OF TEXTBOOKS AFFECT?

•STUDENTS•SCHOOLS•PUBLISHERS

STUDENTS•7 OUT OF 10 STUDENTS ADMIT TO NOT BUYING AT LEAST ONE TEXTBOOK FOR A COURSE PER SEMESTER DUE TO THE PRICE.•ON AVERAGE, GRADES FOR THOSE COURSES ARE GENERALLY LOWER THAN IN THE OTHER COURSES, WHERE BOOKS WERE PURCHASED.

SCHOOLS•SCHOOLS BOOKSTORES ARE MAKING PROFIT FROM SELLING BOOKS AT A HIGH PRICE, THEN BUYING BACK AT A SUBSTANTIALLY LOW PRICE.•THEY RESELL THE BOOK FOR 75% OF THE ORIGINAL VALUE.•THIS PROFIT HELPS FUND THE SCHOOL.

PUBLISHERS•PUBLISHERS NEED TO MAKE A PROFIT IN ORDER TO FUND THE MULTIPLE AUTHORS, DESIGNERS, AND MARKETERS THAT MAKE AND SELL THE TEXTBOOKS.

HISTORY•LOOKING AT THREE DECADES, 1977 TO 2010, THE PRICES OF TEXTBOOKS HAVE INCREASED BY 812% •THAT’S MORE THAN THE INCREASE OF PRICE IN MEDICAL EXPENSES AND NEW HOMES THROUGH THE SAME PERIOD OF TIME!

INFLATION OF COLLEGE TEXTBOOKS

HAVE POLICIES INCLUDED POLITICS?•THE HEOA, SHORT FOR THE HIGHER EDUCATION OPPORTUNITY ACT, IS A HIGHER EDUCATION REFORM BILL PASSED BY CONGRESS IN 2008.  AMONG THE MANY PROVISIONS IN HEOA WAS A SET OF IMPORTANT REGULATIONS TO HELP MAKE TEXTBOOKS AFFORDABLE, WHICH WENT INTO EFFECT JULY 1, 2010. 

HOW DOES THAT AFFECT US? • THE NEW LAW ALSO ASKS COLLEGES

TO PROVIDE THE LIST OF ASSIGNED TEXTBOOKS FOR EACH COURSE (INCLUDING ISBNS AND PRICES) DURING REGISTRATION.  THAT WAY, STUDENTS CAN PLAN AHEAD FOR THE EXPENSE, AND THEY HAVE MORE TIME TO SHOP AROUND FOR THE BEST DEALS.

CRITERIA FOR OUR SOLUTION•MORE BOOKS NEED TO BE AVAILABLE FOR RENTAL AT THE BOOKSTORE.•COURSES SHOULD USE EDITIONS OF A TEXTBOOK

LONGER THAN ONE YEAR, UNLESS THERE IS A DRAMATIC CHANGE IN MATERIAL.• THIS WOULD MAKE MORE USED BOOKS AVAILABLE AS

WELL AS USED RENTAL BOOKS.

• EBOOKS NEED TO BE AVAILABLE AT THE BOOKSTORE FOR EASIER ACCESS TO SLCC EDITION COURSE TEXTBOOKS.• EBOOKS COULD LOWER IN COST BECAUSE THEY

EXPIRE AFTER THE SEMESTER, AND FEWER RESOURCES ARE NECESSARY TO CREATE THEM.

POSSIBLE SOLUTIONS•SLCC COULD ESTABLISH A BETTER TEXTBOOK RENTAL

PROGRAM IN THE BOOKSTORE.• THIS WOULD PROVIDE FOR MORE BOOKS AVAILABLE FOR

RENTAL, IN TURN, HELPING THE BOOKSTORE COMPETE WITH AMAZON AND OTHER ONLINE RESOURCES THAT SELL TEXTBOOKS AT REASONABLE PRICES.

•SLCC COULD MAKE A SYSTEM IN THE BOOKSTORE THAT OFFERS EBOOKS NEEDED FOR EVERY COURSE AVAILABLE. • THIS WOULD MAKE SEARCHING FOR EBOOKS FOR A SPECIFIC

COURSE EASIER TO FIND, RESULTING IN MORE PROFIT TO THE BOOKSTORE.

IMPLEMENTING OUR SOLUTION•WE WOULD ESTABLISH A DATABASE MADE IN

THE BOOKSTORE TO STORE AND SEARCH EBOOKS. MINOR MAINTENANCE IS REQUIRED TO MAINTAIN THE WEBSITE. THERE WOULD ALSO NEED TO BE MORE TEXTBOOKS IN THE CURRENT RENTAL SYSTEM TO MEET THE NEEDS OF ALL COURSES OFFERED AT SALT LAKE COMMUNITY COLLEGE.•WE WOULD ALSO NEED TO CONTACT THE

BOOKSTORE DIRECTOR AND PROPOSE THE IDEA. WE WOULD MAKE A PETITION WITH SIGNATURES OF STUDENTS WHO AGREE ON THE ISSUE. THIS WOULD PROVE THE SUPPORT OF THE STUDENT BODY AND WOULD ALLOW US TO SPEAK TO HIM/HER IN PERSON.

SOURCES•PROFESSOR ART KANEHARA•GROUP 2, COMM 1010-015• **THANK YOU FOR YOUR HELP!!!**

• HTTP://WWW.WISCONSIN.EDU/NEWS/2010/R100604.HTM• HTTP://WWW.STUDENTPIRGS.ORG/RESOURCES/TEXTBOOK-PRICE-DISCLOSURE-LAW• HTTP://

I.HUFFPOST.COM/GEN/926781/THUMBS/S-COLLEGE-TEXTBOOKS-PRICES-480X360.JPG?6• HTTP://CDN-STATIC.ZDNET.COM/I/STORY/60/01/017398/TEXTBOOKS.JPG