On April 14, Associate Professor John Pease wrote an opinion column titled “How would you like $1 million?” In his article, Pease mentions the average student spends about $960 a year on their books. He declares high textbook prices are a result of professors not turning in their textbook requirements, called adoptions, to the school on time. Although this is part of the problem, forcing professors to submit their adoptions by a certain date will not save you as much money as Pease claims. Unfortunately, there is not one simple cause of the high textbook prices students face. This predicament stems from the system in place to handle textbook adoptions, as well as the practices of the publishing industry.
The system in place for textbook adoptions suffers from a lack of organization and a lack of control. The university seems to have absolutely no oversight of this system, leaving the bookstore to operate as it desires. Currently, most professors submit their requirements directly to the bookstore, with neither their department, nor the university administration, notified as to what these books are. The information is also not released to the students as soon as it is submitted, contrary to claims made by store representatives. Most often, this information is hidden and unannounced in a manner more reminiscent of a Douglas Adams story than of the policy of a public university.
Contrary to what Pease states in his article, the cornerstone of helping students save money on textbooks is not professors submitting their adoptions on time. This does allow a larger stock of used books to be available for the next semester, but it does not solve the problem of cost. Used textbooks are part of the solution, but the entire solution involves creating competition. More stores selling used textbooks will be competing against each other, causing lower prices.
The other problem with ordering books is the current system. Most professors will select books without having any idea what the price of the book is. This is done deliberately by publishers to make sure professors stay ignorant of prices. Seeing a book’s high price might convince a professor to go with a different, cheaper book that is just as good. Another problem with publishers is their willingness to churn out a new edition of a book. Most often, new editions are the same as older editions, but with minor changes so they can charge more. Professors should list on the syllabus, or at least announce in class, that using an older edition is acceptable. This allows students to save around 40 to 60 percent on books.
The only practical solution to the predicament surrounding high textbook prices was a bill proposed in the Maryland State Senate. Senator Greenip of District 33 recently sponsored The Textbook Fairness Act. This bill would force the university to release the ISBNs (International Standard Book Numbers) of every required textbook. Another provision would stop publishers from giving kickbacks to professors to use a particular book. The release of the ISBNs would allow students to find a cheaper copy of the exact book they need online. Many online vendors offer used copies for 40 to 60 percent less than new prices for the same book. Discounts can reach up to 90 percent from some vendors if the book is an older edition.
The state of Virginia passed a law similar to this in the last year in order to combat escalating textbook prices, and now Maryland is attempting to follow suit. Unfortunately, the bill was buried in a committee before being voted upon, so it cannot be enacted this year now that the term is over. A public hearing was held for the bill, but members of the Student Government Association incorrectly agreed with the bookstore representatives that the bill would not help lower prices for books. Low textbook prices are in reach – ask your state representatives how.
Mike Kazala graduated in 2005. He can be reached at mkazala@gmail.com.
