Put it in the books

Without fail, every semester produces the same sad story: A student walks into the bookstore, diligently collects between four and 48 textbooks (assuming all the required books are actually in stock), proceeds to the cash register and subsequently dies of a massive heart attack upon seeing the total bill. If you haven’t heard this unfortunate news, we recommend you pick up the paper more often.\nJoking aside, while the prospect of students keeling over dead from the price of books is noticeably absurd, what is not absurd is the reality of difficult financial burdens being placed on students when purchasing class materials. Yes, we realize that pricey textbooks are a fact of higher education, and that bountiful financial aid packages (including federal loans) supposedly compensate for this cost, hopefully for more students than not. However, being students ourselves (who leave the newspaper office once in a while to attend class), we see the utility and positive benefits of any proposal to lessen the impact of textbook costs on students’ pocketbooks (or their parents’ credit card).\nTake, for example, a bill currently waiting to be signed into law in Washington state. Under the proposed law, which is expected to be approved by Gov. Christine Gregoire in the near future, textbook publishers would be required to share book prices with faculty members before the professor decides to use the text in class. Currently, publishers such as Houghton Mifflin may send free copies of their books to professors in an effort to “show off” the book and entice its usage in a particular class. Sadly, the actual price of the textbook (i.e. what the professor’s students would pay at the bookstore) is not revealed, potentially leading otherwise noble instructors to select a rather expensive text, say $150 for a chemistry book, just as an example. The theory behind the legislation is that professors (they are noble, remember) may think twice about using a text with such a high price tag, especially when other, more affordable options, may be available. After all, competition and the free market are supposed to produce the wisest, most efficient outcomes, according to our $130 economics book.\nWe applaud the sponsors of Washington’s legislation, as well as those fighting for similar proposals in Arkansas, Illinois and Minnesota. As an aside, the reform in Washington came from the likes of you: students. The actions of the Washington Student Lobby and the Washington Public Interest Research Group – a student organization – are to be commended, as are the legislators who foresaw the usefulness of such legislation. We’d also be remiss not to mention the efforts of our own student association, who have fought this year to reduce textbook costs by exempting such items from state sales tax.\nThere seems to be a pattern developing: Students have a voice, and given the proper motivation, can affect state policy. Congratulations, fellow students, and thank you. \nOur last request is that publishers and professors alike will truly take to heart why such reforms are necessary in the first place.