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CALPIRG blames publishers for prices

Textbook prices have risen at a rate four times higher than inflation over the past four years, partly as a result of aggressive marketing tactics by publishers, the California Public Interest Research Group announced in a new report released on Feb. 1.

The study was the second in two years prepared by the group.

“Textbook publishers rip off students by using gimmicks to artificially inflate prices, and higher education is made less affordable as a result,” said Derlin Hsu, coordinator of UCSD CALPIRG’s “Affordable Textbooks Campaign.”

The report, titled “Ripoff 101: 2nd Edition,” outlines a study conducted by CALPIRG that examines the prices of the most commonly used textbooks at 59 universities across the United States. The average student at a university will pay $900 per year on textbooks, almost one-fifth of the in-state tuition for a four-year public university, according to the study.

In addition, CALPIRG accused textbook publishers of bundling books with superfluous materials and releasing unnecessary new editions of the books in order to inflate prices.

“Publishers increase textbook prices by adding unnecessary bells and whistles, such as CD-ROMs or workbooks,” Hsu said. “Bundled books are, on average, 10 percent more expensive than their unbundled versions and … 50 percent of all bundled books surveyed did not have an accompanied unbundled version on the shelf. Furthermore, 65 percent of faculty surveyed said they use these additional items rarely or never.”

In a written statement released on the same day to refute the report, Association of American Publishers President and CEO Pat Schroeder said that the bundled versions offer multimedia learning that is helpful to students.

“These textbooks are supported by an extensive array of supplemental materials, such as study guides, lab manuals and digital media like CD-ROMs, online tutorials, self-assessments and digital libraries,” Schroeder said. “These are 21st-century tools used to prepare students to succeed in today’s world.”

Hsu cited the new edition of math textbook “Calculus: Early Transcendentals” that is used at UCSD and published by Thomson Learning as an example of an unnecessary update. The fifth edition of the book, which sells for $130, only varies slightly from the 1999 edition, which can be bought used for between $10 and $100, according to Hsu.

“The only significant difference between these two books is the price,” Hsu said. “Thomson Learning charges American students $130 for this book, but they charge students in other countries only $72. That’s just a big rip-off.”

Revelle College Provost and math professor Daniel Wulbert, who spoke at the CALPIRG press conference where the new report was first revealed, said he reaffirmed the study’s findings. As a professor for 30 years, Wulbert said he has rarely seen a new edition with any significant changes.

“When a book comes out for the first time, a second edition is warranted because they rethink the difficulty and the order, as well as get feedback,” Wulbert said. “Then they are able to improve the book. After that, the changes in edition have less value.”

Wulbert also said that the faculty at the UCSD mathematics department did not see a reason to switch from the third to the fourth edition of “Early Transcendentals” but was forced to do so when the publisher informed him that no copies of the older edition were available.

“[The faculty] didn’t want the copies,” Wulbert said. “The students didn’t want the copies. The only one who seemed to want the new copies of the book was the publishing company.”

In response to the report, the AAP cited a survey of 1,029 instructors conducted by Zogby International in December 2004. According to the poll, 75 percent of the faculty surveyed either require or recommend the supplemental materials found in the bundles. The survey also found that 62 percent of the faculty prefers editions with the most recent copyright date.

Schroeder also addressed the issue of price discrepancies between textbooks in the United States and overseas.

“In England, where tuition can be 20 percent of that at a comparable U.S. institution, textbook prices must follow suit if they are to compete with prices set by indigenous publishing programs,” Schroeder stated. “Setting prices according to regional conditions helps ensure access to quality educational materials for many more students, and holds down the price of U.S. textbooks because costs can be spread further.”

Readers can contact Patrick Allen at [email protected].

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