Five UCSD professors participated in a campaign for cheaper
and more affordable textbooks Tuesday, signing statements acknowledging that
they will implement cheaper online textbooks into their courses whenever
possible and appropriate. They join more than 1,000 professors from 300
colleges across the country demanding “open textbooks,” a more affordable
option to those currently made available by publishers.
Open textbooks are complete textbooks that are accessible
online and are reviewed by qualified academics. As opposed to conventional
textbooks, open textbooks are under open license, allowing users to customize
and print the textbooks as they see fit for a small fee.
The Affordable Textbooks Campaign is a coalition of student
private interest and research groups (PIRGS) and student government
associations across the country attempting to make higher education more
accessible and financially feasible. Originating at UC Irvine, the campaign has
partnered with the California Student Public Interest Research Group in an
attempt to implement open textbook programs nationwide.
So far, open textbooks have been implemented at some of the
nation’s most prestigious universities, including Harvard, Yale and Caltech, as
well as some of the nation’s largest education systems, including the
California Community College system, the California State University system and
the Arizona State University system.
Erin Steva, the UCSD campus organizer for CalPIRG, said that
both students and professors are frustrated with publisher tactics that drive
up prices for quality textbooks.
“Oftentimes, when choosing textbook materials for their
classes, faculty members find that publishing industry prices are not readily
available,” Steva said. “In fact, a recent survey titled “Exposing the Textbook
Industry” reported that 77 percent of the faculty surveyed felt that textbook
marketing representatives rarely volunteered textbook pricing, and of the
faculty who asked for prices, only 38 percent got an answer.”
Steva added that university faculty members play a crucial
role in creating optimal and sustainable solutions to high textbook prices.
“The statements of intent signed by faculty members create
support and awareness about open textbooks and emphasize that both high quality
education and affordability are important criteria’s in choosing textbooks,”
Steva said. “Professors and faculty are part of the solution and are our closet
allies in the struggle for affordable textbooks.”
Steva said that transitioning to open textbooks would also
create sustainability and a greener campus because of a lesser reliance on
printed material.
“Oftentimes, publishers will release new editions of a
textbook with only a few changes as a tactic to drive up textbook fees and sell
more books,” Steva said. “Bookstores can no longer sell the older version of
the textbook and oftentimes students cannot resell their older version as well.
This often results in tons of wasted books and paper. With open textbooks,
professors and students can choose to print only specific sections of
textbooks, which is both cheaper and environmentally friendlier.”
Nicole Allen, the national advocate for Open Textbooks at
CalPIRG, said that the rising costs of textbooks are becoming a substantial
part of total student fees.
According to a study conducted by the Government
Accountability Office, textbooks cost students an average of $900 a year,
roughly equating to a quarter of annual tuition at four-year public
universities and nearly three-quarters of annual tuition at community colleges
across the country.
“At community colleges tuition amounts to about $20 a unit,”
Allen said. “With students spending an
additional $900 a year because of high textbook prices, textbooks can price
students out of higher education.”
Earl Warren College
Senator Peter Benesch was present at this week’s press conference, where
UCSD faculty members announced their support for open textbooks.
“Open textbooks directly address issues regarding access to
and affordability of a public university and higher education in general,”
Benesch said. “Oftentimes, affordability and accessibility towards higher
education is not given enough attention and a lot of people skirt the issue,
but in the end, a lot of people, especially students who don’t receive any type
of financial aid, end up paying the price.”
Benesch said that textbook fees can oftentimes exceed the
estimated yearly average of $900.
“As a political science major, I pay relatively less
compared to a lot of my friends in the hard sciences,” Benesch said. “A lot of my friends who are in
science majors like biology or chemistry can pay up to $500 a quarter for
textbooks, and that equates to $1,500 a year, much more than the national
average.”
Benesch added that students often get stuck with textbooks
they cannot sell back to bookstores because of changes in versions.
“From what I gather, approximately 20 percent of students
get stuck with old textbooks that they cannot sell back to vendors,” Benesch
said.
Benesch added that UCSD professors who are participating in
the campaign can select textbooks that are available online, and students can
then have copies of the text printed for about $10.
“Hopefully, if the program goes over well with the initial
faculty that is participating in it, we can see an more professors utilize open
textbooks over the coming quarters,” Besesch said. “When it comes to
affordable, accessible, and quality education, open textbooks are a win-win
situation for professors and students.”
