Committee works to reduce textbook costs

Business professor Bryce Jones  and juniors Brittany Engle and Jennifer Cleary are working to save money for  students and the University  by encouraging faculty to order older editions of textbooks.

Jones said it is unnecessary for many classes to use the newest textbook editions. By using the second-newest editions of textbooks for classes that can afford to do so, students will save money.

The Missouri general assembly currently is proposing to cut a minimum of $3 million from Truman's budget. Jones said money saved from the new textbook system potentially could offset some of the pending budget cuts. By charging students a $10 fee per credit hour in classes that implement the one-back edition policy, Jones said the University could make as much as $1.8 million yearly. Jones said the system is intended to benefit everybody, except the textbook companies.

"We think that overall the students will still come out ahead dollar-wise," Jones said.

Due to textbook companies merging, textbook prices have soared, raising the cost of higher education for college students.

Jeff Johnston, a divisional vice president and executive publisher of Pearson Learning Company, said approximately 30 college textbook publishers existed when he joined the industry in the late 1970s, and now there are five, according to a 2007 Columbus Dispatch article.

Of those five, PLC, Thomson Corp. (now Cengage Learning) and McGraw-Hill accounted for 35 percent of industry sales in 1990, according to the Wall Street Journal. Those numbers rose to 62 percent by 2002. This lack of competition has caused the rates of college textbook prices to skyrocket.

"The average student spends $900 per year, and prices are rising four times the rate of inflation," according to The Student Public Interest Research Group in a 2009 study. However, Truman students and faculty have been working together to fight back against these unprecedented prices.

Many students already are accessing cheaper textbooks by buying used copies, renting, shopping online, using digital readers or legally and illegally purchasing texts from overseas. Some students have dropped the whole idea of buying a traditional textbook altogether.

Jones said he realizes not all courses will be able to use an older edition, such as nursing and computer science classes, which constantly are using newer technology. However, he said approximately 85 percent of Truman courses could use older editions.

"Does math change that much?" Jones said. "Does statistics change that much? Does Shakespeare change that much?"

Jones said for most classes, the basic content is the same. Many newer editions don't have newer material, just cosmetic variations.

"They have to come out with a new edition every three years or they don't make any money — the publishers." Jones said. "So they repackage it a little bit and make it a little shinier."

Jones said that before the system is used campus wide, he plans to use the business department as a pilot program next fall. He estimates the business department produces $78,000 from student fees.

After surveying the 16 faculty members in the business department, Jones determined that of the 33 business classes being offered next semester, 10 already are using older editions and an additional 16 could make the switch.

For Jones' Commercial Law class, the new 14th edition of the text was listed at $213. Jones said the bookstore offered the text new for $200, used for $150 and rented for approximately $95. Jones had everybody in his class purchase the older 13th edition.

Students were able to obtain the text online at a cost between $2.50 and $20, including shipping.

Jones said this plan needs to be approved by President Troy Paino. He said he expects a formal proposal will be made to Paino during the next week or two. If the pilot program is a success and benefits students, the University might make the switch in the future.

"I think it's definitely worth a shot," Student Senate President Isaac Robinson said. "I'm 100 percent supportive of a pilot program there in the business department seeing how things go. I think there are a few wrinkles that need to be ironed out."

Robinson said it needs to be determined whether courses that cannot use older editions should require fees. It also needs to be ensured that there are a sufficient number of older textbooks to meet student demands.

Jones said he has had discussions with both the University Bookstore and Patty's Bookstore. Owner Patty Bolz declined to comment.

"We have lots of used books here and we continue to search for more used books," Truman Bookstore Manager Steve Pennington said. "We adopt old editions right now and we have been working with some of the different programs."

In addition to some courses not being able to roll back because of content, Pennington said online courseware also has affected the ability of some classes to use older editions.

"Some of the online components a lot of professors like to use aren't available with the older editions," Pennington said. "They're only available with the newer editions usually."

Although supportive of the system, Robinson said the course fees and the use of older textbooks are two separate ideas that have no direct correlation.

Jones said his idea was to meant to solve two problems, at least partially.

"The students, the faculty, the administration and the whole University should come out ahead," Jones said. "There will be a loser — textbook publishers. But am I sorry for them? No."

Jones presented his plan to Student Senate on February 27. Senate has not voted on a resolution.