Textbooks large part of college costs

Even with the growth of e-books and rental programs, students heading back to college still have to face soaring costs for textbooks.

"I spent $700 on textbooks and a calculator," said Melissa Holtzclaw, a freshman studying accounting at National Park Community College.

Janice Sawyer, vice president of financial affairs at NPCC, said the school is doing everything it can to save students money on textbooks.

According to the U.S. Public Interest Research Group, the average textbook can set a student back $200 each, with students spending $1,200 a year just on books and materials.

The Government Accountability Office published a report on textbooks in June 2013 that said the price of text books has increased 82 percent from the years 2002 to 2012. During that same time, the overall consumer prices only rose 28 percent. According to U.S. PIRG, book prices have increased three times the rate of inflation.

The GAO report was in response to the Higher Education Opportunity Act, which was enacted Aug. 14, 2008. The law requires transparency from textbook publishers, who must give those who select materials, such as professors, information about the books, materials, the price for the campus bookstore and the retail price for any other book provider. Schools have to provide an international student book number or author, title, publisher and copyright date. If that information is not available, schools can just say to be determined.

The Higher Education Opportunity Act encourages rental programs, buy backs and other cost-saving strategies.

Sawyer said NPCC tries to go beyond HEOA guidelines. The school posts all the information available on books as soon as possible so students can find the best price.

U.S. PIRG surveyed students about textbooks, and found "nearly half" of students said textbook costs impacted their class choices every semester. The survey also found that 65 percent chose not to buy a textbook for a class at all because of the price. Of those, 94 percent worried that that decision would hurt their grade.

"Despite the growth of used book programs, rental markets, and e-textbooks, student consumers are still captive to the high prices of the traditional market," Ethan Senack, higher education associate for the U.S. PIRG Education Fund, and author of the U.S. PIRG report, said in a news release.

"All textbooks are expensive whether you buy them (at the bookstore) or elsewhere." said Tyler Dauber, a freshman studying nursing, who works in the National Park Community College bookstore. "I spent $946 on my books."

Dauber pointed out that the bookstore doesn't actually make a profit off the books. The profits come from the sale of items like backpacks and candy.

"I think (book prices) are high everywhere. The bookstore has no control (over prices.)" Sawyer said. "If all instructors across the state used the same book, it would help costs."

Instructors make the decisions about which book and how many books to use for each class.

Gordon Watts, executive vice president of Instruction, said professors have to use the books that best suit the class. Some books also offer extras, such as test banks and online sources. Watts said most students are on financial aid so that should help with some costs.

"I think everyone would agree prices are high." said Wade Derden, the chair of social sciences at the college. "We have tried to go to less expensive 'essentials' editions."

Derden said "essentials" books cut out extras such as color photos. Some books are not available that way, but they try to use them when possible.

One way NPCC tries to save students money is by running its own bookstore. Most colleges outsource running their bookstores to corporations, but NPCC has institutionalized its store.

Tom Craig, manager of the bookstore at NPCC, acknowledged the publishers have to cover research and development, as well as overhead costs. "Everything costs, but at the same time there are a lot of ways (books) could be cheaper."

Craig said the bookstore tries to buy as many used books as it can, by buying books back and searching the market for used books. He said used books save students about 30 percent over the cost of new books.

One problem Craig runs into with used books is that not all publishers are willing to provide access codes for used books. Codes allow students to access Internet sources.

Craig said, "Codes are great if they are actually used."

Another way NPCC lowers costs is to use customized books. If instructors are only going to use part of a book, they can get a book with only what is needed. Craig said a $75 book can drop in price to $36. The problem is that the bookstore cannot always buy back custom books.

According to Craig, instructors try to use the same book for as long as possible. When publishers bring out a new edition of a book, the teachers try to continue using the old book until the bookstore can no longer get used books. Craig says they can keep getting the book for about a year.

The bookstore has implemented an online book rental program to save students money. In January 2015, they will launch an in-store rental program.

Craig also tries to follow any legislation about textbooks closely.

"With both of my kids in college, I see firsthand how the cost of textbooks add to the price of higher education. Textbooks are a necessary and important tool in the learning process, and I support efforts to make higher education and the material that enhances that education more accessible and affordable for all Arkansans," U.S. Sen. Mark Pryor, D-Ark., said in an email in response to a question from The Sentinel-Record.

"President Obama's failed policies have driven up education costs across the board, including the price of textbooks," U.S. Rep. Tom Cotton, R-District 4, said in an email response to the same questions. "And they've made it more difficult for students buying those textbooks to afford them."

Local on 09/02/2014

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