Vanessa Sahawi
Textbook prices skyrocket through the roof
The Pierce College Academic Senate discussed a resolution on the reduction of textbook pricing in the bookstore.
The Pierce College bookstore has to deal with complex issues that range from: getting approval from the Board of Trustees, publishing companies and competing with online markets, and meeting certain profit margin criteria.
” In the past four years the prices accelerated by 40 percent and that’s double the consumer price index,” said Larry Krais, associate vice president.
The issue came to attention for quite awhile and it was through Phil Stein’s curiousity about bookstore prices and comparing them to other book seller sources , that made him interested in finding out what students have to deal with on a daily basis, according to the Academic Senate meeting.
“Student success with projects and programs are affected when students can’t buy the textbook. It hurts their success,” said Phil Stein, Senator Emeritus.
The Academic Senate is trying to find resolutions dealing with this problem by having students rent books, four year addition adopt. Four year additions are textbooks that will remain the same and not be changed every semester.
“For introductory classes, the textbook change is minimal, but for other subjects the book change is needed,” stated Izzy Goodman, past president Chemistry.
The four year addition adoption is still in debate, since specific teaching subjects need to continuously have updates in the text, since material changes in the course through time.
“District bookstores profit has decreased by 30 percent even with the escalating textbook prices. They will price themselves out the market and it’s way over the top and should drop it,” said Goodman.
The increase in these textbooks are not only affecting Pierce College’s bookstore, but of neighboring bookstores that are being affected as well. Four out of five bookstores are running in the red.
” If the bookstore disappears there will be no teaching material, and we need to have a delivery system,” said Larry Krais.
Link:http://www.piercecollege.edu/offices/bookstore/
