James Hermon / Roundup, Dustin Johnson / Roundup
The Pierce College Academic Senate approved a task force at a recent meeting that will investigate possible solutions to increasing the revenue of textbooks sold on campus, as well as the revenue lost from the lack of book sales.
While the Pierce College Student Store is not the only student service affected by budget cuts, it seems to be the most apparent.
According to the a recent Pierce College Budget Commitee minutes, the statements from the book store’s 2009-2010 fiscal year show a loss of $25,039. In anticipation of a loss in the college general fund, Pierce also transferred an additional $253,000 from the Bookstore’s ending balance, creating a loss of $278,039.
There has been a 40 percent increase in textbook prices over the last four years, according to Larry Kraus, associate vice president of Enterprise.
Currently, the bookstore’s prices are approximately 10 percent higher than publishers’, and over 20 percent higher than prices that may be found online.
Part of the high prices can be attributed to frequent releases of new editions, which leaves students no choice but to purchase a new copy of a textbook
“When a student can’t afford a textbook, this really hurts their chance of success,” said Kraus.
Many students have found that they can pay less for textbooks if they purchase them online.
“I buy my books online because I can rent them; I don’t think I’ve ever bought all my books from the Bookstore since I’ve been a student at Pierce,” said Fenela Pahed, a psychology major.
Renting books allows students to pay a fraction of the actual cost of their books in exchange for the obligation of returning them at the end of the semester.
Other students are also finding cheaper books at outside vendors.
“I get the majority of my books from Woodland Textbooks because they are cheaper,” said Aurial Granger, an undecided major.
However, not all students are purchasing their books online or off-campus. Some still prefer the convenience of buying textbooks on campus.
Prince Young, a sociology major, still prefers to purchase his textbooks from the book store.
“It’s very easy to buy them at the book store on campus,” said Young. “The only problem with buying from the book store is managing to come up with the money to purchase them.
“I spent over $400 on textbooks this semester,” he added.
The book store has also lost a great deal of its revenue due to the drastic number of class courses that have been cut, according to Bruce Rosky, associated vice president of administrative services.
“The college now has fewer students and courses offered, which reflects the fewer books sold in the book store,” concluded Rosky.