Author: Archive
Task force set to fight bookstore prices
A new task force was set in motion on Monday to regulate bookstore mark-ups of textbooks per a vote by the Pierce College Academic Senate.
The Pierce bookstore mark-up is 10 percent more than the publisher’s retail price which has led to a 30 percent decrease in profits.
The task force will include professors and Associated Student Organization representatives.
“We need a plan to help everybody,” said Larry Kraus, associate vice president.
ASO trys to balance skyrocketing book prices
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.
“We’ve been interested in this issue for some time and are interested in getting the prices down for publisher retail price and the overall price down,” said Phil Stein, Senator Emeritus.
ASO fights fee hike
Pierce students are encouraged to start a letter writing campaign to protest a fee increase from $26 to $40 a unit.
The Pierce College Associated Student Organization (ASO) president Nick Naczinski plans to encourage Pierce College students to write letters to protest the planned fee increase from $26 a unit to $40 a unit.
During a Student Affairs Committee (SAC) meeting last Friday Naczinski and the presidents’ from the eight other colleges in the LACCD discussed the possibility of a rally to protest the proposed fee hike.
“It’s my job to represent the students interests and I don’t want to see prices go up,” Naczinski said.
Brahmas Endured an Emotional Loss to LBCC Vikings
Pierce rides the roller-coaster as they lose their home opener, 38-35 to the Long Beach College Vikings. The Brahmas having just taken two giant steps forward by beating the 5th ranked team in the country last week (Fullerton College), now have taken one step backwards.
BOOKWORMS
Members of the Pierce College Academic Senate struggled with a failing bookstore, amongst other economic uncertainties on their Sept. 27 meeting.
“The price in textbooks has, in the past four years, increased by 40 percent,” said anthropology Professor Phil Stein, who writes his own textbooks for his classes.
The bookstore now sells books at a higher price than offered by publishers at the retail price, according to evidence compiled by Stein and others.
On the other hand, the Bookstore’s profits have fallen roughly 30%, as many members of the Senate pointed out during the meeting.
Possible solutions such as using eBooks, cutting back on new editions for introductory textbooks, and an address to the District Board of Trustees were put forward.
While a formal vote was not made, the Senate made motion to form a new task force to examine the causes of the price spike, and, hopefully, find a solution.