CALPIRG Asks You to Help Stop Textbook Rip-Offs

Students and parents aren't the only ones concerned about the high cost of college textbooks. Congress has taken notice and recently held a hearing to discuss the publisher's practices. Four witnesses testified at the hearing, including Merriah Fairchild, CALPIRG Higher Education Advocate and author of the report "Ripoff 101" released in January.

(PRWEB) August 8, 2004 -- Congressman Howard P. (Buck) McKeon, the California Republican who heads the panel, shared his concern with the Congressional Committee. "I believe that the costs of textbooks are too high and are one of the many factors jeopardizing our efforts to keep college affordable."

Back in California, the Legislature is considering two CALPIRG sponsored bills that will help lower the price of college textbooks in the state. Thanks in part to CALPIRG supporters, both bills have passed the Assembly and now face important votes in the California Senate.

In January 2004, university professors, students and legislators from around the country came together to release a new CALPIRG report which found that textbook publishers engage in a number of market practices that drive up the price of textbooks for students.

The report, entitled "Rip-off 101: How the Current Practices of the Publishing Industry Drive up the Cost of College Textbooks," surveyed the most widely-taught books at colleges and universities in California and Oregon and the faculty that teach those books. The report found that even though students already pay $900 a year for textbooks, textbook publishers artificially inflate the price of textbooks by adding bells and whistles to the current texts and forcing cheaper used books off the market by producing expensive new editions of textbooks that are barely different from the previous edition. The report also found that most of the faculty members surveyed in the report do not think many of these add-ons are useful and are supportive of efforts to streamline textbook costs and extend the shelf life of current textbook editions.

Following the report, two bills were introduced, both sponsored by CALPIRG.

AB 2477 (Liu) urges textbook publishers to change many of their current practices so that they, among other things, unbundle textbooks from expensive CD-ROMs and disclose the price of textbooks to faculty. AB 2477 also requires California State University and Community Colleges and requests that the University of California implement alternatives such as textbook rental programs.

AB 2678 (Koretz) urges the California State University, Community Colleges and the University of California to set up textbook rental services. AB 2678 does not require any campus to establish a rental program, but rather provides a process by which a school can successfully implement a campus-supported, self-sustaining rental program.

These two bills will face important votes this week in Sacramento. Please take a moment to ask your state senator to support the passage of these two textbooks bills. Then ask your family and friends to help by forwarding this article to them.

To take action, click on this link or paste it into your web browser:
http://calpirg.org/CA.asp?id=476&id3=CA&id4=ES&