Hello. My name is Brandon J. Mendelson, and I am the author of the Text Book Resolution (included below.) Our goal is to reduce the cost of textbooks for students through easily implemented solutions, and to encourage college students to go online and use sites such as yours (Cheap-Textbooks.com).
Text Book Resolution
Written on July 2nd, 2005 by Brandon J. Mendelson
Print out and bring to your student government as soon as possible. Tell them you want them to fight against the high cost of textbooks.
Whereas, the California Public Interest Research Group, a consumer advocacy group, conducted a survey in 2005 of the five most widely purchased textbooks at 59 colleges and universities across the country. The group discovered that college textbooks prices have increased at nearly four times the rate of inflation for all finished goods since 1994.
Whereas, publishers often release new editions with little content changes, making the less expensive used books obsolete and unavailable.
Whereas, Faculty book orders not only affect prices, but also the availability of books. Buyback prices are always the highest at the end of an academic term when faculty has filed its orders.
Whereas, textbook publishers are adding extemporaneous items like CDs and study guides that are not needed and not selling the book separate from these materials
Whereas, schools do not make an effort to contact students through modern means to inform them of buy back alerts and opportunities to exchange and compare prices
Whereas, professors sometimes make students purchase books that are rarely used
We hereby resolve,
1) That the faculty of our institution submit book orders as early and as far in advance as possible.
2) That the College Store and its management provide buy-back alert emails to current students.
3) That the College Store and its management provide alerts for faculty to submit their orders on time.
4) That our institution construct and maintain a website for students that will give current buy-back prices and offer a used-book exchange where students can buy and sell books to other students.
5) That our institution construct and maintain a website for faculty that will list prices, current editions, upcoming editions, and information about textbooks
6) That Faculty only purchases textbooks that are not bundled with extemporaneous materials unless absolutely needed. Faculty must present a reason to Faculty Senate and the Student Senate to explain that reason.
7) That Faculty must make minimum one copy of the required textbook through a library reserve or as a loan for students who cannot afford the book.
8) That Faculty only purchase text books they will use extensively for the course
9) That Faculty will not purchase a new edition of a text book because a few new pages were added unless good reason is given
10) That our institution creates a used book recovery process that will collect used books internally and resell them the next year instead of going to a whole sale.
Editorial Board. "Sustainable Textbooks? Curb the rising cost." February 12th, 2004. The Middlebury Campus. July 2nd, 2005.
http://www.middleburycampus.com/media/paper446/news/2004/02/12/Opinions/Editorial.Sustainable.Textbooks.Curb.The.Rising.Cost-604082.shtml
Miranda, Meyling Siu. "Students overwhelmed by rising cost of textbooks." The Spectator Online. April 28th, 2005. The Spectator. July 2nd, 2005
http://www.spectator-online.com/vnews/display.v/ART/2005/04/28/42719ce973266
Veilleux, Richard. "Proposals Seek To Address Rising Cost Of Textbooks" February
28th, 2005 Advance on the web.. The UCONN Advance. July 2nd, 2005.
http://www.advance.uconn.edu/2005/050228/05022801.htm
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Brandon J. Mendelson
Host of The Brandon Show
Your weekly home for college survival
http://www.thebrandonshow.com
