How Textbook Publishers Manipulate Costs for Students

I remember my jaw dropping the first time I saw the prices for my university textbooks. Textbooks are one of the most frustrating expenses for an undergraduate student. According to the Canadian Roundtable on Academic Materials (CRAM), from 1997-2005, textbook prices have increased approximately by 280%. Over the same period, the Canadian Price Index (CPI) has only increased by 22%. Annette Bright, the manager of the University of Lethbridge Book Store, says that the average full time student should budget around $2000 for textbooks for each academic year. This represents more than 12% of tuition for a sizable portion of the student body.

Many students blame campus bookstores for these high costs but a more appropriate body to criticize would be the textbook publishers/distributors.

The market for textbooks for undergraduate students is very unique when compared to most traditional markets. The individuals that are responsible for deciding what textbooks are used for a course (the instructors) are not the same individuals that are paying for them. For many professors, content and quality are the main deciding factors for deciding what textbooks should be used for a class. While content and quality are important factors, this means that textbook publishers are under less pressure to keep textbook prices low.

Another factor that is driving up the cost of textbooks is the high frequency of new editions. Over the past decade the frequency of new editions for textbooks has increased significantly. According to Bright, it is now customary for a textbook publisher to issue a new edition approximately every two years. This is typically the industry standard regardless of how much change has occurred in the subject matter since the previous edition.  According to Jim Corven, a professor from Bristol Community College, “while updates are useful and necessary, the real differences from edition to edition are often insignificant and do not justify the publication of an expensive new edition”.

The inflow of new editions of textbooks also hurts the used textbook market. A new edition of a textbook may result in students being unable to resell a recently purchased textbook. The shorter shelf life of textbooks results in a lessened opportunity to sell a textbook. For many students, the used textbook market is the most functional medium of accessing lower cost academic materials.

Another item that is contributing to the high costs of textbooks is the increased practice of bundling. Bundling is the practice of shrink-wrapping additional materials such as CDs, study guides, activation codes for websites and foldouts with textbooks. This practice results in an increased price for the textbooks. The main issue with bundling is that instructors rarely include bundled materials in their curriculum. According to the State PIRG study, only 24% of instructors estimate that they “always” or “usually” use the additional bundled materials.

The high cost of textbooks for Canadian post-secondary students is also heavily influenced by Canadian importation regulations. In 1999, the federal government implemented importation regulations in the Canadian Copyright Act in an attempt to protect the Canadian publishing industry. This regulation requires Canadian bookstores to purchase from Canadian distributors as long as the distributor is selling within 10 percent of the American price or 15 percent of the international price. This allows Canadian publishers to sell their products above market price and pass the increased costs on to students. The proceeds from the imported mark-up go directly to the textbook publishers and not to the authors of the text. Also, the American branch for many book distributors will not do business with Canadian bookstores because of internal agreements with the Canadian branch of the organization.

The actions of textbook publishers have caused several groups to react.  In 2008, the Canadian Roundtable on Academic Materials (CRAM), a group comprising of several student associations/unions and campus bookstores, was formed to create a national dialogue on academic materials. In addition to this, several organizations such as the Canadian Alliance of Student Associations (CASA), Campus Stores Canada, the Canadian Booksellers Associations and CRAM have lobbied to the federal government about issues relating to academic materials.

While the textbook industry may be inherently flawed, there are many things that students can do to reduce their expenses.

• Buy used textbooks- Used textbooks are noticeably cheaper than their unused counterparts. Sometimes they even have helpful highlighted portions.
• Talk to your instructor- Before you purchase a textbook you should always ask your instructor if the textbook is necessary and if you can use an older edition.
• Look at bulletin boards- The hallways are usually filled with flyers from students trying to sell textbooks. You can end up getting a good deal and help out a fellow student at the same time.
• Ask friends- A really easy way to save some money is to borrow or buy books from friends who have taken the class already.
• Share a textbook- If you have a friend in the same class you can possibly consider this option.  The main downside to this is organizing when each of you gets the textbook.
• See if the library has a reserve copy- In some instances, the library will have a reserve copy of the text on hand.
• Visit local used book stores- If you are purchasing literature, a good option would be to visit local used book stores.  If it’s a fairly common text (e.g. Hamlet) it should be fairly cheap and easy to find.
• www.thothle.ca – This is a free web service that searches through several online bookstores to find the best possible deals. The main issue with purchasing online would be waiting for the text to ship.
• eBooks- eBooks are becoming a more viable textbook medium. They are paperless and typically cheaper than physical copies. The only downside is that some are sold on a subscription basis.
• Online Databases- Free online databases in recent years have become a more viable option for students. Some really good databases are Bibliomania, the Guttenberg Project, Open Courseware Consortium and Connexions.

CAUS: Budget 2009 Gives Students More of the Same

Budget 2009 gives students more of the same

Edmonton, AB – The Alberta 2009 budget puts the government into the red, but avoids passing down cuts into post-secondary education. Minister of Finance and Enterprise Iris Evans announced that Government of Alberta would be continuing their previous commitments in post-secondary education but unveiled little in the way of new spending or programs that were not previously announced.

“There is a missed opportunity to make post-secondary education the key to our economic recovery,” said Beverly Eastham, chair of the Council of Alberta University Students (CAUS). “But students are relieved to see that the government is not reversing the many gains that have been made in the last few years.”

Included in yesterday’s budget is a 6% increase to the base operating grants for universities. This will ensure that tuition does not go up past inflation and that Alberta’s universities do not face cuts similar to the early 1990’s. However, students and universities will continue to face serious challenges next year and throughout the duration of the economic downturn, as no new funding was announced within the student financial aid program despite rising costs in getting a degree.

“We are still far from having the most affordable universities in Canada or meeting the challenges in providing a higher quality education-but it is good that the province is not looking to put more of the cost onto students this budget,” concluded Eastham. “We wanted to see more funding and lower tuition, but this is fortunately not a step backwards.”

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The Council of Alberta University Students (CAUS) represents the interests of students at the University of Alberta, the University of Calgary and the University of Lethbridge.

For more information contact:
Beverly Eastham
CAUS Chair
tel: 780-492-4236
cell: 780-237-1707

On the tangibles of advocacy…

As outlined in the Post Secondary Learning Act of Alberta, the mandate of all student unions/associations in Alberta is to advocate on behalf of their constituents, to the University administration, and to the three levels of government. This year the ULSU has done this through its membership in The Canadian Alliance of Student Associations (CASA), The Council of Alberta University Students (CAUS), attendance at City Council meetings, as well as on numerous committees at the University level (including the Board of Governors, the Senate, General Faculties Council, and University Budget).

Of these groups, the federal and provincial advocacy tends to be the most contentious when it comes to the student body. The ULSU pays approximately $26,000 in membership fees to CASA and CAUS. As you may have guessed, the money for these membership fees comes from YOUR SU fees. A common question we receive, and rightly so, is “What are the benefits of being part of these organizations?” People frequently want to see the tangibles for the money they have contributed, so how do we justify spending all this money to be part of these organizations?

The answer is quite simple – access.

March was home to the Lobby Conventions for both CAUS and CASA, which were both weeklong events during which members from the ULSU go to the respective capital cities and advocate on behalf of the students here at the University of Lethbridge.

For CAUS, President Adam Vossepoel, VP Academic Jenn Prosser, and VP Academic Comissioner Kendall Yamagishi spent several days in Edmonton lobbying MLA’s and Ministers. During that week, CAUS had 51 meetings with members of the Legislative Assembly, including meetings with the Minister of Advanced Education and Technology, Doug Horner. 

For CASA, Adam Vossepoel, President Elect Jeremy Girard, and I spent a week in Ottawa running around Parliament Hill. During that week, CASA had over 160 meetings with MP’s, Senators, and parliamentary aids. Some names you might recognize are: Prime Minister Stephen Harper, Opposition Leader Michael Ignatieff, Jack Layton, Elizabeth May, Gilles Duceppe, Stéphane Dion, Speaker of the House Peter Milliken, local MP Rick Casson, and local Senator Joyce Fairbairn. That’s right; we were able to meet with all five party leaders, a first for the organization. Also, I was invited to attend a special meeting with the top dogs at Elections Canada, were we had the opportunity to discuss the “Lethbridge Incident,” as well as future plans to increase accessibility for student voters.  

So all of these meetings are fine and dandy, but the follow-up question is do they accomplish anything?

If any of you were watching CPAC during the last week of March, you would have probably noticed a few questions during question period about Post Secondary Education, questions that were formulated directly from CASA policy. During the 2008 Federal Election, many of the main political parties had policy almost word-for-word from CASA in their PSE plans. Both the new Canadian Student Grant Program and Repayment Assistance Program introduced by the government address policy presented by CASA; policy that was contributed to by the ULSU. The ~$2 Billion in funding for deferred maintenance announced by the federal government was not just a victory for CASA, but also the University of Lethbridge, as we recognized this as a major issue on our campus. When teamed up with CAUS, we are able to secure $145 million of that for the U of L. Last year CAUS succeeded in lowering interest rates on student loans in Alberta, something that many of us here are quite appreciative of. Elections Canada said they want the ULSU to be one of their main partners in formulating a student strategy for the next election. Elizabeth May said the Green Party wants to use CASA as their main source of information and policy on PSE. The Prime Minister Stephen Harper talked positively about CASA in caucus (he is not frequently known for mentioning advocacy groups in caucus). If you noticed that now when you apply for an Alberta Student Loan, they no longer consider the value of your car as income, that’s another CAUS victory. The increase in funding for university residential spaces across the province? Check mark CAUS!

While these victories may seem small compared to the dozens upon dozens of policies presented by CASA and CAUS, you really need to look at the system in which they are working. If you ask for 30 things, you might only get two, and it could take a year or two to implement. That’s the nature of the bureaucracies of the provincial and federal government. However, that is MAJOR progress. It’s the needs of students being addressed, and both CASA and CAUS are attributed levels of success that many similar organizations could only dream of. Not many organizations can say they get meetings with the head of every political party, or have its members on a first name basis with the Minister of Advanced Education and Technology. But we can, and that’s worth something.

Brodie Pattenden

VP Admin

The 2008/2009 CAUS Membership

ULSU VP Admin Brodie Pattenden with Stephane Dion

ULSU President Adam Vossepoel with Liberal leader Michael Ignatieff

 

 

 

 

“Huzzah Minister!” – Lobbying Day 1

As part of our ongoing news feed from Ottawa, we are officially concluding our first real day of lobbing. The membership has already conducted 34 individual meetings with Senators, MPs, and key staff. The ULSU got to meet with the following:

Myself

• Ed Komarnicki, MP: Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Human Resources and Skills Development and to the Minister of Labour 
• Rodger Cuzner, MP: Official Opposition Whip

 

From Left to Right: Rodger Cuzner: MP, Derek Krywvj: Red River College, Kyle Steele: Acadia University, Brodie Pattenden: ULSU

 

 

Jeremy

• Mike Savage, MP: Official Opposition Critic for Human Resources and Skills and the Chair of the Liberal Caucus Committee on Post-Secondary Education and Research
• Rick Norlock, MP

Adam

• Paul Calandra, MP
• Martha Hall Finley, MP: Platform Outreach Chair for the Liberal Party of Canada

These meetings so far have been incedibly exciting, with reception of CASA’s priorities, as outlined in Adam’s previous post, being quite positive. The pragmatic solutions we are proposing are not requiring huge capital injunctions (something that tends to be a hard sales pitch during a recession), but rather a more efficient and effect use of current funds. Also, initiatives such as the Removal of the Textbook Importation Tax and Fair and Balanced Copy-write Law, have little to do with funding to and from government coffers, but rather adjustment to policy that enhances innovation, affordability, and accessibility in the PSE environment. 

There are still three more days and ~120 lobby meetings to go, with highlight meetings such as Elections Canada and Stephane Dion for myself, and Michael Ignatieff for Voss. Meetings are being added daily, so stay tuned!

Brodie Pattenden

VP Admin, CASA Fanboy

GET OUT THE VOTE (Then come party)

All right everyone,

It is that time of year again. Thats right, it is time to vote in the ULSU Elections.

It is super easy. All you have to do is go to the website, log in, and VOTE!

WWW.ULSU.CA

There is literally no reason not to vote. Seriously, if you are reading this, then you can vote. Just open the site in another tab or something. Go. Do it. Now. VOTE!

Voting is open until March 5th at 3:00 pm.

Then, come on up to the Zoo for the Election Results and Big Rock Bash Party.

At 5:00 pm, the winners are announced. Then comes the music. With performances by The Record Holder and Chief Mountain, it promises the be quite the night. Also, there is no cover.

But it doesn’t stop there. At 7:00 pm, our friends at Big Rock Brewery are giving a little presentation on how you can enter to win $10,000, just by entering a contest. Also, you can go the Eddies (apparently these are a big deal in C-town).

All in all, looks to be quite the night. So, come on out, welcome in the new council, say goodbye to us old hacks, listen to some cool jams, and find out how you can win the big bucks.

Not too bad, for a Thursday in Lethbridge.

Check out the FB for more info:

ULSU Elections and Big Rock Bash

Adam Vossepoel

President

Introductions and Head to Head

Well Folks,

It’s that time of year again. If you hadn’t noticed, there are a whole bunch of posters plastered around this University, trying to get you to support candidates in their bid to rule the ULSU! Cue dramatic music!

Who will be the next crew? Guess what, it is all up to you ( Ha, that rhymes. (I wish I could do that all the time!)).

So come on out to the Atrium on Wednesday, February 25th, at Noon, and meet the candidates. This is our annual Town Hall, where all prospective candidates will tell you why they want to be on the next ULSU Council.

Then, it gets really exciting. Thursday, February 26th, again at Noon in the Atrium, come on out for the Executive Candidate Debates! Now, you may ask, “Who are 3/4 candidates going to debate, when they are acclaimed?”. Well, have no fear, except for the VP Internal position, all other candidates will be up against myself, and the current VP Admin, Brodie Pattenden. And my goodness, is Brodie a ferocious debater!

For more information about the ULSU Elections, or to find out about the candidates, visit WWW.ULSU.CA

Adam Vossepoel

President

Advanced Ed. Minister in The Gateway, an interview.

An interview with the Minister for Advanced Education and Technology, Doug Horner, came out in this weeks issue of The Gateway, University of Alberta’s on-campus paper.

Check out the article here.

Notable: the discussion surrounding deferred maintenance and residence space.

Jenn Prosser, VP Academic

Make your vote an educated vote!

As a part of its promotion of a Post-Secondary Access Agenda, CASA has launched a web video entitled The Education Challenge, aimed at encouraging students and the general public to strongly consider the issue of accessibility to post-secondary education when casting their ballot on October 14th, 2008.

Stay tuned to State of the Union as we will be releasing more information regarding each of the party’s platform on PSE, and our thoughts regarding them.

Brodie

Students welcome promise of largest boost to non-repayable student grants in recent history

Ottawa, ON – The Canadian Alliance of Student Associations welcomes the pledge by the Liberal party of an estimated $25 billion to post-secondary education support.  The plan, announced this morning at the University of Western Ontario, has vowed to nearly triple the amount of non-repayable student grants provided by the federal government each year, from $350 million to $1 billion.  This represents the largest funding increase to student grant assistance in recent history.

 

“CASA believes the measures proposed by the Liberal Party will help students and families cope with the accelerated costs of education,” said Zach Churchill, National Director of the Canadian Alliance of Student Associations.  “The proposed plan, if implemented, can significantly enhance access to post-secondary education system, by providing funding to students who need it the most, while helping to lower the epidemic growth of student debt in this country.”

 

The plan promises:

-          A guaranteed universal education grant of $1000 for each full-time student in Canada each year

-          200,000 needs-based grants

-          100,000 grants to promote access for underrepresented students

-          A pledge to reduce interest rates on federal student loans to prime + 0.5%

-          More funding for graduate students

 

“As CASA has stated before, Canadians know that our continued prosperity hinges on our ability to graduate enough students from university, college, and technical programs to meet the job demands produced by our economy,” continued Churchill.

 

CASA will continue to call on the other parties in this election to create progressive solutions designed to increase the participation rates of Canadians who are currently underrepresented in the post-secondary system, while sustaining students currently in the system by reducing the amount of debt incurred in pursuit of a post-secondary credential.

 

The University of Lethbridge Students’ Union is a proud member of The Canadian Alliance of Student Associations (CASA). CASA is a non-partisan, not-for-profit national student organization composed of 23 student associations, representing 300,000 students from coast to coast.

CASA Welcomes Green Party Post-Secondary Education Proposal, Calls on Other Parties to Do the Same

Ottawa ON – The Canadian Alliance of Students Associations (CASA) today welcomed Green Party leader Elizabeth May’s announcement of her party’s plan to increase financial support for post-secondary students and ease the momentous debt burden that Canadian students currently face.“Students applaud the Green Party’s decision to address post-secondary issues in this election,” said Zach Churchill, National Director of the CASA. “We are concerned that the Green party proposal does not address specific details such as how much new bursary funding the plan includes, and how the bursaries will be targeted to best help students.”“We are pleased to see the Green Party making a strong commitment to increase funding for post-secondary students in Canada, and help relieve crushing student debt loads,” said Churchill.  “But students need to hear more details about their proposals.  Specifically, we would like to see the Green Party target the increases in bursary funding towards raising the participation rates of underrepresented groups, such as Aboriginal students and students with disabilities.”Churchill also called on the other parties to put forward their positions on how best to address the access crisis facing post-secondary education in Canada today.Only 33% of Canadians with disabilities of working age obtained a university degree, college or trade diploma according to Census Canada data. And just 23 per cent of our Aboriginal population have a PSE credential, 15 percentage points below the non-Aboriginal population.“Students are calling on the Green Party to support CASA’s Access Agenda, and commit to targeted grants for these underrepresented groups,” concluded Churchill.

It is really fantastic to finally see PSE entering the election agenda. Durring a recent tally of major election issues and talking points, PSE didn’t even make it onto the list, loosing out to (also important) items such as Afghanistan, the environment, and the economy, and less important items such as Puffin crap.

While this is a small step, it is a small step in the right direction, away from all the bullsh*t smear campaigns we have been seeing from a select few of the parties. 

Brodie

The University of Lethbridge is a proud member of the Canadian Alliance of Student Associations. The Canadian Alliance of Student Associations (CASA) is a non-partisan, not-for-profit national student organization composed of 23 student associations, representing 300,000 students from coast to coast.