Like many of you, I had to buy a textbook, and, like many of you, I had to pay ridiculous prices for these books.
I know I am not the only one with this kind of problem. This is something that, in my opinion, is out of control. The fact is that prices are just too high.
Every time a semester starts I am happy, I finally get to do something during the day I think to myself. But recently, I have started dreading the start of school because I know there is going to be a bill of astronomical proportions.
This should not be. Why should students have to worry about the price of textbooks? I am constantly on edge when I go to the bookstore and see a book for $200. That’s right, a single book for $200.
I know some people are going to say that not all books are overpriced, and this is completely true. But there are far more expensive textbooks than there are reasonably priced ones.
I know I am not the only one that feels this way. Aaryn Celis, a math major at AVC described textbook prices as “over-inflated” and “outrageous”. I agree 100 percent with Celis; the prices are outrageous, especially for math books. A calculus book will set a student back $168.85 before tax.
Now if I am magically one of a kind, I am the only person who does not have a job and for me this is too much. Just like Celis, I have my parents pay for my textbooks and this is putting a financial toll on them.
Another thing that is really annoying is the stock that the bookstore orders. They do not order books relative to the people in the classes, but to past sales. This is troubling because David Moyer, the manager of the bookstore, said that there has been a decline in customers because of the class cuts.
Because of the way stocks of books are determined some students are left without a book. One could argue, well you should have bought the book during the break. The truth is that not everyone was able to do that. Crashers are probably the people who have it the worst. They are trying to get a class, and when they actually get it, they find the book out of stock.
This has happened to me one too many times and, frankly, I am tired of it.
There’s more. Many people are not buying books from the bookstore, but instead buy from a friend, or an internet site such as Amazon.com.
Celina Poma says she does not do any book shopping at the campus bookstore. She instead buys from other students who sell their books at reasonable prices.
But there is another alternative that can give students a reduced price: book rentals.
Moyer says that the bookstore is looking into a rental service. I think it is a great idea. If you think about it, it would be so simple. It would be right on campus, so all you would have to do is rent the book out for the semester and return the book once the semester is over.
The way some sites work, like Bookrenter.com, is they charge you a late fee, so I am guessing if this does go through then it will probably be similar.
I think that this is something that should have been done a long time ago. It is a system in which the students pay a fraction of what the book costs and they get it for the semester.
Moyer also told me that the Board of Trustees approves the prices, so if you believe that we need change in the school’s bookstore, start demanding it.
-By
