[A2k] University Professors' petition re affordable textbooks

[Manon Ress]

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[ Picked text/plain from multipart/alternative ]
Faculty tired of excessive pricing of textbooks should sign on.  This
is a student led campaign that includes open texbtooks.
Manon


http://www.maketextbooksaffordable.org/statement.asp?id2=3D42398

For Immediate Release:
April 15, 2008

Contact:
Nicole Allen, 503-231-4181x322, nicole@studentpirgs.org

1,000 PROFESSORS FROM 300 COLLEGES DECLARE PREFERENCE FOR AFFORDABLE
TEXTBOOKS
Frustration with Publisher Tactics Drives Demand for High-quality, Low-
cost Books

One thousand professors from over 300 colleges in all 50 states
released a statement today declaring their preference for high-
quality, affordable textbooks, including open textbooks, over
expensive commercial textbooks.

Open textbooks are complete, reviewed textbooks written by academics
that can be used online at no cost and printed for a small cost. What
sets them apart from conventional textbooks is their open license,
which allows instructors and students flexibility to use, customize
and print the textbook. Open textbooks are already used at some of the
nation=92s most prestigious institutions - including Harvard, Caltech
and Yale - and the nation=92s largest institutions - including the
California community colleges and the Arizona State University system.

=93Open textbooks are comparable, affordable and flexible alternatives
to traditional expensive textbooks,=94 said Professor Linda Bisson,
Chair of the Enology and Viticulture Department at the University of
California, Davis. =93Not only do they save students money, but they
provide instructors with a high-quality textbook that they can
customize to meet their needs.=94

Textbooks cost students an average of $900 per year, which is a
quarter of tuition at an average four-year public university and
nearly three-quarters of tuition at a community college, according to
a study conducted by the Government Accountability Office (GAO).

=93Textbooks can price students out of higher education. With costs
rising faster than inflation and tuition, some students are faced with
the difficult choice to drop out, take on additional debt, or undercut
their own learning by not purchasing textbooks,=94 said Nicole Allen,
Textbooks Advocate for The Student PIRGs.

Research conducted by The Student PIRGs identifies publisher tactics
as the primary cause of escalating prices. Bundling textbooks with
unnecessary supplements forces students to purchase items they do not
need; unnecessary new editions undermine the used book market; and
withholding critical price information keeps faculty in the dark.

=93As faculty members, our top priority is to choose the textbook that
is best for our students. We share concerns about affordability, and
face similar frustrations with publisher practices,=94 said Sandra
Schroeder, Chair of the American Federation of Teachers Higher
Education Program and Policy Council. =93Open textbooks and other
affordable options, when appropriate for a course, are a win-win for
everyone.=94

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Make Textbooks Affordable is a joint project of The Student PIRGs,
Arizona Students Association and the California State Student
Association. The Student PIRGs are a network of state-based, student-
directed and funded public interest organizations active on over 200
college campuses in 20 states.



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Manon Ress
manon.ress@keionline.org,

1621 Connecticut Ave, NW, Washington, DC 20009 USA
Tel.:  +1.202.332.2670, Fax: +1.202.332.2673