Textbook campaign successful

The campaign to lower textbook prices kicked off Wednesday on the west patio outside of the University Center.

The Student Representative Council (SRC) partnered with the Associated Students of Colorado (ASC) on sponsoring the event, which will send letters to State Representative Jim Riesberg.

"We are sending handwritten letters from students to the legislation," said Matt Heninger, a freshman pre-business major. "The bill is to get textbook companies to be accountable for their prices."

Tables were set up and equipped with pen and paper for students to write the letters. On the tables were letter templates to help the students. A total of 186 letters were written in a five hour span. 

The first paragraph had students explain that they were students and why they were writing. The second paragraph contained personal reasoning as to why high textbook prices are a problem. The third paragraph urged for support.

"This is a good idea. The publishers take advantage of the unequal competition in the textbook market," said Chad Stroh, a freshman geography major. "If we can change it, I think we should."

Professors choose the books for their courses, which leaves the consumers with little market power.

"Publishers have been able to exploit this broken market to charge higher and higher prices for books," said Mason Smith, the student trustee for SRC.

Smith and the ASC have been able to identify a number of publisher practices that inflate textbook prices, such as putting out unnecessary new editions, "bundling" textbooks with CD-ROMs and adding workbooks.

"The bill we are hoping to get passed will require textbooks to be unbundled. It will help prevent new editions every year and get the textbook companies to be open about their prices," Chris Lawler, a junior social sciences major and SRC member said.

Ashley Hackenkamp, freshman sociology major, agreed that textbook prices are too high.

"I already pay out-of-state tuition. Paying higher prices for textbooks is hard, especially when I don't need the CD-ROM," Hackenkamp said.

ASC is a new organization that was formally started in April. There are 12 campuses in Colorado that ASC is currently involving in the textbook reform.

"This idea was proposed by a member of the ASC. This is a good, realistic and achievable way to benefit every student," Lawler said.

This year, SRC wants to address issues that are important to the students.

"We've looked at the available research and at what students in other states have done," Rico Wint, president of SRC said. "And we've identified a set of policies to promote on campus and in the state legislature to reduce the price of textbooks for students."

SRC is hopeful the bill will pass.

"This bill has a good chance of passing; we have a very education friendly legislature. It was good to see the students' support," Lawler said.