EDITORIAL: Professors’ own textbooks unreasonably priced

Among the many expenses college students have, textbooks have become the hardest to predict year in and year out.

Science and math books are always among the most expensive, but many college students have been able to remedy the $200 and $300 books by going online and finding the books at a reduced cost. However, when professors author their own textbooks and require textbooks that are custom to a university, it makes it difficult to budget for all the required books of a semester.

Professors may have a certain way of teaching, but to require students to purchase a textbook he or she wrote is only putting money in his or her pocket, and if the textbook is custom to UNC, it is impossible to find the edition at a cheaper cost.

There are plenty of textbooks out there for different courses, so why make students purchase books that were written by the professor of the course? If a professor wants a more customized reading to his or her class, having online options or print-offs available can make the grueling process of paying for textbooks easier. 
One of the many positives about the University of Northern Colorado is how affordable it is. However, for some families, the tuition and costs are still hard to pay. Adding the cost of personal textbooks makes paying for everything even harder.

With the growing dependence on technology, ebooks have become a  common occurrence. This has even made professors’ jobs easier because there are also quizzes and tests to go along with the reading, eliminating the need for professors to work to put these together. Not that helping the teaching process is a bad thing, but relying on ebooks will only emphasize what the publisher believes is important.

Another problem with ebooks is the price. They eliminate cheaper versions, and it also eliminates the possibility of getting extra money at the end of the semester. Rarely is the money received during book selling close to the amount paid, but a little extra cash is always nice. Some professors will encourage getting older editions of books because he or she understand how expensive college can get, but with ebooks, the possibilities of purchasing cheaper editions are limited.

With the prices of tuition and living increasing, professors should be helping students with the prices of textbooks as much as they can; that is in his or her power, even if other expenses are not.