Imagine how you could spend your summer with an extra $100 in your pocket: a shopping spree, a trip to the amusement park or a road trip with all that extra gas money. However, this extra cash may be nonexistent if you spent it on full-priced textbooks for summer classes.
With the tuition bill paid and summer classes in session, UK students still face the hefty price of textbooks.
Students enrolled in summer classes have to pay for textbooks only to use them for a four- to six-week period.
“Since tuition is increasing, it’s even harder for me to come up with the money to pay for my books,†said integrated strategic communication senior Kacy Walker.
The UK Bookstore, Kennedy’s and Wildcat Textbooks have yet to offer students the option of renting books. By not offering a cheaper alternative, some students have avoided buying books altogether.
Communications senior Mike Railey did not buy textbooks for his summer sociology class.
“It just seemed like a waste of money to pay full price for a book I would only be using for a month,†he said.
The purchasing of textbooks helps some students, while burning holes in the pockets of others. The money the university bookstore receives from book sales goes toward the UK scholarship fund, but the low return rate and rising cost of textbooks has prevented student purchases.
Universities in Wisconsin, Louisiana, Missouri and North Carolina offer their students the opportunity to rent textbooks.
UK, the University of Louisville, Northern Kentucky University and Western Kentucky University have yet to offer their students the option of renting. Bobby Ervin, a student employee at the NKU bookstore, hopes renting will soon be an alternative to buying books at the school.
“Sometimes we don’t get enough of a single book or we run out,†Ervin said. “If students rented them, they would bring the books back and the bookstore would be able to better provide for its students.â€
The rising price of textbooks, in addition to new editions being published, hinders students from returning their books for profit.
“I have so many old textbooks around my house from previous semesters that the bookstore couldn’t buy back. The worst part is, I don’t think I will ever refer to them again,†Walker said. “Renting seems like an ideal alternative to save money and give my textbook to someone who will get use out of them.â€
The bookstores could benefit from renting books because fewer students would turn to Web sites, such as eBay and Amazon, to buy books. Chris Lawrence, a Kennedy’s employee, said purchasing textbooks on the Web has become less about price and more about the buying habits of today’s consumer.
“The ability to go to a campus bookstore and buy your books with return privileges is still the preferred method compared to purchasing a textbook online, paying shipping costs and waiting for your textbook to be delivered after classes have begun,†Lawrence said.
Kennedy Bookstore does not have a renting program, but continues to explore new options to better serve its customers, Lawrence said.
“We have looked at various rental scenarios and have not found a program that we feel really offers a significant value for the customer,†he said.
Although renting textbooks seems like a cheap substitution, the rental process does not come without drawbacks, Lawrence said.
“There are a lot of hidden policies and stipulations associated with all rental programs which often result in surprise charges or at least unexpected charges for the students,†he said.
Lawrence said Kennedy’s is not opposed to the renting program if it found the right one.
“A textbook rental program could be one of those in the future if a program could be found that would benefit the students and the bookstore in a positive way.â€
I’m encouraged by the Kernel giving some coverage to this issue. It’s been one I’ve worked on for a couple years now. Rental options are good in theory but the value is with the execution. It’s completely accurate that there are certain stipulations that could result in additional charges in a rental program.
In terms of a little education on the issue. Students have a hard time getting good money for their books when they sell them back because the bookstore does not yet know which books to buy back because professors often haven’t turned in their request yet. This isn’t to say that it is entirely the professor’s fault, but there is a little fault there.
In terms of publishing companies. Bundled materials, often those students don’t use, are an additional cost often without additional benefit. Plus, the increase and frequency of new editions (average every 3 years) makes those used books superfluous and unable to be sold back. Again, increasing the net cost to students.
E-books are often a nice alternative, but the market isn’t large enough yet to encompass every book a professor may request. Though, it is growing, there are still shortfalls. For those of you that mark up your books and make notes, that may not be available on all e-copies. Plus, in a rental program, those actions could be regulated by the aforementioned stipulations that you could be charged for.
It’s an incredibly interesting and salient issue to the cost of higher education. Too often we are focused on sticker price and don’t look to cost saving measures in terms of the incidentals – like textbooks, which, according to a GAO study, average around $800 annually.
I hope students keep commenting on the issue!
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