WHEREAS, the mission of the Associated Students of San Diego State University is to educate students about, and promote involvement in the governance of the university and the affairs of the local community, and to represent student interests in governmental issues on city, state, and national levels, and
WHEREAS, according to a 2004 survey by the California Student Public Interest Research Group (CALPIRG), it was projected students would spend an average $898 per year on textbooks in the 2003-04 school year, or almost 20 percent of the cost of in-state fees, and such that as higher education costs continue to rise for American students and families, the price of college textbooks represents a serious part of the affordability equation, and
WHEREAS, the State of California passed AB2477, becoming law on January 1, 2005, which encourages universities, college, and their respective bookstores to implement textbook price-saving measures, including textbook rental, and urging book publishers to offer lower-price textbook options whenever possible and encouraging campus faculty and bookstores to do likewise and to generally pursue more economical textbook pricing practices, and
WHEREAS, the Academic Senate of the California State University recognizes (AS-2747-06/FA) that the high cost of certain textbooks can adversely affect the affordability of higher education for CSU students; it also recognizes that the California State Student Association (CSSA) and the California legislature have expressed ongoing concerns about the rapid rise in textbook prices for CSU students and about associated cost factors such as the bundling of textbooks with sometimes unneeded supplements, and
WHEREAS, textbook rental for appropriate texts provides students with a lower-cost alternative to buying new or used books and generally presents little or no sacrifice of educational content or standard; now therefore, be it
RESOLVED, the Associated Students of San Diego State University encourage the San Diego State University faculty to work in collaboration with the San Diego State University Bookstore to provide a textbook rental option as an additional alternative to the purchase of new and used textbooks, and be it further
RESOLVED, that the students of San Diego State University formally request that San Diego State University faculty notify the course materials department as early as possible about adoptions of textbooks to ensure that students who wish to sell their copies back to the campus bookstore receive the highest used book price at buyback; to make available a larger quantity of cheaper, used textbooks for future students; to assist Student Disability Services in providing course materials in alternative formats to students with disabilities; and be it finally
RESOLVED, that this resolution be forwarded to SDSU President Stephen Weber, the SDSU Senate, faculty department chairs, and Aztec Shops.
Approved by the Associated Students Council on March 14, 2007.
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Matthew P. Keipper, President