MSA targets costs

By Erica Zucco

Published April 4, 2008

In response to student complaints concerning unfair textbook prices, the Missouri Students Association Senate Academic Affairs Committee has initiated a series of campaigns to offset costs.

Chairwoman Phyllis Williams said the committee is working on several initiatives, one of them being an early textbook adoption campaign. Each year, professors must fill out a form stating which books they plan to use in their course curricula for the following year. Williams said only about 30 percent of professors turn in these forms on time.

“The bookstore is willing to give students 50 percent back for textbook resale for any books a professor selects by this early adoption deadline,” Williams said.

Williams said students are disappointed when they sell textbooks back at the end of the semester and receive only 10 to 15 percent of what they originally paid. This price is not determined by the bookstore, but by MBS Textbook Exchange, the company that handles book buybacks. Representatives from MBS Textbook Exchange could not be reached for comment.

Student and Auxiliary Services spokeswoman Michelle Froese said the distribution company purchases books in hopes that they will be able to sell them elsewhere. Froese said the bookstore purchases books from students when professors have ensured that the book will be required the next year.

Froese said the deadlines are important, because the university would rather buy a used textbook from a student instead of a used-book company. This way students get back more money and the bookstore doesn’t have to pay shipping costs on ordered books.

“It’s a win-win,” Froese said.

As part of a joint campaign between the Academic Affairs committee and the bookstore, the committee will pass out free, bright green t-shirts to students next Monday from 10 a.m. to noon in Brady Commons and Speaker’s Circle with messages reminding professors to turn in their early adoption forms on time.

The committee will also pass out notepads that students can give to professors serving the same purpose. The Academic Affairs committee also sent out flyers to professors on Thursday through campus mail.

“The MU bookstore has reminded professors to turn in these forms, the administration has reminded professors to turn in these forms, and so far, nothing has been wholly successful,” Williams said. “But with this campaign, we are trying to recruit 1,000 students to remind professors. It affects us most, so it’s our responsibility to remind them.”

Williams said the committee is working on a textbook usage site where students can evaluate how often they used textbooks and how much of the material was actually required for class. The MU Bookstore will place stickers on books that have been highly recommended by other students.

Froese said if faculty members would commit to using a book consecutively for more than one semester, the bookstore would love to put a guaranteed-buyback sticker on books as well.

Legislation concerning textbook initiatives will be brought before MSA Senate committees Tuesday.