Late orders up textbook prices

Like drinking from the Old Well before the first day of class, shelling out hundreds of dollars for textbooks has become a rite of passage on campus.

"I paid over $600 (for books) this semester," said Will Rearick, a sophomore biology major. "It's pretty ridiculous. I guess it's just part of college."

The average college student pays about $900 for textbooks each year, according to a 2004 survey conducted by the California Public Interest Research Group.

Although they do not shoulder the blame alone, professors who order their books late drive up the cost for students, said Kelly Hanner, the supply store manager for the textbook department of Student Stores.

"With late orders for books, it's a matter of being able to buy back books from students at the end of semester," she said.

"If we don't have the orders in, we can't offer full buy-backs and students have to buy new (books)."

The textbook department requests that professors order their books for the fall semester by the end of March and that spring orders are submitted by the end of September.

Of 1,629 courses requiring textbooks this semester, 1,321 had orders placed after the March deadline - some as late as September.

Hanner said an effective way to encourage more timely orders would be for students and colleagues to confront professors individually. This pressure would likely cut down on any late orders due to oversight or forgetfulness, she said.

There are a wide range of reasons for professors to submit late orders, Hanner said. Some tardiness easily could be avoided, but professors often have legitimate reasons for turning in orders late.

Cheryl Bolick, a professor in the school of education, said she ordered late because she was teaching a new course.

"I spent a lot of time reviewing the course, and I didn't make the final decisions until later in the summer," she said.

George Rabinowitz, a professor of political science, also was late in ordering.

"I try to survey what's out there," he said. "I often wind up with stuff I've used before, but I spend most of the summer looking for other options."

While students benefit from having the best available textbooks, they also pay the price for the search.

Craig Oates, a sophomore biology major, echoed the sentiments of several students who said finding the perfect book was not worth the inflated price.

"The professor can teach just as well as the book can," he said. "You don't really need a top-of-the-line textbook to go with it."

For those professors who wish to keep seeking out better books, Rabinowitz has words of wisdom.

He said he takes advantage of new edition release years to look at other books. The students would need to buy a new book either way that year, so that is the best time to search.

Textbook companies are another contributor to high book costs, Hanner said.

Packaging books with workbooks, lab manuals, CD-ROMs and frequently issuing new editions contribute to high book prices.

 

Contact the University Editor at udesk@unc.edu.