Textbook prices are absolutely ridiculous. We at the Wheel believe that the most advertised and available textbook options for Emory students are far too expensive.
A trip to the Emory Bookstore at the beginning of the semester can create a significant financial hurdle for many students, costing hundreds of dollars a semester and thousands over the usual four years at Emory. The Emory Bookstore, run with Barnes & Noble, marks up textbook prices in order to create a profit. To offer an alternative, Barnes & Noble created rental options for textbooks, but the prices of rentals are often only fractionally cheaper. Emory and Barnes & Noble should work together to create a better, more financially feasible option for buying or renting textbooks.
One answer may be creating a security deposit program for renting textbooks so that students who return books in pristine conditions can get back some of the money spent at the end of the semester.
We understand that the considerable time and money involved in creating textbooks is the main reason behind why they are so expensive, but the prices for textbooks at the Emory Bookstore are often extreme. While we are glad for the proximity and accessibility of the Bookstore (as well as its efforts to employ students), Emory should reconsider its partnership with Barnes & Noble if these prices are to continue without a financially feasible solution.
Textbook prices are a serious problem, where rising tuition costs for colleges already place a strenuous enough financial burden on potential students without even factoring in the triple-digit costs of textbooks per semester. The University should therefore consider partially subsidizing the cost of textbooks for students.
First-year students probably waste the most money when it comes to textbooks, since many either do not know alternative avenues for textbook or are already overwhelmed with choosing classes and adjusting to college and instead choose the Bookstore. Orientation Leaders (OLs) are also told to promote the Emory Bookstore; this can add to the problem if OLs do not advise freshmen to consider cheaper alternatives like Amazon, Chegg, half.com and swapping books with other students.
The University should correct this in order to keep the financial well-being of its students in mind and make an effort to educate all students on cheaper avenues for purchasing textbooks. Additionally, PACE, a mandatory class for first-years, requires students to purchase clickers that are only used for attendance. These clickers are one of the more expensive models, costing around $50. This seems ludicrous, and PACE should find a more effective and cheaper way to take attendance, like swiping IDs, in order to keep the interests of students in mind.
Some professors often do not make it any easier on students when it comes to trying to save money on textbooks. Some professors add books on the course atlas’ class description or on syllabi that never end up being used. The course atlas and syllabi should better reflect what books are actually needed so that professors do not accidentally make students purchase books that are not necessary. We also encourage professors to make an effort before the semester to look over their textbook list and inform students of the books that are needed and when they will be needed in the semester, so students do not purchase books that will never be opened or do not hurry to buy from the Bookstore instead of another, slightly slower alternative.
Professors should also reevaluate what is actually used in the class; is it worth assigning a $50 book or software for one class? Are the readings that the professor wishes to assign available through Emory’s resourceful libraries? There are various readings and whole books online through the Woodruff Library, books and readings available through Course Reserves and plenty of other material available through databases to which Emory has access. Professors should also consider photocopying shorter readings and posting them (under applicable copyright laws) on Blackboard.
We also encourage professors to consider consolidating readings into coursepacks, a compilation of readings into a pack that can be much more affordably purchased from Document Services, when a class calls for numerous textbooks that are only assigned for short sections. Some classes also frequently require students to buy the newest edition of the work, which are more expensive than older editions. If the newest edition is not significantly different than the old edition, then professors should encourage students to buy older editions.
While we understand the reasons behind the prices of textbooks, professors, the Bookstore and the University should seriously assess its efforts to reduce financial burdens on students regarding textbooks.
The above represents the majority opinion of the Wheel’s editorial board.
The Emory Wheel was founded in 1919 and is currently the only independent, student-run newspaper of Emory University. The Wheel publishes weekly on Wednesdays during the academic year, except during University holidays and scheduled publication intermissions.
The Wheel is financially and editorially independent from the University. All of its content is generated by the Wheel’s more than 100 student staff members and contributing writers, and its printing costs are covered by profits from self-generated advertising sales.
