Higher Education News

Boston, MA: MASSPIRG, students, faculty and administrators packed a State House hearing room today as the Joint Committee on Higher Education heard testimony about the high cost of college text books. Those testifying were calling in lawmakers to support the Act Relative to the Pricing and production of College Textbooks or ‘the Affordable Textbooks Bill’ (HB1200) , filed by Representative Steven Walsh of Lynn, which would make Massachusetts the leading state in protecting students against the unfair practices within the textbooks publishing industry which drive up book prices.

“When we talk about affordable higher education, we tend to lose ourselves in discussions about escalating tuition and fees,” said Rep. Kevin J. Murphy of Lowell, House Chairman of the Joint Committee on Higher Education.  “We also have to work to ensure that we’re keeping textbooks affordable and that students are not charged by publishers for extra materials that they don’t need.”

"We must do everything we can do make college more affordable for students - not less so. This bill is an important step in the right direction," said Patricia F. Plummer, Chancellor of the Massachusetts Board of Higher Education.

MASSPIRG, a state wide public interest group with student chapters at colleges across Massachusetts, released a report earlier this year highlighting the many problems within the publishing industry.  The report, Exposing the Textbooks Industry, found that students are spending about $900 on books each year, and that the prices of textbooks have been rising at about four times the rate of inflation over the last decade.

“Most faculty care about the high cost of textbooks for students” said Professor Steve Rudnick, an environmental science professor at Umass Boston. “But we can’t take price into account when publishers don’t disclose. This Bill will require that all publishers clearly disclose price information to faculty.” Another factor which increases costs highlighted by the MASSPIRG study is the trend to ‘bundle’ books with additional materials such as CD ROMS or workbooks, which faculty often do not want, and students don’t use. “Bundled books are fine if the professor plans to use the additional materials.” Said Alex Kulenovic, Student Trustee at UMASS Boston. “But often they don’t, and they can’t get the book without the other additional material. This Bill will enable them to choose the book unbundled if they know they don’t need the extras, and save students some money.”

Voices of support for more affordable textbooks were heard from across the higher education community – student leaders, student governments, faculty, librarians, student advocates, and college administrations all asked the Higher Education Committee to support the Bill.

Students today are investing so much in their education” said Chaz Beasley, a student at Harvard who attended the hearing today. “We’re hoping that the Committee will take action soon to pass this Bill from their committee which will help stop textbook publishers taking advantage of students, and make college that much more affordable”.

Click here to view our testimony.