Almost 70 percent of students reported not purchasing one or more assigned textbooks because they couldn’t afford it, according to a new survey released by the Student Public Interest Research Group.
College Board, a service that helps to prepare students for college through tutoring and college application advice, reports the average student will spend approximately $1,137 on textbooks alone each year. And the cost is only getting higher. Textbook costs have been rising more than four times the rate of inflation for that past 20 years, Student PIRGS reports.
Textbook publishers and companies have lobbyists advocate for their often unnecessary new editions and expensive textbook packages, according to Emily Genuardi, Southern Oregon University’s OSPIRG representative. Fortunately, there is way for students to be their own advocates and fight for lower textbook costs.
Enter the Textbook Rebellion, an event kicked off at the University of Maryland, College Park earlier this year as a way to tell decision-makers to make lowering the cost of college textbooks a priority.
SOU’s Textbook Rebellion will be held Oct. 4, at 11 a.m., in front of the SOU Bookstore. Students can expect an appearance from “Mr. $200 Textbook” and “Textbook Rebel,” the campaign’s mascots, at the event as well as a speech from Bookstore Director Tannia Shewman.
“SOU does a very good job [making textbooks affordable],” Genuardi said. “Students can rent, use the text share program and have access to open textbooks (OER), but we can always get more options.”
To learn more about the Textbook Rebellion or Text Share Program at SOU, please visit Siskiyou.sou.edu.