SR 2008 - 004
SENATE RESOLUTION IN SUPPORT OF THE REPORT AND
RECOMMENDATIONS OF THE UT SYSTEM TEXTBOOK STUDY GROUP

WHEREAS college textbook prices rose twice as fast as the rate of inflation as measured by the Consumer Price Index (CPI) since 2004; AND

WHEREAS the average full-time student spent $942 for textbooks in the 2006-2007, the most recent measurement by The College Board; AND

WHEREAS The American Association of Publishers asserts that 20% of students forego purchasing textbooks, presumably instead borrowing copies from a library or friends or going without in order to avoid incurring the heavy costs of textbooks; AND

WHEREAS a 2006 study by Zogby International found that 84% of professors felt students could not earn high grades in their courses without using the textbook, a finding suggested by common sense;  AND

WHEREAS the General Accounting Office attributes the escalation of textbook prices to four major reasons: textbook bundling, frequently updated textbooks, bookstore markup and university profit; AND

WHEREAS industry consolidation led to five of the largest publishers providing textbooks for over 80% of the market; AND

WHEREAS the National Association for College Bookstores estimates U.S. college bookstore sales exceeding $10 billion per year; AND

WHEREAS a 2005 Zogby poll finds that 80% of professors prefer to teach from the most recent edition of a textbook and place priority on using the most current information possible; AND

WHEREAS the frequent introduction of new editions of textbooks negates the value of used textbooks and drives up prices by decreasing the supply artificially; AND

WHEREAS UT Dallas is committed to providing an affordable, quality education for its students; AND

WHEREAS tax-free textbooks would likely result in a decrease in state funding of higher education due to a projected $30 million reduction in Texas tax revenues; AND

WHEREAS other money-saving practices, such as a used textbook marketplace, would save students more money without risking a reduction in state appropriations to UT Dallas;

THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED by the Student Senate of The University of Texas at Dallas that Student Government urges the administration and faculty of The University of Texas at Dallas to follow the guidelines set forth in the Recommendations of the Textbook Study Group for the UT System, namely:

• Require that textbook lists are submitted earlier than historically, so that students and bookstores can take advantage of buybacks and the used textbook market
• Urge faculty to consider multi-semester adoption and/or use old editions of a textbook even though a revised edition is released, or provide an equivalency guide so that students will be able to use either edition, as long as it remains appropriate pedagogically; furthermore, in contrast to current on-campus bookstore policy, keep previous editions of the textbook available when professors request them
• Post textbook lists and ISBNs online on the university course schedule so students can shop the least expensive alternative, whether it be the on-campus bookstore or an online vendor
• Use bundled textbooks and associated materials only when all materials will be actively used by the instructor, contrary to current on-campus bookstore practice

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED by the Student Senate of The University of Texas at Dallas that Student Government opposes the adoption of tax-free textbook legislation.

CC:

Dr. James Studer, Associate Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs, The University of Texas System
Dr. David Daniel, President, The University of Texas at Dallas
Dr. Hobson Wildenthal, Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs and Provost
Dr. Murray Leaf, Speaker of the Faculty Senate
Dr. Calvin Jamison, Vice President for Business Affairs
Mr. Pete Bond, Assistant Vice President for Business Affairs for Procurement Management
Ms. Amanda Rockow, Vice President for Public Affairs
Dr. Michael Coleman, Associate Provost and Dean of Undergraduate Education
Dr. Austin Cunningham, Dean of Graduate Studies
Dr. Brian Berry, Dean of Economic, Political and Policy Sciences
Dr. George Fair, Dean of Interdisciplinary Studies
Dr. Dennis Kratz, Dean of Arts and Humanities
Dr. Bert Moore, Dean of Behavioral and Brain Sciences
Dr. Hasan Pirkul, Dean of Management
Dr. Myron Salamon, Dean of Natural Sciences and Mathematics
Dr. Mark Spong, Dean of Engineering and Computer Science

Submitted by the Legislative Affairs Committee 11 November, 2008.