Take Action! Textbooks

Legislators will be considering textbook legislation is the next few days.  I have drafted an automated letter through an online program.  When you get a moment, please take 15 seconds and send the letter if you agree with the content.  Here is the link:

http://capwiz.com/usmd/issues/alert/?alertid=12755776&PROCESS=Take+Action

Action is time sensitive, so the sooner the better.

Tuition freeze right move for Maryland's future

Jonathan Sachs, Student Body President at UMCP, and I submitted an op-ed to The Baltimore Sun regarding the possibility of a tuition freeze.  Check out the article or read it here:

As students who are directly affected by the cost of tuition, we believe it is important to explain why a fourth straight tuition freeze for resident undergraduate students at our public universities is so important for Maryland. 

Even with tuition frozen for three years, student costs have increased. Since 2005, mandatory fees for students (for parking, student unions and recreation services) have increased 15 percent; room, by 14 percent; and board, by 13 percent at the University of Maryland, College Park. Couple these increases with the rising costs of textbooks (increasing at four times the rate of inflation), transportation and other associated costs, and an in-state student's annual bill can reach more than $20,000.

Most students in the University System of Maryland are not wealthy. Our parents are teachers, government workers, nurses and police officers. This economic crisis has hit our families hard, and we need any financial break we can get to continue pursuing a college degree - which will better position us to contribute to Maryland's vibrant, knowledge-based economy. 

We need a tuition freeze to help keep costs affordable so that we can stay enrolled. Maryland is witnessing an amazing transformation in public higher education. New facilities are being built on campuses across the state, and academic standards continue to rise. The state's public universities are ranked among the nation's best and are educating more students than ever. At the same time, our classes are more racially and socioeconomically diverse than previous classes. 

Continuing the tuition freeze will not hinder this growth at all. To the contrary, it will help open doors for more Marylanders to share the outstanding opportunity of attending a public university. The proposed freeze would cost the state $16 million, a small fraction of the more than $1 billion in state investment in higher education each year. 

"Governing is choosing," and Gov. Martin O'Malley has chosen to invest in Maryland's future, so that we can fill the jobs of our state's advancing economy. This is a long-term, worthwhile strategy for investing in the minds needed for Maryland's future success.

Jonathan Sachs is Student Government Association president at the University of Maryland, College Park. Josh Michael is a student member of the University System of Maryland Board of Regents and a UMBC student.

Tuition Freeze becoming a reality

The announcement of Governor O'Malley's intention to fully fund the Thornton calculations for K-12 education during the next two years.  Why does this matter to higher education, you ask?

What's not said is what is important in this article.  In funding K-12 education above the originally proposed levels, the Governor will surely have the funds to fully support his proposed dollars in the operating budget for the USM.  The Governor has relied upon funding from the federal government to support his operating budget.

So, the tuition freeze is becoming more and more likely each day.  The announcement of full-funding of K-12 this year is a sign that funding should arrive for higher education to support a funded tuition freeze.

President Caret in the spotlight

The Sun ran a piece  today on Towson University President Bob Caret.  It highlights his aggressive approach to growth at Towson, that has expanded the campus by 6,000 students during his tenure.  Take a moment to check out this nice article.

Tuition Freeze: Keeping it in Perspective

I have long been a supporter of funded tuition freezes.  As with any meaningful policy, students range in perspective on the issue of tuition freezes.  Hard-line affordability advocates have long cried that colleges waste student tuition dollars on frivolous expenditures, and that holding the line on revenues would force universities to cut the fat.  Other students have criticized tuition freezes as "political" policy, at the expense of educational quality.  In other words, politicians sacrifice the quality of education for students in exchange for votes.

The sound bite of "tuition freeze" does not do justice to the full policy.  It describes the tuition revenues with out the accompanying state revenues.  Some tuition freezes are really tuition subsidies, in which the state covers the bill for increased tuition for in-state, undergraduate students.  Others are true caps on tuition without state subsidy support, decreasing the real revenue for the university (adjusted for inflation).  So,a funded tuition freeze is like an across-the-board scholarship for students from the state.  An unfunded tuition freeze is like the BGE cap on electricity rates.  The result in the latter scenario is large increases when the cap comes off.

In Maryland, we have experienced three tuition freezes and are expecting a fourth.  The first, under the Ehrlich  Administration, is characterized as an "unfunded" tuition freeze.  The latter two and proposed fourth, under the O'Malley Administration, are considered funded tuition freezes.  I support funded tuition freezes, and don't support unfunded freezes.  In response to critics who describe the waste in higher education, I highlight the Effectiveness and Efficiency Initiative , which has derived cost savings for the USM of 1 to 2 % of the budget.  The tuition subsidy proposed in the FY2010 budget amounts to $16.9 million.  The USM Board of Regents has established an arrangement with the Governor that he must "buy" tuition freezes up and above the proposed operating budget allocations.

I had the opportunity to talk with a reporter from The State News, the Michigan State University independent newspaper regarding the tuition freeze policy in Maryland.  I described the policy in Maryland, and also cautioned about the possible negative impacts of suffering quality that can derive from artificial revenue caps.  Check out the article  to see for yourself.

I am often found defending the policy under its current merits, and rarely explain the caveats of which I include in my position.  I support funded tuition freezes, but only if not at the cost of decreasing quality.

The Sun: More Maryland families choosing USM institutions

The Sun highlighted today in an article a trend of more Maryland high school students choosing to attend public institutions in Maryland.  

The article highlights that admission applications are up at USM schools.  While this is great for our schools and for Marylanders, the consequence is that students who likely would have been admitted to USM institutions previously many not be admitted now.  As the demand increases, the supply cannot respond as quickly.

Testimony on House Bill 85

I testified on Tuesday as part of a panel of USM student leaders expressing support with amendments to House Bill 85.  The USM Student Council voted unanimously (10-0) at its 2/9 meeting to only support the bill with substantial amendments. Panel members included:

• Bill Logan, Towson undergraduate, Chair of USM Student Council
  
• Brady Walker, University of Baltimore law, Vice Chair of USM Student Council
  
• Sarah Elfreth, Towson undergraduate, Towson SGA and 2009-2010 USM Student Regent
  
• Roberto Munster, UMCP graduate, UMCP Graduate Student Government and USM Student Council member
  

Our testimony highlighted a number of additions and concerns, addressing concerns of costly administrative burdens, publication of unconfirmed information, limitations on academic freedom, an possible unintended consequences.  We submitted an amended version for review (email me at joshmichael@umbc.edu for a full tracked-changes version).

House members were receptive to comments, and Delegate Craig Rice is willing to carve up the bill to avoid the explained unintended consequences.

The Diamondback covered the event, highlighting the potential increased costs for students, resulting from the proscriptive language.  An editorial  was also published today.

USM Passes Policy on Textbook Affordability Measures

The USM Board of Regents unanimously supported the Policy on textbook Affordability Measures yesterday at a meeting at Towson University.  The policy is excepted to cut textbook costs for students by 20-30%.  

The Sun  the Policy and also wrote anin support of the action.

Coverage on the development:

The Sun (covered /  editorial )

Washington Post

The Capital

The Diamondback

Board of Regents set to approve Textbook Policy

The Board of Regents will consider the proposed "Policy on Textbook Affordability Measures" at tomorrow's full Board meeting at Towson University.  The effort stems from the Textbook Affordability Summit held on November 24th by the USM.  The policy includes a number of provisions, that when coupled with the federal law addressing textbooks, will significantly decrease the cost for students.  

The policy ensures that:

• students recieve ISBN numbers and other information regarding textbook selections well in advance of the beginning of the semester to ensure that students can shop competitively outside the bookstore
• deadlines for book finalization are set prior to the conclusion of classes in order to maximize the book buy-back process
• best practices for faculty regarding new editions of textbooks and bundling
• faculty can allow students to purchase older editions of an assigned book of the content is of relevant educational content
• bookstores stock both unbundled and bundled versions of materials
• students have the opportunity to review the use of course materails through final course evaluations
• faculty are educated of the policy each semester.

While legislation has been proposed by state legislators to address the problem, I question how provisions in this bill could negatively impact students.  The bill generally reiterates, in a number of places, positive provisions included in the federal textbook bill and the USM policy.  Yet, additional costs will likely rise for students as additional red-tape and regulation is inserted in the textbook adoption process, in the form of increased cost of books at the campus bookstore.  Additionally, limitations and unnecessary burdens on faculty could limit and frustrate the work and academic freedom of faculty.

The policy should pass the Board of Regents tomorrow, and should provide a comprehensive and workable policy to help lower the cost of textbooks.

USMSC Leadership Transition

The University System of Maryland Student Council (USMSC) met on Sunday at UMES.  One of the main agenda items was mid-year elections to replace David Walker from Bowie State, who resigned as Chair.

Bill Logan, a senior at Towson, was elected to serve as Chair for the remainder of the year.  He can be contacted at wlogan1@towson.edu.  In the remainder of the term, Bill hopes to ensure a successful transition to the new Council and also hopes to represent students within the USM and in Annapolis during the legislative session.

Stacking up the House and Senate Stimulus Package

Higher Ed Watch provides a thorough review  of the developments in the federal stimulus package.  Generally, the Senate version of the bill has significantly less funding for higher education.  The cut in state stabilization dollars could have a significant impact on higher education funding and the proposed tuition freeze.  Here is a chart stacking the two proposals side-by-side.

Submit your FAFSA!

FAFSA forms are due March 1--take care of it now so that you won't have financial problems down the line.  The FAFSA form is the federal financial aid form that helps the government determine your eligibiltiy for financial aid scholarships and loans.  the State government also uses the form in its analysis, as do other scholarship programs.

Go to www.fafsa.ed.gov to complete yours today.

Ruckus shuts down, USM student speaks out

Ruckus  officially shut down earlier this week, closing the door on what many university administrators saw as a solution to filesharing on campuses.  The service allowed students to access music online through temporary licenses.  While an alternative to what some have dubbed as "illegal filesharing," the program was full of problems.

Michael Castello, a student at UMBC and a member of the USM Student Council, has been working with UMBC and USM officials on this issue, recognizing that Ruckus is not a solution to the problem and that provisions targeting universities and college students for illegal filesharing is illegitimate.

Castello has developed into quite the expert and champion of the issue, and has recently been highlighted in a P2Pnet.net article .  I look forward to Michael posting on the Blog to tell us more.

UMBC SGA President resigns, Rettaliata to be sworn in

UMBC Student Government Association President, Steve Gilmore, resigned on February 9th after failing to meet the GPA requirement for the fall semester.

Gabe Rettaliata has been sworn in as President and will serve the remainder of the term through May.

The Retriever Weekly and UMBCUnderground have both covered the story.

Textbooks hit the press, USM policy & state legislation

The USM textbook policy and state legislation have gotten a lot of newspaper coverage in recent days.  The Board of Regents Education Policy Committee considered the textbook policy on Monday, and state legislation had a hearing on Wednesday.

I have spoken out in support of the state legislation with amendments.  I have some concerns with the bill, because I think it overburdens the administrative function of the bookstore, to the point where student costs will rise whether textbooks are purchased at the bookstore or not.  Additionally, the USM policy and federal legislation address the pertinent issues that impact tuition affordability by increasing redtape (see sections C & D).

In the Examiner Article, a quote highlights my statement that I would prefer to purchase books at the campus bookstore, when prices are comparable.  The reason for this is that the revenues collected on top of the cost of the book help cover the personnel costs of the arduous process of selecting books, as well as to subsidize other costs in the university.  Profits made on textbooks purchased outside of the bookstore go to the pockets of private businesses and corporations.

In my view, the goal should not be to run campus bookstores out of business by adding significant amounts of red tape, but to lower the cost of assigned books and then providing students with the ISBN number so they can search outside the university for books when the costs are overpriced.

Examiner Article
Diamondback - USM Policy / Legislation  / Editorial
The Towson Towerlight

State to fund domestic partner benefits

Governor O'Malley submitted regulations earlier this week to fund domestic partner benefits.  This has been a long-and-coming proposal that students and faculty of the USM have long supported.

Equality Maryland, an advocacy organization for LGBTQA individuals, has supported the long-overdue policy.  According to the Diamondback, the proposal could cost the state $1 to $3 million. 

USM Chancellor Kirwan has been a vocal supporter for the proposal.  In a press release by Equality Maryland, he said, "This health care policy change is long overdue for our university employees," said University of Maryland System Chancellor William E. Kirwan.  "The University of Maryland is one of only ten campuses in the 60-member Association of American Universities that does not offer domestic partner benefits to its faculty, and this has impacted our ability to recruit and retain the best talent. Gov. O'Malley's proposal will enable us to bridge this gap."

The policy should have a significant impact on recruiting top-notch faculty, and also is a step in the direction of making our universities more inclusive.

Top 5 Time Management Tips for College Students

Top 5 Time Management Tips for College Students

You have worked hard for the last three to four years, and you are beginning to see the light at the end of the tunnel.  Graduating college is a major milestone, and will open many doors for you when you have completed your coursework.  The key thing to keep in mind during your senior year of college is to finish strong.  In order to do this, you will need to manage your time wisely, which is a skill that will benefit you in the workplace as well.

  

1. Get into a regular routine.  This should include going to sleep and waking up at the same time every day that you are attending classes.  Not only will you feel better with a regular schedule, but you are conditioning your body for career life as well. 

2. Take advantage of your down time.  Oftentimes, there is an hour or two between courses.  Rather than hanging out at the student union or surfing the web at the computer lab, use this time to review the materials from your last class, or prepare for your next class.  This will certainly help you to retain the knowledge more easily if you make it a habit. 

3. Plan out readings and projects.  If you are devoting regular study time to your courses, completing major projects, papers, and readings should become increasingly easier to do.  Set achievable goals regarding these items and you won’t be pulling all-nighters to get your work done.  Give yourself milestones and hit your targets. 

4. Make time for your coursework every day.  The importance of this cannot be understated.  Your final year will come with lots of stresses and pressures, so make sure that you don’t add to your stress level by procrastinating. 

5. Map out each course’s syllabus.  Pull out your calendars and planners and write down every single thing that is due from the beginning to the end of the semester, but do it in pencil.  Syllabi are subject to change, but seeing everything in one place helps you to realize just how much needs to be done, and by when. 

This post was contributed by Holly McCarthy, who writes on the subject of best online schools. She invites your feedback at hollymccarthy12 at gmail dot com

No Good Deed Goes Unpunished: Jonathan Sachs

The Diamondback ran a cartoon today poking fun at UMCP SGA President Jonathan Sachs.  A recent column by UMCP student questioned Sachs' strategies and priorities.  

I've had the opportunity to work with Jonathan closely and have been very impressed with his political acumen and desire to affect change for students.  He's the "go-to" man for state legislators who want to know what students think.  He understands how to both work the political system and take a stand for students--not an easy task, I can tell you from personal experience.  It's fun to take this opportunity to enjoy some comic relief at the expense of Jonathan.  The important message to take away is that Jonathan is moving and shaking enough for people to actually care!

Check out this article and response.  Then check out this cartoon!

USM Textbook Policy to be passed

Chancellor Kirwan, USM staff, and the Board of Regents were very receptive to amendments to the textbook policy at yesterday's Education Policy Committee Meeting of the Board of Regents.  After some conversation, the Board agreed to adopt the policy in principle, with expectations for amendments in coming days.  The Board is set to vote on the policy at its February 13th meeting at Towson. (Copy of new draft / marked-up version).

The policy is quite timely, considering that the Senate's Education, Health, and Environmental Affairs Committee will review the textbook legislation (SB 183).  This legislation causes some concern, with possible undue burdens on bookstores and institutions, evenutally increasing costs for students.  I have draft testimony for your consideration--let me know what you think.

Also, see an article from The Diamondback on yesterday's meeting.

Board of Regents Considers Textbook Policy

The Board of Regents and the University System of Maryland sponsored a Textbook Affordability Summit in December.  The BOR's Effectiveness and Efficiency Workgroup, led by Regent David Nevins, took up the task and has since developed a draft policy for the USM.

The Education Policy Committee will meet today at UMCP to discuss the policy.  See a copy of the policy, with my proposed amendments outlined in red.  

At debate will be to what extent should the BOR mandate clauses, as opposed to make broad suggestions and guidelines.  The debate is rooted in two principles of delegation of authority: academic freedom for faculty and institutional autonomy.

The policy has significant implications, in light of pending state legislation (HB 85 / SB 183).  The System my very well be able to stymie state regulation if the policy is broad and strict enough to meet expectations of legislators.  At the same time, a strict policy may be opposed by institutional and faculty representatives.

Of note, the policy with my amendments includes regulations that:

- release textbooks selections by December 1 for Spring Semester and May 1 for the fall semesters (include ISBN, author, edition, publisher, copyright date, and title)

- ensure that faculty consider the price before assigning a book

- have faculty consider using the same textbook for multiple semesters in a row

- ensure professors only assign new editions when necessary, and have them list all editions that are acceptable for use

- encourage faculty to unbundle book selections

- permit students to access electronic versions of books

- encourage faculty to use online documents and resources in class

- encourage faculty to be judicious in selecting books

- outline the procedure for assigning "recommended" materials

- require the assignment of "integrated" textbooks to be approved by Provosts

- include the use of textbooks as a measure for course evaluations

Tuition Freeze Debated, Front and Center

The policy debate of freezing tuition for in-state, undergraduate students has come to the spotlight in recent days.  Despite the challenging financial times in the state, the Governor has brought the proposal to the fore heralding it as one of his highlights of the budget proposal.  In his State of the State Address, O'Malley took on critics directly:

Is the fight for affordable college about politics??? You’re darn right it’s about politics. It’s about the politics of inclusion. It’s about the politics of prosperity. It’s about the politics of opportunity. It’s about the politics of posterity. It’s about the politics of my kids and yours. It’s about the politics of the hardworking people we serve. You’re darn right it’s about politics.

Legislative leaders have a different perspective on the issue, particularly Senate President Mike Miller, highlighted in The Sun today.  House Speaker Mike Busch has spoken out, explaining that increased investment should be made in community colleges.  The Governor has invested $16.9 million in the FY2010 budget to fund the tuition freeze.

USM officials, though, stand strong behind the Governor.  Chancellor Kirwan highlights the psycological access impediment of "sticker shock."  As many of us know, relying solely upon financial aid and loans for funding a college education is unreliable and stressful.

The Commission to Develop the Maryland Model for Funding Higher Education, commonly known as the Bohanan Comission, proposed in its final report that Maryland strive to reach the 50th percentile in tuition costs in the United States.  Currently, tuition at public institutions ranks 16th in the US and will rank 18th if a tuition freeze is funded this year.  Notably, after two years of double-digit increases in tuition under the Ehrlich administration, tuition in Maryland shot up to 6th nationally.

It's important to put the cost of education into perspective for Maryland families.  Between 2002 and 2007, tuition costs grew by 44.7%.  At the same time, median income grew by only 16.4%.  In other words, tuition is growing three times as fast as family wealth, making higher education significantly less affordable for Maryland families.  Trends like this make higher education less and less a public comodity and more for those who can afford it or earn merit scholarships.  And, in tough fiscal times, families who are not eligible for financial aid are struggling to pay for college otherwise.

USM officials and the Governor recognize the need to maintain affordability for Maryland students and families.  Instead of expanding quality during tough times, legislators should maintain their dedication to holding the line on affordability to ensure that college remains a public good.