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