Report prompts cheaper textbooks

Textbook buyers across the nation won a small victory, thanks to a publicized report by WashPIRG.

Thompson Learning, a major textbook publisher, has introduced a new line of some of its textbooks with reduced prices. The new program will lower the price of these books by 25 percent.

The announcement was made 11 days after WashPIRG released its report, "Rip-off 101: How the Current Practices of the Publishing Industry Drive up the Cost of College Textbooks."

"What we were saying was pretty bold stuff," said freshman Jay Holcomb, the WashPIRG affordable textbooks coordinator. "All the textbook-publishing companies, they can either respond negatively or positively, and this was a positive response."

The new line of textbooks will reduce the number of additional materials included with the books, which the 65 percent of the faculty WashPIRG surveyed said were "rarely" or "never" used. Instead, these materials will be offered separately.

"I'm really impressed that a group of students got together and really dedicated some time and organizing to an issue they knew would benefit all students," said ASUW President Brittany Goodnight.

One of the factors Goodnight attributed to WashPIRG's success was the choice to hold a press conference to announce the release of the report as well as highlight some of the findings.

"Pulling together a press conference was a great way to put public pressure on the companies," said Goodnight. "We can see from the results that this student pressure actually worked, which is always great when you can see student wins happen."

The relevance of the issue to all students was also a factor that added to the impact of the report, according to Holcomb.

"It affects all students," said Holcomb. "Everyone here at the UW has to pay for books, and everyone knows that they are expensive. This is just something that is more applicable to everyday life."

Holcomb pointed out that, although this change is a step in the right direction, the issue with textbook prices is far from resolved.

"It's not the end, but it's a good first step," said Holcomb. "It's along the right path but we still have to see if they will continue to do this program, and they'll really hold up to what they said they're trying to do."

In the meantime, WashPIRG has set up a free service in the form of an online book swap at www.campusbookswap.com.