New textbook programs to cut costs
Follett Higher Education Group launched Rent-A-Text in fall 2009 at 27 pilot schools and saved students nearly $6 million in two terms. Starting this fall, the University of Indianapolis bookstore is adopting Rent-A-Text.
“We want textbooks to be as affordable as possible,” said Lesley Noriega, bookstore manager. “We really care about the students. Especially during these economic times, with the cost of education rising, we want students to be able to afford their books.”
The Rent-A-Text program promises to save students 50 percent or more on the cost of their textbooks.
In order to be eligible to rent textbooks, students must be 18 or older, have a valid government issued ID and a branded debit or credit card for collateral. Parents can rent textbooks for students under 18.
The rental period is one semester long with an option to extend and pay another rental fee. If students choose to extend rental periods, buy the book or want to know the exact date the book will be due back, then they can find all of that information on the bottom of their receipts.
“One thing I want students to be careful about is that if you happen to need a book for two semesters, it might be cheaper to buy a used book rather than to pay the rental fee twice,” Noriega said.
Previously, students have rented textbooks from popular Web sites such as Chegg or Campus Book Rentals. However, renting textbooks through the Rent-A-Text program at the university bookstore offers additional options.
“You get to see the book. You can choose between new or used,” Noriega said. “We also allow highlighting and writing notes in the book, which Chegg doesn’t.”
Not all textbooks will be available for rentals; about 40 percent of the bookstore titles can be rented. Noriega said that bookstore personnel have received positive feedback since implementing Rent-A-Text.
The Rent-A-Text program is not the only effort to shrink textbook prices. The Higher Education Opportunity Act, which was effective on July 1, includes several provisions within the Textbook Affordability Act written by Illinois Sen. Dick Durbin to make textbooks more affordable.
Three of these major changes are public disclosure, unbundling and course scheduling disclosures. Public disclosure means disclosing the prices of textbooks to professors. Unbundling refers to the discontinuance of extra fees students pay for all the extra materials that come with a textbook, such as workbooks or CDs. Course scheduling disclosure means that the prices of the books will be listed when students schedule courses.
Disclosure will help both professors and students alike.
“Dick Durbin is right when he says that professors don’t know how much books cost. And to be sure, when I ask publishers’ representatives about the price, they often can’t tell me how much the book will actually cost when sold in the university bookstore,” said Associate Professor of History James Fuller.
“At UIndy, most professors really do care about their students and work to make the best decisions they can when it comes to ordering books. The new law will make it easier for us.”
Fuller said that the new law promises to give more information and allow professors to make cost-conscious decisions as they order books.
Hopefully through programs such as Rent-A-Text and the Textbook Affordability Act, students will be able to relieve their pocketbooks and higher education will become more affordable.
