Miami Student

Issue date: 9/28/07 Section: Front Page

The American Association of University Professors is pushing the anti-bundling clause, which would require that supplementary materials be sold separately and bundled.

With new legislation in the works, Miami University students and parents may soon know the true reason textbooks are so expensive.

The new bill, introduced by Representative Julia Carson (D-Ind.) Sept. 10, was developed to address the issue of textbook pricing and break down communication barriers between publishers, professors, school administrators, bookstores and students.

According to the College Textbook Affordability and Transparency Act of 2007, H.R. 3512, publishers would be required to disclose all costs associated with the product before approaching faculty members in order to avoid additional, unexpected costs that disrupt student budgeting.

"Students are suffering from sticker shock after going through their colleges' bookstores," Carson said. "This bill addresses many of the concerns we have heard related to this issue, and it assures transparency in textbook pricing. It seeks to bring the market's stakeholders together for the benefit of students."

Along with being sponsored by Carson and four other Democratic representatives; David Wu (D-Ore.), Steve Kagen (D-Wis.), Robert Scott (D-Va.) and Darlene Hooley (D-Ore.); the bill is endorsed by the American Association of University Professors (AAUP), an organization aimed at advancing the academic freedoms and standards of higher education.

Nicole Byrd, government relations associate for AAUP, described the bill as a positive step in addressing the rising rates of textbook prices while admitting the bill won't revolutionize the industry. According to Byrd, the AAUP is particularly in support of the anti-bundling clause found in the bill. The clause would require textbook supplies to sell supplemental materials separately in addition to bundled packages including CDs, workbooks, charts and maps.

"Students feel like they are not getting their money's worth if the supplemental materials aren't used-which is quite often the case," Byrd said.

Byrd said that the AAUP is also petitioning for other ways to decrease textbooks costs, such as promoting paperback instead of hardcover copies. The AAUP is continually looking for cost conscious methods to assist students, Byrd said.

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