Independent Student Newspaper Since 1969

The Badger Herald

Independent Student Newspaper Since 1969

The Badger Herald

Independent Student Newspaper Since 1969

The Badger Herald

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Textbook prices are too damn high

Textbook+prices+are+too+damn+high
Herald archives

Textbooks – a material too often viewed as optional for classes. Don’t hem and haw saying you “always buy the textbooks” and “read it every night!”

Yes, I speak of the time-honored tradition of ignoring the textbook suggestions on the syllabus (or the entire syllabus really). A risky game of cat and mouse with your textbooks can pay great dividends when your professor completely ignores the content and teaches solely from lectures. On the other hand, being caught high and dry without textbooks is never a pleasant or profitable experience for a grade point average.

So, like many slacker students, I quietly slipped into the bookstore to purchase the reading material for the next day’s midterm. Gleaming covers of new books boldly caught my eye, while the used books’ economic value enticed my attention. I gathered my materials quickly – after all, I had a whole night of procrastinating to get to – and checked out. The rhythmic beep of the register punctuated the cashier’s indifferent sighs, “The total comes to $315.67, or your firstborn child.”

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My wallet began to cry. Or maybe that was me. $315? I had no choice but to drain my bank account. So, I vowed to investigate.

I then inspected the books themselves. They looked, smelled and sounded like regular books. They tasted like regular books (don’t ask). So naturally I had to investigate any magical properties, of which they have none. My conclusion? Our books are too damn expensive for not being made of gold or being able to teach me how to spontaneously create money.

The sad truth is that textbooks are on the rise. No, they aren’t taking over, though that would be much more interesting. A disturbing trend has arisen in educational literature, as each year prices soar ever skyward, faster than tuition and inflation.

Don’t take my word for it; I am just some disembodied voice coming to you through the Internet. Google it yourself. Textbooks prices have risen 812 percent since 1978, with no sign of halting their vertical climb. University of Wisconsin tells students to slot $1200 for “books and supplies” when calculating yearly expenses. That is $600 a semester, as much as rent for a month and over $5k if you plan on staying for four years.

“But wait!” cry those frugal few out there, “Used textbooks are a viable option that is much cheaper, as well as renting!” Yes, thank you, voice of reason. The only problem is that the current version of your textbook is going to go out of style quicker than a Rebecca Black music video, making it useless and often less valuable on buybacks.

This also complicates the used book system, where you are often forced to read from an ancient tome almost five versions out of date after one semester. This is especially problematic for those in the sciences or other fields that often change rapidly. Don’t worry, the professor gives you a confusing chart telling you what sentences are still good and what aren’t so you can spend your free time puzzling out how to read instead of learning. At least with used books we can hope the half-blood prince owned it before us to give us some tips.

Rental is not much better, giving you books that look like they survived a meat grinder and then were put back into circulation. Also out of date, these books have a very strict deadline for returning and dire consequences if you miss it.

So if textbooks are the reason for the teardrops on your guitar, remember that these precious commodities are often best kept in a climate controlled area, as to get maximum value back when the time comes. Make sure you take good care of them as you are forced to trudge through all kinds of weather and study at all kinds of hours.

My parents asked me how I go through money so fast; I giggled then sobbed, burying my head into my dingy used textbooks, careful not to let my tears ruin the binding.

Elias Radtke ([email protected]is junior at Madison Area Technical College majoring in chemical engineering.

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