Organizations
lobby for books
By Joyce Kelly
On-line Forty-Niner
The
rising costs of tuition and textbooks could
be a hindrance to students of low-income
and minority communities, according to the
Greenlining Institute.
The Greenlining Institute refers to itself
as a think-tank and leading advocacy group
representing low-income, minority and other
vulnerable communities.
“We are a non-profit organization consisting
of churches, community and business organizations,”
spokeswoman for the Greenlining Institute,
Tammeil Gilkerson said.
In a recent letter to Richard Atkinson,
president of the University of California
system and Charles B. Reed, chancellor of
the California State University system,
the Greenlining Institute stated, “Now more
than ever, UC and CSU’s 460,000 plus undergraduate
students face prohibitively expensive fees,
particularly for textbooks.”
Research findings of the Greenlining Institute
reported that CSU students paid $350 million,
state wide, on textbooks.
Not everyone is typically concerned with
the affects of only the minority, low-income
and vulnerable communities. Danny Vivian,
president of A.S.I. at Cal State Long Beach,
is concerned with the high cost of textbooks
affecting all students. He was upset about
having to pay for books he did not use.
“I had to buy books for four classes for
$450, and I didn’t use all of them,” Vivian
said. “I was pissed off with how much
my books cost.”
Vivian spoke at a committee on higher education
with the California Assembly about the concerns
of the students.
Vivian does not place the blame of the high
costs of the textbooks on the bookstore;
instead, he blames the publishers.
“It is the publisher who decides to print
only a limited amount of books,” he said.
“They come out with a new edition of the
book every year. Or they take two chapters
out of a book and put space to write in
it and call it a workbook.”
He also thinks that when the faculty procrastinates
when it is time to order their books that
may play a factor in the increase cost of
the textbooks.
CSULB President Robert Maxson and Vivian
believe that putting the pressure on the
legislature will help.
Maxson, also agrees that Reed and Atkinson
may be able to put some pressure on the
legislature.
“They look at the economy and the concerns
of the schools and put the pressure on the
legislature,” he said.
Reed will respond to the letter from the
Greenlining Institute.
“The chancellor is in the process responding
to the letter,” said Clara Potes-Fellow,
public affairs spokeswoman for the Chancellor’s
Office.
With the high cost of textbooks and the
continuing increases in tuition, most students
find other places to buy their books. In
fact, Vivian encourages them to try to save
on the cost of their books.
“Go where you can find the cheapest books,”
Vivian said.
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