Students

Whereas the availability of affordable textbooks and other assigned classroom materials is critical to student success, and

Whereas textbook pricing policies are thereby a major academic concern of faculty,

Whereas, Textbook prices have increased beyond the resources of many students;

Whereas, New editions are often published with few content changes, making used books unavailable, and unnecessary bundling increases the costs to students;

Whereas, Marketing costs account for over 15% of the cost to students; and

Whereas, Textbooks are sold to individuals via the Internet for significantly less than they are sold in bulk to college bookstores;

Whereas high student fees hinder access to the California Community Colleges, and

Whereas SB 1300 requires that California community college districts reduce student fees by 15% effective January 1, 1996,

Resolved that the Academic Senate for California Community Colleges support the concepts in SB 1300 as they exist on April 2, 1995. M/S/C Disposition: Articulation Coord Council, COFO, Chancellor's Office, Executive Committee, FACCC, Governor, Legislature, CalSACC, Board of Governors

Whereas community college students would greatly benefit from a more precise method of recording academic achievement,

Resolved that the Academic Senate for California Community Colleges reaffirm its support for the permissive use of plus/minus grading, and

Resolved that the Academic Senate for California Community Colleges direct the Executive Committee to present a specific proposal for a plus/minus grading system, including Title 5 implications, to a future session.
M/S/C Disposition: Executive Committee, CalSACC

Resolved that the Academic Senate adopt the document "Student Equity: Guidelines for Developing a Plan."

Resolved that the Academic Senate adopt the document "Textbook Pricing Policies and Student Access Background Paper."

Resolved that the Academic Senate for California Community Colleges adopt the paper titled "Student Mentoring: Responding to the Laroche Challenge". (See Enclosed)
M/S/U DISPOSITION: Local senates, CIOs, Chancellor's Office, Board of Governors, Jonnah Laroche

The rising cost of college textbooks has recently become a topic of intense public debate. It is perceived as a significant barrier to college attendance, and an assortment of legislative remedies has been proposed. This position paper of the Academic Senate for California Community Colleges explains that profit is just one of a complex series of interacting issues that determine the ultimate cost of textbooks to students. Educational and ethical issues surrounding the adoption of course material are explored, and a wide variety of interested parties and their concerns are identified.

The Academic Senate for California Community Colleges has maintained long-standing support for the no-fee, open-access concept of California's community colleges. This paper documents the history of the introduction of fees and the seemingly inevitable subsequent increases-all of which have been vigorously opposed by the Academic Senate. It makes the case that such fees have betrayed the educational vision of California's 1960 Master Plan for Higher Education-a vision that has served California well.

As a result of a request to review textbook pricing systemwide (S96 20.1), the Academic Senate for California Community Colleges distributed a survey soliciting bookstore information from all bookstore managers, local academic senate presidents, and student body presidents. The information from the survey, plus additional research is included in this paper to examine several issues involved in the rising costs of textbooks, particularly from the perspective of costs to students and possible barriers to enrollment and success.