CALM-ing down textbook costs for students

By Rico Palmerin

“The cost of a textbook should not keep a student from taking a class they need or want to take, or, just as bad, preventing their success in a course because they can’t afford the needed materials. Our students deserve the best education we can give them” – Dr. N. Wilson

Cougars Affordable Learning Materials Project (CALM) works hard to reduce textbook costs for CSUSM students.

Most students are familiar with the textbook scramble at the start of each semester and the pain that comes with spending hundreds of dollars for short-lived resources. Thankfully, the CALM project was created by teachers for students in response to rising textbook costs.

“The aim of the project is to produce a groundswell of actions across the five colleges here at CSUSM so that keeping material costs as low as possible without comprising quality becomes a campus-wide practice,” project liaison, and LTWR and WMST professor, Dr. Natalie Wilson, said.

Being disinclined or unable to purchase a textbook because of costs is a sad reality for CSUSM students. According to CALM’s website, “as many as 7 out of every 10 students don’t buy a required text due to the cost.” Without access to the required course material students are not only being cheated of a fulfilling education, but also increase their risk of falling behind or dropping the course. CALM’s website shares that “textbook costs are cited as one of the top two reasons students drop out.”

CALM combats these statistics by raising awareness among faculty about the burden of textbook costs on students and the benefits of using cheaper alternatives. CALM emphasizes open educational resources (OER) as a primary means for teachers to avoid costly textbooks in their courses. These resources are educational materials that are not privately licensed, which means that teachers are free to modify these resources to better suit their course and even make copies for students.

“[Teachers] were also unaware of the cumulative cost for students in specific majors, and many faculty [members] are now looking for ways they can work together to reduce this cost within their disciplines,” a member of the Instructional Development Staff (IDS) on campus, Susan Wilson, said.

Closing the gap between teachers’ awareness about textbook costs and students’ frustration with rising costs is essential to CALM’s mission. But teachers are not alone in this fight against unnecessary spending; students can help too.

CALM advises students to check out and promote CALM’s website, http://www.csusm.edu/ids/calm/. There are also other ways that students can get involved.

“Talk to their professors about the impact of expensive textbooks, and their preferred instructional materials delivery methods. Share with their instructor and other students the lower-cost sources they have found online,” S. Wilson said.

CALM’s website is full of statistics on textbook costs for students, as well as advice for obtaining cheaper alternatives. Students interested in lowering textbook costs should check out the website, and email CALM about personal experiences about the struggle to afford textbooks. CALM can be reached at [email protected].