This post was contributed by a community member. The views expressed here are the author's own.

Schools

Textbook Rental Program Keeps Students Enrolled at Cabrillo

In response to rising textbook costs, community college offers students a new way to afford course materials.

Many Cabrillo College students say they cannot afford to stay in school because of exorbitant textbook prices. They pay $26 per unit, but they can find themselves paying upwards of $200 per book. 

However, a textbook rental program offering course materials at 40 percent of the cost of a new book is helping some students continue their education.

"The students wanted rentals because the cost of textbooks is so horrific for them," said Cabrillo College Bookstore manager Robin Ellis. "It's a big mess of a market and students are the ones being hurt. And so is our bookstore." 

Find out what's happening in Santa Cruzwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

The store rolled out a pilot rental program in spring 2009, two years after the school's Student Senate made a resolution to make textbooks more affordable and donated $20,000 toward the program. The Faculty Senate kicked in another $3,000 and Ellis got to work. 

She started with 160 copies each of three different textbooks. The program now offers 24 titles with over 1,000 books in circulation, making one of the store's most costly textbooks -- a human anatomy book that sells new for $191-- available for $76.50.

Find out what's happening in Santa Cruzwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Ellis estimated that by the end of the 2010 spring semester, Cabrillo students collectively saved $100,000 in textbook fees through the rental program.

"We try to get the most expensive books and ones needed for the core courses that a lot of students take," Ellis said.

While many students blame college bookstores for the high prices of course materials, Ellis said that publishing practices of cycling editions every 18 to 24 months and "unnecessary bundling" of extras like CD-roms are the real culprits.

"I've had people yell at me and have even heard teachers defame the bookstore, as if we're responsible for setting the book prices, but we don't," said the store's student coordinator Kristen Jeffrey. "The publishing companies hold all the cards and dictate how much they can sell the book for. And the professors choose the books."

Last year, the store's textbook buyer received a voicemail from a frantic student who couldn't afford a book.   

"I need the psychology book and, actually, I was just about to drop the class because I can't afford the book but if I could rent it from you for 40 percent, then I could probably take the class," the student said.

The student's message inspired Ellis to apply for a $264,342 grant from the U.S. Dept. of Education, which Cabrillo was awarded, and the program became permanent. 

"We've had nothing but positive feedback," Ellis said. "Every day, students and parents come in to say 'Thank you.'"

Still, used books are the best value in the long run.

For example, students can purchase a book that costs $100 new for $75 used and sell it back for $50 at the end of the semester, spending a total of $25 by the semester's end. The same book would cost $40 to rent.

"But rental is better if the student can't put up the $75 at the beginning of the semester," Ellis said. 

Students who rent must be registered in the course a book is for. They also must sign a rental agreement that requires them to either return books undamaged on the last day of finals or pay a replacement fee. Students who don't return books have their grades and transcripts withheld.

The on-time return rate was 94 percent the first semester of the pilot. Last semester, 15 percent of  rented books were never returned, according to Jeffrey.

No textbook rental program is available at University of California Santa Cruz.

Cabrillo has since joined the Bay Area College Bookstore Textbook Rental Consortium, a group of 10 colleges collectively applying for a $1.5 million grant from the U.S. Dept. of Education toward a pilot shared rental program. Fifteen State Assemblymembers, including 27th District Assemblymember Bill Monning, signed a letter in support of the pilot. 

Cabrillo also joined the Central Coast e-Gutenberg Cooperative, made up of six colleges that hope to offer 74,600 students the opportunity to access electronic, print-on-demand, customized texts at large savings.

"I'm really hoping people will donate money or we will get more grants," Jeffrey said. "The more titles we carry, the more people will be happy."

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here

The views expressed in this post are the author's own. Want to post on Patch?