Associated Students of Madison (ASM) is working to reduce textbook costs for students, helping making higher education more affordable. As we all know, and as Jonah Zinn from ASM underscored at the February Faculty Senate meeting, textbook costs have risen dramatically – twice the rate of inflation – over the past twenty years. According to ASM, nearly half of all students at UW-Madison have refrained from purchasing required course materials because they were too expensive, limiting the ability of faculty to teach students most effectively.
ASM’s Affordable Textbook Campaign has provided students, faculty and staff with suggestions on how to save money on textbooks and lower the costs of required course materials. Suggestions include releasing required material information before the semester begins, utilizing older editions, and working with publishers and students to communicate prices.
The Campaign is forming a shared governance committee made up of faculty, academic staff and students to further discuss ways of reducing textbook costs for students. Faculty and academic staff who are interested in sharing their experiences or joining the committee should contact Karen Sanchez (ksanchez at wisc dot edu).