The start of a new semester is always a hectic time for students. Coming back from break, students must choose precepts, purchase school supplies and buy textbooks. While the first two tasks are straightforward, the absence of a University-published list of textbooks required for each course makes the third task more difficult.
Currently, the University only publishes a sample reading list for each course on the registrar’s website, and professors often wait until the first day of class to pass out a syllabus containing the finalized reading list. As a result, students who prefer to use online vendors must either go without books for the first week of class or purchase their books from Labyrinth Books, often at higher prices. Though Labyrinth posts a list of required books for certain courses on its website, this list is not posted until after classes begin. Moreover, not all professors order books from Labyrinth, so students taking those classes cannot obtain a book list from the Labyrinth website.
To remedy this problem, the University should require all professors — not just those who order from Labyrinth — to submit a book list to the registrar no later than the deadline for professors to submit the same list to Labyrinth. The University should provide this information to students instead of relying on a third party. Though the University has an obligation to promote Labyrinth as its official textbook provider, fulfilling this obligation should not require students to choose between their academic and financial interests.
If such a list were made available, students would not only be able to purchase their books sooner and in time for class — they would also have the opportunity to compare the prices of different vendors. Ideally, the USG or some other organization would develop a website comparing prices between Labyrinth, Amazon, Barnes & Noble and other providers. Many students would probably prefer to shop at Labyrinth if the prices were more reasonable. The proposed website could help make this possible by increasing competition and forcing Labyrinth to lower prices.
By giving students earlier access to reading lists, the University would enable students to purchase their books in plenty of time for the new semester instead of having to go without books for the first week of class. We hope that the University will make the necessary changes before students are faced with this same familiar problem in the fall.
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