BOOKS: FACULTY SENATE URGES CHANGES IN TEXT POLICIES

Southeast Missouri State University's Faculty Senate Wednesday recommended keeping the textbook rental system, but with some modifications.

The recommendations, in the form of a resolution, will be forwarded to the university administration.

Faculty senator Roy Farris suggested it might have been better to make the recommendations in the form of a bill. Resolutions, he said, are sometimes "wimpy" and may not carry as much weight with the administration as a senate bill.

The textbook recommendations are essentially those made in a majority report of the Textbook Services Task Force. The task force, set up by the senate in the fall of 1990, recently issued its recommendations.

Under current guidelines, faculty adopt a text for two years, are limited to one book per course and all faculty teaching that course must use the same text.

The senators, in their resolution, recommended keeping the guide~lines, but allowing exceptions to be granted at the department level rather than by a university textbook committee.

In fact, the resolution, unlike the task force report, recommends eliminating the textbook committee.

Senators recommended students wishing to purchase textbooks be allowed to apply the rental fee for a textbook toward the purchase price of that book.

The cost to a student in purchasing a textbook would amount to no more than 10 percent over the direct cost of the book, the resolution states.

That provision contrasts with a new university policy that sets a minimum book price of $9. The new policy went into effect earlier this month, said faculty senator Pamela Brakhage.

Faculty senator Albert Hayward, who chaired the textbook task force, had previously issued a minority report calling for the university to scrap the rental system and require students to purchase their textbooks.

But Wednesday, Hayward said he would support keeping the rental system with the recommended policy changes.

Hayward said such changes would allow faculty greater academic freedom. "I think it is a good, strong step in that direction."

Student Government leaders had argued last week against making any changes. Making it easier for faculty to change textbooks could end up raising textbook service costs, which, in turn, might be passed on to students in the form of higher rental fees, Student Government President K.C. Martin had said.

Prior to approving the resolution, the senate defeated an amendment offered by Hayward that would have imposed fines on students for writing in, highlighting or otherwise marking their textbooks.

He contended such actions amount to defacing property. But other faculty senators argued that it's a learning aid in many cases.