STATUS QUO BEST ANSWER FOR UNIVERSITY TEXTBOOKS

Southeast Missouri State University Faculty Senate is studying a change in the textbook rental system. Two recommendations are before the council: Changing the rental system to require students to purchase their books, or keep the current system with some policy changes. These changes would make it easier for faculty members to change textbooks.

Now is not the time to overhaul the textbook rental system. Tight finances for the university mean that more of the operational costs have been passed on to students. Tuition and fees increased both in the fall and spring. The cost of attending Southeast may be growing prohibitive to some students. Book purchase fees would only aggravate this situation. These book purchase fees could easily run into the hundreds of dollars each semester.

The majority report of the Textbook Services Task Force recommends keeping the rental system, but making it easier for faculty members to change books. Currently, a textbook must be retained for two years, and used by all faculty teaching the course. The Faculty Senate task force favored bringing book decisions back to the departments and colleges as opposed to a university-wide textbook committee, as is now in place.

But faculty members can already seek exemptions to the two-year textbook policy from the textbook committee. About 80 percent of those requests are routinely approved.

There are not a great number of exemption requests each year. But if the exemption policies were made more flexible, it follows that more would be granted. Although students pay a semester fee for book rental, the system is not totally paying its way. If books are changed more frequently, someone would have to pay for increased costs and that would certainly be the students. Again, now is not the time to add to students' financial burdens.

Textbook rental is not just a matter of dollars and cents. The recruiters point out it is a drawing card in attracting students, since many universities have a book purchase system. In these days of aggressive competition for students, textbook rental could provide an edge for local recruitment.

That's not to say all universities make their students purchase books. A number of institutions across the country still operate rental systems including: Central Missouri State, Northwest Missouri State, and Southern Illinois University - Edwardsville.

Some faculty members have argued that a rental system discourages students from developing a personal library. That's simply not true. There's a system already in place by which students can purchase their textbooks at reasonable costs. In this way, students can purchase only the books they desire.

A purchase system does not necessarily mean students will build their own libraries. Many will turn around and sell them to other students at semester's end.

If something works, why fix it? That certainly applies to the university textbook rental system. It has served both the university and the students well for many years. The Faculty Senate should opt for status quo.