http://www.calpirgstudents.org/calpirg-in-the-news/calpirg-in-the-news http://www.calpirgstudents.org/calpirg-in-the-news/calpirg-in-the-news/uc-campuses-tops-in-student-voter-registration UC Campuses Tops in Student Voter Registration http://www.calpirgstudents.org/calpirg-in-the-news/calpirg-in-the-news/uc-campuses-tops-in-student-voter-registration Thu, 13 Nov 2008 15:30:49 -0600 http://www.calpirgstudents.org/calpirg-in-the-news/calpirg-in-the-news/common-to-headline-pre-election-bash Common to headline pre-election bash http://www.calpirgstudents.org/calpirg-in-the-news/calpirg-in-the-news/common-to-headline-pre-election-bash Thu, 13 Nov 2008 15:33:45 -0600 http://www.calpirgstudents.org/calpirg-in-the-news/calpirg-in-the-news/voter-registration-drives-draw-thousands Click on link to watch video http://www.calpirgstudents.org/calpirg-in-the-news/calpirg-in-the-news/voter-registration-drives-draw-thousands Thu, 13 Nov 2008 15:44:38 -0600 http://www.calpirgstudents.org/calpirg-in-the-news/calpirg-in-the-news/riding-for-the-rail  Riding for the rail http://www.calpirgstudents.org/calpirg-in-the-news/calpirg-in-the-news/riding-for-the-rail Tue, 17 Jun 2008 15:33:46 -0500 http://www.calpirgstudents.org/calpirg-in-the-news/calpirg-in-the-news/students-find-altruistic-alternative-to-spring-break-partying http://www.calpirgstudents.org/calpirg-in-the-news/calpirg-in-the-news/students-find-altruistic-alternative-to-spring-break-partying Tue, 17 Jun 2008 15:33:46 -0500 http://www.calpirgstudents.org/calpirg-in-the-news/calpirg-in-the-news/act-would-lower-textbook-prices Act would lower textbook prices http://www.calpirgstudents.org/calpirg-in-the-news/calpirg-in-the-news/act-would-lower-textbook-prices Tue, 17 Jun 2008 15:33:46 -0500 http://www.calpirgstudents.org/calpirg-in-the-news/calpirg-in-the-news/calpirg-shows-support CALPIRG shows support http://www.calpirgstudents.org/calpirg-in-the-news/calpirg-in-the-news/calpirg-shows-support Tue, 17 Jun 2008 15:33:46 -0500 http://www.calpirgstudents.org/calpirg-in-the-news/calpirg-in-the-news/dont-just-vote---stay-active-to-cause-change http://www.calpirgstudents.org/calpirg-in-the-news/calpirg-in-the-news/dont-just-vote---stay-active-to-cause-change Tue, 17 Jun 2008 15:33:46 -0500 http://www.calpirgstudents.org/calpirg-in-the-news/calpirg-in-the-news/campus-carnival-promotes-student-voting http://www.calpirgstudents.org/calpirg-in-the-news/calpirg-in-the-news/campus-carnival-promotes-student-voting Tue, 17 Jun 2008 15:33:46 -0500 http://www.calpirgstudents.org/calpirg-in-the-news/calpirg-in-the-news/how-to-turn-out-young-voters How to Turn Out Young Voters http://www.calpirgstudents.org/calpirg-in-the-news/calpirg-in-the-news/how-to-turn-out-young-voters Tue, 17 Jun 2008 15:33:46 -0500 http://www.calpirgstudents.org/calpirg-in-the-news/calpirg-in-the-news/campaigners-encouraging-college-students-to-vote Get-Out-The-Vote campaigners at UC San Diego are encouraging http://www.calpirgstudents.org/calpirg-in-the-news/calpirg-in-the-news/campaigners-encouraging-college-students-to-vote Tue, 17 Jun 2008 15:33:46 -0500 http://www.calpirgstudents.org/calpirg-in-the-news/calpirg-in-the-news/usc-forms-committee-for-sustainability USC forms committee for sustainability http://www.calpirgstudents.org/calpirg-in-the-news/calpirg-in-the-news/usc-forms-committee-for-sustainability Tue, 17 Jun 2008 15:33:46 -0500 http://www.calpirgstudents.org/calpirg-in-the-news/calpirg-in-the-news/young-voters-are-stoked http://www.calpirgstudents.org/calpirg-in-the-news/calpirg-in-the-news/young-voters-are-stoked Tue, 17 Jun 2008 15:33:46 -0500 http://www.calpirgstudents.org/calpirg-in-the-news/calpirg-in-the-news/student-organizations-lead-early-voting-effort-on-campus Student organizations lead early voting effort on campus http://www.calpirgstudents.org/calpirg-in-the-news/calpirg-in-the-news/student-organizations-lead-early-voting-effort-on-campus Tue, 17 Jun 2008 15:33:46 -0500 http://www.calpirgstudents.org/calpirg-in-the-news/calpirg-in-the-news/federal-bill-meant-to-lower-cost-of-textbooks Federal Bill Meant to Lower Cost of TextbooksLegislation Would Increase Level of Transparency From Publishers; Some Criticize ImpracticalitiesBy Angelica DongalloDaily Cal Staff WriterMonday, January 28, 2008 The U.S. House of Representatives may consider a http://www.calpirgstudents.org/calpirg-in-the-news/calpirg-in-the-news/federal-bill-meant-to-lower-cost-of-textbooks Tue, 17 Jun 2008 15:33:46 -0500 http://www.calpirgstudents.org/calpirg-in-the-news/calpirg-in-the-news/students-turn-out-for-registration-week Students turn out for registration week http://www.calpirgstudents.org/calpirg-in-the-news/calpirg-in-the-news/students-turn-out-for-registration-week Tue, 17 Jun 2008 15:33:46 -0500 http://www.calpirgstudents.org/calpirg-in-the-news/calpirg-in-the-news/forum-previews-the-issues-in-advance-of-super-tuesday Forum Previews the Issues in Advance of Super Tuesday http://www.calpirgstudents.org/calpirg-in-the-news/calpirg-in-the-news/forum-previews-the-issues-in-advance-of-super-tuesday Tue, 17 Jun 2008 15:33:46 -0500 http://www.calpirgstudents.org/calpirg-in-the-news/calpirg-in-the-news/ucsc-students-round-up-voters-on-registration-deadline http://www.calpirgstudents.org/calpirg-in-the-news/calpirg-in-the-news/ucsc-students-round-up-voters-on-registration-deadline Tue, 17 Jun 2008 15:33:46 -0500 http://www.calpirgstudents.org/calpirg-in-the-news/calpirg-in-the-news/12300-uc-students-registered-in-time-for-primary 12,300 UC Students Registered in Time for PrimaryBy Katalina GalioContributing WriterWednesday, January 23, 2008Category: News > University > Higher EducationTags: UC STUDENTS ASSOCIATION, UC PRESIDENT DYNES http://www.calpirgstudents.org/calpirg-in-the-news/calpirg-in-the-news/12300-uc-students-registered-in-time-for-primary Tue, 17 Jun 2008 15:33:46 -0500 http://www.calpirgstudents.org/calpirg-in-the-news/calpirg-in-the-news/last-minute-registration-drives-bring-in-new-voters   http://www.calpirgstudents.org/calpirg-in-the-news/calpirg-in-the-news/last-minute-registration-drives-bring-in-new-voters Tue, 17 Jun 2008 15:33:46 -0500 http://www.calpirgstudents.org/calpirg-in-the-news/calpirg-in-the-news/poll-will-you-vote-on-super-tuesday Tuesday, January 22, 2008 http://www.calpirgstudents.org/calpirg-in-the-news/calpirg-in-the-news/poll-will-you-vote-on-super-tuesday Tue, 17 Jun 2008 15:33:46 -0500 http://www.calpirgstudents.org/calpirg-in-the-news/calpirg-in-the-news/as-vote-looms-californians-register-to-participate-tuesday-marks-last-day-to-register-for-tuesdays-primary Video - See Link - Tuesday marked the final day for Californians to register to vote in Feb. 5 Primary Elections. http://www.calpirgstudents.org/calpirg-in-the-news/calpirg-in-the-news/as-vote-looms-californians-register-to-participate-tuesday-marks-last-day-to-register-for-tuesdays-primary Tue, 17 Jun 2008 15:33:46 -0500 http://www.calpirgstudents.org/calpirg-in-the-news/calpirg-in-the-news/students-have-ballot-options Those at college can weigh the pros and cons of casting their votes in person or absentee http://www.calpirgstudents.org/calpirg-in-the-news/calpirg-in-the-news/students-have-ballot-options Tue, 17 Jun 2008 15:33:46 -0500 http://www.calpirgstudents.org/calpirg-in-the-news/calpirg-in-the-news/valley-students-rocking-for-youth-votes Valley College students will have the chance to rock out and have their http://www.calpirgstudents.org/calpirg-in-the-news/calpirg-in-the-news/valley-students-rocking-for-youth-votes Tue, 17 Jun 2008 15:33:46 -0500 http://www.calpirgstudents.org/calpirg-in-the-news/calpirg-in-the-news/usc-gets-boost-in-sustainability-gpa By: Callie SchweitzerUSC received http://www.calpirgstudents.org/calpirg-in-the-news/calpirg-in-the-news/usc-gets-boost-in-sustainability-gpa Tue, 17 Jun 2008 15:33:46 -0500 http://www.calpirgstudents.org/calpirg-in-the-news/calpirg-in-the-news/rally-pushes-higher-awareness-of-climate-change Anti-war politics and the environmental movement came together at a rally in San Francisco Saturday. http://www.calpirgstudents.org/calpirg-in-the-news/calpirg-in-the-news/rally-pushes-higher-awareness-of-climate-change Tue, 17 Jun 2008 15:33:46 -0500 http://www.calpirgstudents.org/calpirg-in-the-news/calpirg-in-the-news/schwarzenegger-terminates-textbook-affordability-act http://www.calpirgstudents.org/calpirg-in-the-news/calpirg-in-the-news/schwarzenegger-terminates-textbook-affordability-act Tue, 17 Jun 2008 15:33:46 -0500 http://www.calpirgstudents.org/calpirg-in-the-news/calpirg-in-the-news/oceanic-pollution-event-aims-to-educate-students By: Richard Proctor http://www.calpirgstudents.org/calpirg-in-the-news/calpirg-in-the-news/oceanic-pollution-event-aims-to-educate-students Tue, 17 Jun 2008 15:33:46 -0500 http://www.calpirgstudents.org/calpirg-in-the-news/calpirg-in-the-news/conservation-week-comes-to-campus Presenting events such as a pie-throwing http://www.calpirgstudents.org/calpirg-in-the-news/calpirg-in-the-news/conservation-week-comes-to-campus Tue, 17 Jun 2008 15:33:46 -0500 http://www.calpirgstudents.org/calpirg-in-the-news/calpirg-in-the-news/governor-oks-bill-on-textbook-requirements Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger signed a bill into law Saturday requiring http://www.calpirgstudents.org/calpirg-in-the-news/calpirg-in-the-news/governor-oks-bill-on-textbook-requirements Tue, 17 Jun 2008 15:33:46 -0500 http://www.calpirgstudents.org/calpirg-in-the-news/calpirg-in-the-news/students-get-some-coaching-to-tackle-credit-card-concerns By Sharon Stello/Enterprise staff writerRachel Wikoff received a credit card offer in the mail and signed up, intent on building up her credit rating.The http://www.calpirgstudents.org/calpirg-in-the-news/calpirg-in-the-news/students-get-some-coaching-to-tackle-credit-card-concerns Tue, 17 Jun 2008 15:33:46 -0500 http://www.calpirgstudents.org/calpirg-in-the-news/calpirg-in-the-news/colleges-urged-to-rein-in-credit-card-companies-activities-on-campus Colleges have turned a blind eye to aggressive and frequently deceptive http://www.calpirgstudents.org/calpirg-in-the-news/calpirg-in-the-news/colleges-urged-to-rein-in-credit-card-companies-activities-on-campus Tue, 17 Jun 2008 15:33:46 -0500 http://www.calpirgstudents.org/calpirg-in-the-news/calpirg-in-the-news/calpirg-stresses-dangers-of-debt In an effort to prevent students from http://www.calpirgstudents.org/calpirg-in-the-news/calpirg-in-the-news/calpirg-stresses-dangers-of-debt Tue, 17 Jun 2008 15:33:46 -0500 http://www.calpirgstudents.org/calpirg-in-the-news/calpirg-in-the-news/calpirg-profile By: James BennettWhose presence http://www.calpirgstudents.org/calpirg-in-the-news/calpirg-in-the-news/calpirg-profile Tue, 17 Jun 2008 15:33:46 -0500 http://www.calpirgstudents.org/calpirg-in-the-news/calpirg-in-the-news/cheaper-textbooks-may-be-just-a-signature-away-for-students By: Astrid SeipeltStudents who walk into their campus bookstore can be discouraged when http://www.calpirgstudents.org/calpirg-in-the-news/calpirg-in-the-news/cheaper-textbooks-may-be-just-a-signature-away-for-students Tue, 17 Jun 2008 15:33:46 -0500 http://www.calpirgstudents.org/calpirg-in-the-news/calpirg-in-the-news/valley-college-celebrates-club-day-with-a-twist By: Brad TaylorActivism and awareness were the buzzwords du jour in Monarch Square at http://www.calpirgstudents.org/calpirg-in-the-news/calpirg-in-the-news/valley-college-celebrates-club-day-with-a-twist Tue, 17 Jun 2008 15:33:46 -0500 http://www.calpirgstudents.org/calpirg-in-the-news/calpirg-in-the-news/state-textbook-bills-require-publishers-to-list-prices Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger has until Friday to veto two bills that http://www.calpirgstudents.org/calpirg-in-the-news/calpirg-in-the-news/state-textbook-bills-require-publishers-to-list-prices Tue, 17 Jun 2008 15:33:46 -0500 http://www.calpirgstudents.org/calpirg-in-the-news/calpirg-in-the-news/the-cost-of-textbooks Just like Welcome Week or Caltopia, standing in mile-long lines at book http://www.calpirgstudents.org/calpirg-in-the-news/calpirg-in-the-news/the-cost-of-textbooks Tue, 17 Jun 2008 15:33:46 -0500 http://www.calpirgstudents.org/calpirg-in-the-news/calpirg-in-the-news/bill-to-lower-textbook-costs-awaits-governors-approval By Esther KimA new bill aimed at reducing high costs of college textbooks is http://www.calpirgstudents.org/calpirg-in-the-news/calpirg-in-the-news/bill-to-lower-textbook-costs-awaits-governors-approval Tue, 17 Jun 2008 15:33:46 -0500 http://www.calpirgstudents.org/calpirg-in-the-news/calpirg-in-the-news/valley-students-give-area-beaches-a-make-over By: James BennettStudents from http://www.calpirgstudents.org/calpirg-in-the-news/calpirg-in-the-news/valley-students-give-area-beaches-a-make-over Tue, 17 Jun 2008 15:33:46 -0500 http://www.calpirgstudents.org/calpirg-in-the-news/calpirg-in-the-news/bills-target-rising-college-textbook-prices http://www.calpirgstudents.org/calpirg-in-the-news/calpirg-in-the-news/bills-target-rising-college-textbook-prices Tue, 17 Jun 2008 15:33:46 -0500 http://www.calpirgstudents.org/calpirg-in-the-news/calpirg-in-the-news/fight-to-lower-textbook-prices By Stella ChoThis fall the cost of textbooks will send a new shockwave to students across the nation. To ease the blow, the California Student Public Interest Research Group, a UC consumer group, and the UC Irvine Bookstore held a press conference on Thursday, Sept. 20 to express their strong support for Assembly bill SB 832, the College Textbooks Affordability Act, which was passed by the legislature earlier that week.According to a CALPIRG survey, the average cost of textbooks at UCI, other UC campuses and Oregon schools will reach $900 per student, per year, said Kailee Brickner-McDonald, a CALPIRG UCI campus organizer. Since 1994, the cost of textbooks has risen at approximately four times the rate of inflation.The benefit of SB 832, if approved by Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, is that costs of textbooks will decrease because the bill will demand that publishers disclose the prices of their products in the marketing materials and on their Web site so that faculty can make informed decisions when assigning course books to their students. Should the bill pass, California will become the sixth state to adopt this kind of practice.Mohamed Eldessouky, a guest speaker and president of the Associated Students of UC Irvine and fifth-year criminology major and management minor, said he supports this legislation.“Students split costs … that means they’re sharing their books and that doesn’t [allow them to] learn to their maximum abilities,” Eldessouky pointed out. “Students also waste their time on altered editions.”Several options are open to students to keep their wallets full while getting their studying done. Most students already use CheapestTextbooks.com and Half.com, according to Brickner-McDonald, but there is also the option to sell the material back to the bookstore to keep the books on campus and lower the costs for other students.In response to SB 832, publishers are advocating Assembly bill 1548, which states that publishers do not have to print prices and revision history of textbooks until 2010.Since 2004, when the CALPIRG textbooks campaign started at UCI with a group of UCI students, CALPIRG has released six reports on the high cost of textbooks, and is now developing its campaign to lower textbook costs with Student PIRG chapters across the nation. UCI is one of seven UC campuses that hosted this press conference on Thursday morning; others included UCs San Diego, Riverside, Los Angeles, Santa Cruz, Berkeley and Davis. http://www.calpirgstudents.org/calpirg-in-the-news/calpirg-in-the-news/fight-to-lower-textbook-prices Tue, 17 Jun 2008 15:33:46 -0500 http://www.calpirgstudents.org/calpirg-in-the-news/calpirg-in-the-news/corbett-bill-would-unveil-cost-of-college-textbooks By Kristofer Noceda and Martin RicardHAYWARD — State Sen. Ellen Corbett, D-San Leandro, fondly remembers teaching political science in the Chabot-Las Positas Community College District.But despite what she called a great experience with great students, it was the cost of textbooks that she remembers most."One of my students told me they were not going to finish their homework because they couldn't afford the textbook," she said. "That stopped me dead in my tracks and broke my heart."On Thursday, Corbett joined Chabot faculty, students and consumer advocates in front of the campus bookstore to urge Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger to sign her legislation, Senate Bill 832, the College Textbook Affordability Act."For too long, California college students have dealt with outrageous textbook costs. Publishers set the cost, faculty makes the choice and students pay the price," Corbett said. "It is time for the textbook publishing industry to level with their consumers and end their deceptive marketing practices."If passed, SB 832 would take effect in January and would require publishers to fully disclose to faculty their wholesale or retail costs, an estimation of how long the book is expected to stay current, and a breakdown of differences between current and past editions.Publishers who oppose the bill have said it would restrict a professor's right to academic freedom.Corbett, however, said her bill would allow faculty to make informed decisions on textbooks."We want (faculty) to see what options are out there, so that they can do what's in the best interest of students," she said.Chabot President Robert Carlson is in favor of the bill and recently asked faculty to identify and support students without textbooks."A textbook is essential to an education," he said. "If you can't get a textbook, you can't compete in school."According to the California Public Interest Research Group, a corporate and consumer watchdog agency, the average college student spends $900 on books each year.Student Sophia Mendoza, who serves as legislative director for the Associated Students of Chabot College, said she recently paid $215 for a physics book.She was unable to sell the book back and said the book is now sitting in her room."What are we supposed to do as students?" she said. "There's not much, and the only thing we can do is take action and make sure the governor signs this bill."In addition to SB 832, Corbett has several other bills headed to the governor's desk.SB 220, which would require bottled-water companies to provide information about the quality of drinking water and list the source on labels, passed through the Legislature on Wednesday.And SB 549, which would provide employees the right to take four unpaid days off after the death a family member, also passed this week. Currently, California workers don't have rights to bereavement leave, but the bill would require companies to allow employees to take bereavement leave using vacation, personal or compensatory time off.One of Corbett's most ambitious bills, SB 250, which would allow people to cash in gift cards with balances less than $20, also passed the Legislature.All the bills must be either signed or vetoed by Oct. 14. http://www.calpirgstudents.org/calpirg-in-the-news/calpirg-in-the-news/corbett-bill-would-unveil-cost-of-college-textbooks Tue, 17 Jun 2008 15:33:46 -0500 http://www.calpirgstudents.org/calpirg-in-the-news/calpirg-in-the-news/editorial-the-textbook-code Imagine biology professors shopping for textbooks to assign in their advanced college classes in Sacramento or Davis. http://www.calpirgstudents.org/calpirg-in-the-news/calpirg-in-the-news/editorial-the-textbook-code Tue, 17 Jun 2008 15:33:46 -0500 http://www.calpirgstudents.org/calpirg-in-the-news/calpirg-in-the-news/bill-to-require-textbook-price-transparency By Joseph Serna http://www.calpirgstudents.org/calpirg-in-the-news/calpirg-in-the-news/bill-to-require-textbook-price-transparency Tue, 17 Jun 2008 15:33:46 -0500 http://www.calpirgstudents.org/calpirg-in-the-news/calpirg-in-the-news/prices-of-textbooks-assailed SAN BERNARDINO - Many students who poured out of Coyote Bookstore at http://www.calpirgstudents.org/calpirg-in-the-news/calpirg-in-the-news/prices-of-textbooks-assailed Tue, 17 Jun 2008 15:33:46 -0500 http://www.calpirgstudents.org/calpirg-in-the-news/calpirg-in-the-news/bill-would-reduce-price-of-textbooks By: Kevin McCormackStudents in http://www.calpirgstudents.org/calpirg-in-the-news/calpirg-in-the-news/bill-would-reduce-price-of-textbooks Tue, 17 Jun 2008 15:33:46 -0500 http://www.calpirgstudents.org/calpirg-in-the-news/calpirg-in-the-news/ucsb-students-faculty-rally-behind-textbook-bill By Chris Meagher http://www.calpirgstudents.org/calpirg-in-the-news/calpirg-in-the-news/ucsb-students-faculty-rally-behind-textbook-bill Tue, 17 Jun 2008 15:33:46 -0500 http://www.calpirgstudents.org/calpirg-in-the-news/calpirg-in-the-news/new-laws-try-to-rein-in-textbook-costs By PAIGE AUSTIN http://www.calpirgstudents.org/calpirg-in-the-news/calpirg-in-the-news/new-laws-try-to-rein-in-textbook-costs Tue, 17 Jun 2008 15:33:46 -0500 http://www.calpirgstudents.org/calpirg-in-the-news/calpirg-in-the-news/congressional-bill-looks-to-alleviate-student-debt By: Radomir AvilaPolitical http://www.calpirgstudents.org/calpirg-in-the-news/calpirg-in-the-news/congressional-bill-looks-to-alleviate-student-debt Tue, 17 Jun 2008 15:33:46 -0500 http://www.calpirgstudents.org/calpirg-in-the-news/calpirg-in-the-news/student-leaders-meet-discuss-green-options-at-usc By: Natalie JarveyThe Undergraduate http://www.calpirgstudents.org/calpirg-in-the-news/calpirg-in-the-news/student-leaders-meet-discuss-green-options-at-usc Tue, 17 Jun 2008 15:33:46 -0500 http://www.calpirgstudents.org/calpirg-in-the-news/calpirg-in-the-news/imagine-them-a-little-bigger__ A field of 180 pinwheels decorated the lawn outside Wheeler Hall http://www.calpirgstudents.org/calpirg-in-the-news/calpirg-in-the-news/imagine-them-a-little-bigger__ Tue, 17 Jun 2008 15:33:46 -0500 http://www.calpirgstudents.org/calpirg-in-the-news/calpirg-in-the-news/university-groups-honor-chancellor-for-green-efforts  University Groups Honor Chancellor for Green Efforts http://www.calpirgstudents.org/calpirg-in-the-news/calpirg-in-the-news/university-groups-honor-chancellor-for-green-efforts Tue, 17 Jun 2008 15:33:46 -0500 http://www.calpirgstudents.org/calpirg-in-the-news/calpirg-in-the-news/ucsbs-yang-recieved-climate-award http://www.calpirgstudents.org/calpirg-in-the-news/calpirg-in-the-news/ucsbs-yang-recieved-climate-award Tue, 17 Jun 2008 15:33:46 -0500 http://www.calpirgstudents.org/calpirg-in-the-news/calpirg-in-the-news/campus-raises-money-for-homeless How often do you get the chance to help your community while eating soup?On the weekend of May 18, you’ll have your chance, because The Homeless Service Center (HSC) in downtown Santa Cruz will be holding its annual fundraiser, Soupline.According to Marcus Banuelos, case manager for the Day Services Program at HSC, the event raised $53,000 for the shelter last year.“[The fundraiser] brings in so much revenue, and that goes toward helping [to keep] the shelter running,” Banuelos said.The shelter provides a variety of services, including overnight housing, transitional housing, meals, lockers for storing personal items, and a hygiene bay, which includes sinks and showers.Soupline is heading into its eighth year, but this will be the first year that UC Santa Cruz students will be actively encouraged to participate in the fundraising activities on campus.Franklin Williams, who teaches at UCSC and is on the Board of Directors at HSC, is trying to secure ties between the Soupline event and the UCSC campus. His goal is to raise one dollar from every student.“This will entitle students to attend events and get a bowl of soup,” Williams explained in an e-mail.Williams wants to make the event campus-wide to incorporate as many student organizations as possible.“We want to have a large amount of entertainment and other forms of fun,” Williams said. He hopes each college on campus will be able to participate in the event.Tom Bowles, a first-year UCSC student who is helping organize the event, thinks homelessness is one of the most omnipresent issues in Santa Cruz and believes people should donate money.“It’s only a dollar. It’s not even a laundry load,” Bowles said.Karina Ciprian, a first-year who is working with Bowles to organize the event, stressed the importance of making connections between the community and UCSC students.“The shelter right now is very under-funded, so they need all the funding they can get,” Ciprian said.HSC managed to build a family shelter for $4.5 million, but the cost of maintaining the new building caused the group to run a monthly budget deficit. The money Soupline raises will go toward supporting the new building.Gabriel Miranda, a second-year student with the UCSC California Student Public Interest Research Group (CalPIRG), volunteered at the shelter for one weekend. He believes homelessness is often overlooked in the community.“I think that the Soupline program will help the shelter by getting more help in the form of volunteers that can alleviate the work load,” Miranda said. “[The program will] expose people to the types of conditions homeless people have to endure, and hopefully persuade them to donate either time or money to the shelter.”Bowles is optimistic that students will want to contribute to the event and hopes for a good turn out.Bowles said, “Everyone should be seriously interested in doing this, because it’s going to make a genuine difference in the community that we’re going to be living in.” http://www.calpirgstudents.org/calpirg-in-the-news/calpirg-in-the-news/campus-raises-money-for-homeless Tue, 17 Jun 2008 15:33:46 -0500 http://www.calpirgstudents.org/calpirg-in-the-news/calpirg-in-the-news/students-study-homeless-life LONG BEACH - Instead of in a warm classroom, on Tuesday night one lesson at Cal State Long Beach took place outside and overnight.Associated Students Inc. and California Student Public Interest Research Group worked together to bring awareness to the issue of poverty by hosting "Becoming Educated and Confronting Homelessness Sleepout," or appropriately, B.E.A.C.H.For the students who took part, sleeping one night outside was a worthwhile sacrifice despite the cold and end-of-semester homework, to gain an appreciation for what the less-fortunate go through on a daily basis."I wanted to understand a little more of what a homeless person goes through on a given night, so I could appreciate what I don't have to go through," said Liberal Studies major Isaac Finch, 38.The sleepout, intended for about 100 people, turned out about 10 sweatshirt-wearing students who nestled warmly in their sleeping bags in the Central Quad on Upper Campus.Finch lay in his sleeping bag with a flashlight in one hand and a pencil in the other."The turnout is low; I think with the semester coming to an end everyone has a lot of things due. I've got a stats test tomorrow," he said.The event's main organizers were Andrea Esposito, 21, of ASI and Lisa Christiansan, 23, CALPIRG's coordinator for homeless and hunger."This is Long Beach's first overnight event," said Esposito. "I have heard about other schools doing it. I feel that homelessness is such a common problem that gets overlooked."Earlier, two representatives from the AmeriCorps Hope for the Homeless came by to educate the students about poverty."I became homeless at one point," said volunteer Chris Wynne, 33, "after coming out of that, this is one of the ways to give back to the community."According to the Long Beach Bureau for homelessness, in 2007, of the total 3,829 homeless people in Long Beach, 3,145 were adults and 684 were children."There is no place in our society that protects these people," Christiansan said.The Skid Row-based organization specializes in outreach to the impoverished community through its programs and finds them shelters. Volunteer coordinator Brandon Miller, 27, just joined the organization in January."This is an event to raise awareness to combat homelessness. There is a wide disconnect. Everyone needs to be involved. It's everyone's problem."International Studies major Rachel Winet, 20, sat with a hood over her head."I wanted to raise my consciousness about the homeless," she said of her reason for attending. "It gives me a sense of humility."If you'd like to become a volunteer for Hope For The Homeless, call (213) 612-0912. http://www.calpirgstudents.org/calpirg-in-the-news/calpirg-in-the-news/students-study-homeless-life Tue, 17 Jun 2008 15:33:46 -0500 http://www.calpirgstudents.org/calpirg-in-the-news/calpirg-in-the-news/a-green-campus-for-the-price-of-a-burrito I care about the environment, but to be honest, I never get super indignant when I hear about trees being cut down in a distant rainforest. What does make me indignant is that our campus wastes energy and money, simply because it wasn’t designed with sustainability in mind. We are UC Berkeley and we should be smarter than that.That’s why I’m excited about The Green Initiative Fund, known as TGIF.TGIF is a student fee referendum for environmental sustainability, on the ASUC ballot this April 11-13. If we vote to create this fee of $5 per student per semester, we will raise $200,000 a year to fund projects that make UC Berkeley greener.That means energy efficiency in campus operations (so I won’t be so indignant), but it also means renewable energy, high-performance buildings, water conservation, clean transportation, green student internships and cutting UC Berkeley’s contribution to global warming.Students at UC Santa Barbara, UC Santa Cruz and over twenty other universities across the United States have already passed similar referenda with flying colors.Fine. But what makes this initiative worthy of our votes? Well . . .First, TGIF is is a grant-making fund designed for high performance. At $200,000 per year, the fund is large enough to enable solar installations, massive upgrades to our energy-wasting buildings, retrofits to every bathroom on campus (which would save 60 million gallons of water per year) and other major projects on campus. Up until now there have been lots of good ideas and good intentions, but the capital to make them happen just hasn't been there. The fund will triple the sustainability funding at UC Berkeley.And speaking of good ideas, its competitive grant-making process is designed to elicit the best proposals that UC Berkeley staff, faculty and students can offer. To be funded, projects must demonstrate feasibility, a solid budget and planning and the potential for real sustainability impact. The fund does not mess around.Second, the fund will be strictly accountable to us, the students, because we will control it. The seven-member Grant Making Committee that evaluates project proposals will have a student-majority, allowing students to guide the fund's direction. No other sustainability initiative on campus combines such a large sustainability impact with such a large degree of student control.TGIF will also maintain public records detailing which projects get funded and what they accomplish. Any student, at any time, will be able to find out “where did my $5 go last semester?”Third, TGIF isn’t just about hugging trees and petting spotted owls. Making campus operations more sustainable is about getting the most out of our tuition dollars, so more of them go to our departments and activities rather than to UC Berkeley’s enormous utility bill.In the process, every gallon of fuel we save will reduce our dependence on oil from unstable foreign nations and from our own National Wildlife Refuges. Renewable energy we buy will drive the growth of the clean-tech industry that is sprouting up in California. And we’ll just be doing things smarter, because we are UC Berkeley, and we are the best.That’s something I could get behind even if “the environment” wasn’t my thing. I could also get behind UC Berkeley proving that we’re the best, because currently we’re pretty far behind the students at dozens of other schools (like our little cousin UCSB) who have already proven their commitment to being smart on sustainability.Finally, TGIF is the perfect opportunity for us UC Berkeley students to put our money where our collective mouth is with regard to the environment. The administration has taken some admirable first steps toward sustainability, but students can match them and go one better. By voting to put up $200,000 a year of our own money, we can accelerate sustainability at UC Berkeley and keep the pressure on California Hall to follow through on its commitment to the environment.One last point: For the massive size of its impact, the fund is hella cheap. Can you give $5—the cost of a burrito—to triple the school’s sustainability funding and leave a green legacy at UC Berkeley? I know I can, which is why I’m voting for TGIF on April 11th.For more details on the referendum, check out http://www.votetgif.com, where you can watch the cool video that makes me feel all fuzzy inside. http://www.calpirgstudents.org/calpirg-in-the-news/calpirg-in-the-news/a-green-campus-for-the-price-of-a-burrito Tue, 17 Jun 2008 15:33:46 -0500 http://www.calpirgstudents.org/calpirg-in-the-news/calpirg-in-the-news/california-to-consider-textbook-bill The California Public Interest Research Group is charging that textbook publishers are not "adequately disclosing price information," unnecessarily releasing new editions of textbooks and not providing alternatives to "bundled" materials.In a report titled "Exposing the Textbook Industry," CalPIRG states that 77 percent of polled professors said sales representatives "rarely or never volunteer the price" of textbooks. Only 50 percent of the polled professors who assigned bundled books used the additional materials, and 71 percent said new editions of textbooks are justified only "sometimes" or "rarely."In a March 14 press release, University of California, Davis, CalPIRG chapter chair and statewide CalPIRG board chair Michael Reagan said publishers must be held more accountable for textbook prices."The numbers are really shocking - the average student spends $900 on books each year - that's 20 percent of the tuition and fees at a four-year public university. We need to let the publishers know that students won't continue to pay for their unfair business practices," he said.But the AAP dismissed CalPIRG's findings as "fiction" and a political ploy. In a press release issued the same day as CalPIRG's, the AAP said textbook costs are actually $644 per year and the average length of time between new editions - four years - has remained constant over the past 10 years."In our opinion, they're looking at asking the right questions to get the right answers to make political statements," said Stacey S. Skelly, assistant director for higher education at the AAP.Skelly said publishers' efforts to decrease textbook costs have gone unnoticed."We've been very responsive to student concerns by increasing lower-cost options as well as making information on choices and prices more available," she said. "Unfortunately, that hasn't been recognized in any way."Skelly said publishers are unfairly being held responsible for increases in the costs of office supplies, such as pens and computers, citing a 2005 study by the U.S. Government Accountability Office that claimed that textbook prices tripled from December 1986 to December 2004.Publishers are producing more PowerPoints presentations, lecture notes and transparencies for professors, adding to the cost of textbooks, Skelly added.The textbook affordability debate has entered the arena of the California State Senate, where Sen. Ellen Corbett (D-San Leandro, Calif.) introduced Senate Bill 832, a bill that would require college textbook publishers to provide faculty with a complete list of all products offered for sale, a wholesale price for each of their products and an estimate of how long each product will be on the market."Professors have to look up each book and see what the price is. It's all put on them to find a cost-efficient book," said Darby Kernan, a spokesperson for the senator. "Our bill puts that on the publishers, who should put that info all in one place so professors can make their decision instead of having to go around and search for that information."Skelly said there is little merit to the claim that textbook publishers are not disclosing price information, despite the fact that CalPIRG's report said 75 percent of professors thought legislation would be a good solution to the issue of price disclosure."If you have a textbook, type the ISBN number in or author of a book. We know you can get a zillion different prices, both new and used, from the majority of our publishers that provide material to college campuses," Skelly said. "From our point of view, we think it's dishonest to say you can't find pricing information."When asked if publishers would be willing to provide more unbundled options, Skelly said there could be no compromise."First of all, 86 percent of faculty members are using bundles because of their values," she said. "As an industry, that's a clear indication that these materials are valuable and being used."Skelly said electronic books, considered a cost-cutting solution, have been met with student opposition."It's hard to make those available when that's not what students and faculty are choosing," she said.In its report, CalPIRG suggests that publishers offer textbooks in "genuine low cost editions" and produce paper or online supplements rather than print new editions."The major books - calculus, physics, economics - [are] being changed every few years, but the material hasn't," Reagan said.SB 832 will be heard by the California State Senate Education Committee on April 11. http://www.calpirgstudents.org/calpirg-in-the-news/calpirg-in-the-news/california-to-consider-textbook-bill Tue, 17 Jun 2008 15:33:46 -0500 http://www.calpirgstudents.org/calpirg-in-the-news/calpirg-in-the-news/calpirg-accuses-textbook-publishers-of-unfair-pricing-tactics The Association of American Publishers (AAP) responded forcibly to criticism by the California Public Interest Research Group that textbook publishers are not "adequately disclosing price information," unnecessarily releasing new editions of textbooks and not providing alternatives to "bundled" materials.In a report titled "Exposing the Textbook Industry," CalPIRG states that 77 percent of polled professors said sales representatives "rarely or never volunteer the price" of textbooks. Only 50 percent of the polled professors who assigned bundled books used the additional materials, and 71 percent said new editions of textbooks are justified only "sometimes" or "rarely."In a Mar. 14 press release, UC Davis CalPIRG chapter chair and statewide CalPIRG board chair Michael Reagan said publishers must be held more accountable for textbook prices."The numbers are really shocking - the average student spends $900 on books each year - that's 20 percent of the tuition and fees at a four-year public university. We need to let the publishers know that students won't continue to pay for their unfair business practices," he said.But the AAP dismissed CalPIRG's findings as "fiction" and a political ploy. In a press release issued the same day as CalPIRG's, the AAP said textbook costs are actually $644 per year and the average length of time between new editions - four years - has remained constant over the past 10 years."In our opinion, they're looking at asking the right questions to get the right answers to make political statements," said Stacey S. Skelly, assistant director for higher education at the AAP.But Reagan said CalPIRG is merely relaying the professors' view."These arguments that we're making are based off the response from professors," Reagan said in a phone interview. "Professors can't find the prices of the book [and] aren't being told the truth about prices. We're just repeating what they're saying. The professors are either lying to us or something is going on that we're totally unaware."Skelly said publishers' efforts to decrease textbook costs have gone unnoticed."We've been very responsive to student concerns by increasing lower-cost options as well as making information on choices and prices more available. Unfortunately, that hasn't been recognized in any way," she said.Skelly said publishers are unfairly being held responsible for increases in the costs of office supplies, such as pens and computers, citing a 2005 study by the U.S. Government Accountability Office that claimed that textbook prices tripled from December 1986 to December 2004.Publishers are producing more PowerPoints, lecture notes and transparencies for professors, adding to the cost of textbooks, Skelly added.The textbook affordability debate has entered the arena of the California State Senate, where Senator Ellen Corbett (D-San Leandro) introduced Senate Bill 832, a bill that would require college textbook publishers to provide faculty with a complete list of all products offered for sale, a wholesale price for each of their products and an estimate of how long each product will be on the market."Professors have to look up each book and see what the price is. It's all put on them to find a cost-efficient book. Our bill puts that on the publishers, who should put that info all in one place so professors can make their decision instead of having to go around and search for that information," said Darby Kernan, a spokesperson for the senator.The Undergraduate Council and Student/Faculty Relations committees in the Academic Senate are currently examining the issue, according to chair Linda Bisson. Although Bisson said the Academic Senate has not adopted a formal resolution yet, she said UC Davis faculty are aware of the issue."The faculty as a whole are deeply concerned about the escalating costs of higher education in general, including textbook publishing practices," Bisson said in an e-mail interview. The AAP has expressed concern that SB 832 does not adequately consider small publishing companies that may not have websites, Skelly said.Skelly also said there is little merit to the claim that textbook publishers are not disclosing price information, despite the fact that CalPIRG's report said 75 percent of professors thought legislation would be a good solution to the issue of price disclosure."If you have a textbook, type the ISBN number in or author of book. We know you can get a zillion different prices, both new and used, from the majority of our publishers that provide material to college campuses," Skelly said. "From our point of view, we think it's dishonest to say you can't find pricing information."When asked if publishers would be willing to provide more unbundled options, Skelly said there could be no compromise."First of all, 86 percent of faculty members are using bundles because of their values. As an industry, that's a clear indication that these materials are valuable and being used."Skelly said electronic books, once considered to be a large cost-cutting solution, have been met with opposition from students."As an industry, a lot of money was spent going to online books, but they haven't been adopted. It's hard to make those available when that's not what students and faculty are choosing," she said.In its report, CalPIRG suggests that publishers offer textbooks in "genuine low cost editions" and produce paper or online supplements rather than print new editions."The major books - calculus, physics, economics - [are] being changed every few years, but the material hasn't," Reagan said.SB 832 will be heard by the California State Senate Education Committee on Apr. 11. http://www.calpirgstudents.org/calpirg-in-the-news/calpirg-in-the-news/calpirg-accuses-textbook-publishers-of-unfair-pricing-tactics Tue, 17 Jun 2008 15:33:46 -0500 http://www.calpirgstudents.org/calpirg-in-the-news/calpirg-in-the-news/usg-town-hall-looks-to-brighten-campus In response to the Sustainable Endowment Institute ranking USC's sustainability at a "D" in late January, Undergraduate Student Government joined with other student organizations to discuss environmental sustainability at its Town Hall meeting Tuesday evening.More than 120 students showed up to discuss ways through which the university could be made more sustainable in the future."The obstacle in the past was turning these ideas into action," student body Vice President-elect Max Slavkin said.Slavkin worked alongside Residential Sen. Brian Brett to initiate the topic of sustainability."We're going to write up a rough draft of a resolution summarizing the sentiments of tonight," Slavkin said, adding that they plan to "take it all the way."USG plans on creating a resolution to present to the administration. Additionally, Slavkin said he planned on creating a student sustainability task force to further discuss the issues raised."A lot of students don't know what sustainability really means: recycling, using less paper towels. Just some of the small, mundane things," said CALPIRG co-chair Paul Tao, a senior majoring in political science. "If you get a lot of people to do it, it makes a big difference."Students came up with their own profusion of sustainability ideas, notably regarding the campus-wide recycling program, or lack thereof."(The Lyon Center) throws away hundreds of water bottles a day," Tao said.In addition to recycling, the topic of transportation repeatedly arose."In the future, when we're buying new Campus Cruisers, we should get Priuses," said Gina Goodhill, a senior majoring in political science and environmental studies.TrojanTransportation recently agreed that any new vehicles purchased will be hybrids, Slavkin said.The department also plans to convert campus trams to use biodiesel fuel.Jennifer Wolch, dean of graduate studies and director of the USC Center for Sustainable Cities, was present at the meeting to determine student concerns."Some universities have entire efforts to have the question of sustainability permeate through the entire curriculum," Wolch said."The fact that USC got a 'D' and UCLA got a C+ isn't acceptable � in anything," Slavkin said.Pending changes will be released to students who attended the meeting via e-mail, and the resolution will be proposed in a future USG meeting."The other town halls this year have been about football seats and so forth," Tao said. "I'm glad they're taking on a topic now that not only is USC-specific, but encompasses the area around them." http://www.calpirgstudents.org/calpirg-in-the-news/calpirg-in-the-news/usg-town-hall-looks-to-brighten-campus Tue, 17 Jun 2008 15:33:46 -0500 http://www.calpirgstudents.org/calpirg-in-the-news/calpirg-in-the-news/proposed-law-aims-to-set-guidelines-for-textbooks Due to concerns over high textbook http://www.calpirgstudents.org/calpirg-in-the-news/calpirg-in-the-news/proposed-law-aims-to-set-guidelines-for-textbooks Tue, 17 Jun 2008 15:33:46 -0500 http://www.calpirgstudents.org/calpirg-in-the-news/calpirg-in-the-news/-educating-the-public-on-textbook-pricing http://www.calpirgstudents.org/calpirg-in-the-news/calpirg-in-the-news/-educating-the-public-on-textbook-pricing Tue, 17 Jun 2008 15:33:46 -0500 http://www.calpirgstudents.org/calpirg-in-the-news/calpirg-in-the-news/students-decry-hidden-fee-new-bill-targets-rising-cost-of-books UC Davis Student Sen. Andrew Peake spends about $1,000 a year on textbooks.While Peake's family is able to help him financially, many students cannot afford this cost on top of rising tuition.“Textbook http://www.calpirgstudents.org/calpirg-in-the-news/calpirg-in-the-news/students-decry-hidden-fee-new-bill-targets-rising-cost-of-books Tue, 17 Jun 2008 15:33:46 -0500 http://www.calpirgstudents.org/calpirg-in-the-news/calpirg-in-the-news/conference-on-global-warming-emphasizes-student-action About 40 students from universities across California gathered Saturday http://www.calpirgstudents.org/calpirg-in-the-news/calpirg-in-the-news/conference-on-global-warming-emphasizes-student-action Tue, 17 Jun 2008 15:33:46 -0500 http://www.calpirgstudents.org/calpirg-in-the-news/calpirg-in-the-news/-states-grapple-with-college-textbook-prices  ST. PAUL, Minnesota (AP) -- Winona State University senior http://www.calpirgstudents.org/calpirg-in-the-news/calpirg-in-the-news/-states-grapple-with-college-textbook-prices Tue, 17 Jun 2008 15:33:46 -0500 http://www.calpirgstudents.org/calpirg-in-the-news/calpirg-in-the-news/bill-aims-to-rework-student-loans http://www.calpirgstudents.org/calpirg-in-the-news/calpirg-in-the-news/bill-aims-to-rework-student-loans Tue, 17 Jun 2008 15:33:46 -0500 http://www.calpirgstudents.org/calpirg-in-the-news/calpirg-in-the-news/heres-looking-at-usac Tuesday’s USAC meeting started a bit later than http://www.calpirgstudents.org/calpirg-in-the-news/calpirg-in-the-news/heres-looking-at-usac Tue, 17 Jun 2008 15:33:46 -0500 http://www.calpirgstudents.org/calpirg-in-the-news/calpirg-in-the-news/electronic-car-tests-pollution-on-the-go At first glance, USC assistant professor Scott Fruin's vehicle looks http://www.calpirgstudents.org/calpirg-in-the-news/calpirg-in-the-news/electronic-car-tests-pollution-on-the-go Tue, 17 Jun 2008 15:33:46 -0500 http://www.calpirgstudents.org/calpirg-in-the-news/calpirg-in-the-news/homelessness-recognition-rally-to-be-held-tomorrow In an effort to increase awareness of homelessness issues in Davis, http://www.calpirgstudents.org/calpirg-in-the-news/calpirg-in-the-news/homelessness-recognition-rally-to-be-held-tomorrow Tue, 17 Jun 2008 15:33:46 -0500 http://www.calpirgstudents.org/calpirg-in-the-news/calpirg-in-the-news/ocean-debris-sparks-student-action Garbage patches twice the size of Texas accumulating along the coasts of Hawaii and the continental United States have students at UC Santa Cruz rising to action.California Student Public Interest Research Group (CALPIRG) organized in front of the Baytree Bookstore last Thursday in hopes of pulling together student volunteers for beach cleanups.The group also plans to send a petition to Congressman Sam Farr (D-Santa Cruz) to support legislation in favor of reducing the amount of plastics dumped into the ocean.“We are looking to turn Congressman Sam Farr into a champion of environmental reform,” said Dan Rosenblum, oordinator of CALPIRG UC Santa Cruz.With an initial goal to get 50 signatures in three hours, CALPIRG was pleased to surpass that number by acquiring over 200 student signatures.CALPIRG State Board Chair Tommaso Boggia felt that participation of students in campaigns such as CALPIRG’s is vital to legislative reform.“[CALPIRG] strives to protect the public interest in the face of corporate greed and political corruption,” Boggia said with a confident smile.An average of 100,000 marine animals die every year as a result of choking or entangling themselves in plastic material floating on the ocean’s surface. Plastics floating along the currents of the North Pacific are not the only issue that concerns CALPIRG.The student-led activist group is also trying to bring awareness to harmful algal blooms that result from excess of phosphorus and nitrogen in ocean water.If ingested by marine life, chemicals from these algal blooms, called demoic toxins, can cause seizures and inhibit the animal’s natural navigation ability.Marina Olson, coordinator of the CALPIRG Oceans Campaign, explained that the toxins can even cause memory problems in parent marine animals, such as seals, causing them to eat their own young.“The effects of the toxins are treatable, but [remnants of the chemical] can be stranded afterwards,” Olson said.“The average American goes through 223 pounds of plastic each year,” Olson said. “The city of Los Angeles has around 12 million people. You figure it out.”Two cardboard cutouts in the shape of Texas with plastics and other garbage attached acted as effective tools in bringing students to the CALPIRG table, where they could sign postcards addressed to a non-specific legislator, explaining the importance of implementing further regulation on dumping in the ocean.Roxanna Hope, a recently-recruited CALPIRG intern, expressed her conviction for being involved in such important and timely issues.“It is something that people are aware of but don’t really think about it,” Hope said. “We’re here to let people know.” http://www.calpirgstudents.org/calpirg-in-the-news/calpirg-in-the-news/ocean-debris-sparks-student-action Tue, 17 Jun 2008 15:33:46 -0500 http://www.calpirgstudents.org/calpirg-in-the-news/calpirg-in-the-news/student-leaders-oppose-fee-hikes Student leaders at California's two public university systems vowed Thursday to work toward rolling back Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's budget proposal to raise fees next year by about 7% at UC campuses and 10% at Cal States.Under the governor's plan, undergraduate UC student fees for state residents would rise about $495 to about $7,347 next year, including some individual campus costs but not including housing, books and other expenses. Cal State students would see such basic fees go up $252 to $3,451.The proposal, which faces reviews by the Legislature and academic governing boards, would keep community college costs at $20 a credit. Those dropped last year from $26.Bill Shiebler, president of the UC Student Assn., called the proposed fee increases "a betrayal." Last year, Schwarzenegger and the Legislature used extra revenues to cancel expected 8% hikes, and that should be done again, he said."Students are frustrated and angry about a budget that does not prioritize higher education," Shiebler, a UC Santa Barbara undergraduate, said, adding that students will lobby lawmakers and UC regents about the fees.The governor stresses that he is keeping to his 2004 compact with the public universities that fees will rise no more than 10% any year and that enrollments could grow 2.5% annually. His budget statement stressed that UC and Cal State fees will remain below averages for comparable schools throughout the country and that one-third of the fee increases are expected to go to financial aid.Andrew LaFlamme, the student representative on the California State University Board of Trustees, said he had mixed feelings. Although the governor's plan maintains the compact, LaFlamme said, he and other students will encourage the Legislature to find money to prevent the increases. "Ideally that would be the best situation," the Cal State Stanislaus graduate student said.The UC regents and Cal State trustees are both expected to review and possibly vote on the fee increases in March.UC system spokesman Brad Hayward said regents would have to balance a desire to keep education affordable with the state's need to close a deficit. He stressed that no student should be scared away by the "sticker price" because so much financial aid is available.Cal State spokeswoman Clara Potes-Fellow said the trustees still were hoping that fee increases would be avoided. "We believe this is still very early in the budget process and a lot can happen," she said.Meanwhile, student activists were busy Thursday on a related financial issue: student loans.The new Democratic majority in Congress plans today to introduce legislation that would gradually cut interest rates in half on some federally subsidized student loans over the next five years.Supporting that idea, the California Public Interest Research Group, a student organization, issued a study calculating that the Californians who receive the subsidized Stafford loans on average graduate with $15,125 in debt to that program and could save between $2,490 and $4,830 over the course of their loans if the proposal passes.The rate reduction from 6.8% to 3.4% "will make college more accessible and affordable for millions of American students," the report said.Tom Kiley, a spokesman for the House Education and Labor Committee in Washington, said the measure is expected to come up for a vote in the House of Representatives next week. http://www.calpirgstudents.org/calpirg-in-the-news/calpirg-in-the-news/student-leaders-oppose-fee-hikes Tue, 17 Jun 2008 15:33:46 -0500 http://www.calpirgstudents.org/calpirg-in-the-news/calpirg-in-the-news/uc-system-takes-big-step-to-stop-global-warming The University of California System took another large step to being a http://www.calpirgstudents.org/calpirg-in-the-news/calpirg-in-the-news/uc-system-takes-big-step-to-stop-global-warming Tue, 17 Jun 2008 15:33:46 -0500 http://www.calpirgstudents.org/calpirg-in-the-news/calpirg-in-the-news/battling-voter-apathy Raoul Haeck, a burly Cal State Fullerton student with dark, spiky http://www.calpirgstudents.org/calpirg-in-the-news/calpirg-in-the-news/battling-voter-apathy Tue, 17 Jun 2008 15:33:46 -0500 http://www.calpirgstudents.org/calpirg-in-the-news/calpirg-in-the-news/winning-energy-efficiency-with-cccs-dorm-challenge http://www.calpirgstudents.org/calpirg-in-the-news/calpirg-in-the-news/winning-energy-efficiency-with-cccs-dorm-challenge Tue, 17 Jun 2008 15:33:46 -0500 http://www.calpirgstudents.org/calpirg-in-the-news/calpirg-in-the-news/calpirg-seeks-student-pledges Poverty, global warming and high textbook prices are all due for a http://www.calpirgstudents.org/calpirg-in-the-news/calpirg-in-the-news/calpirg-seeks-student-pledges Tue, 17 Jun 2008 15:33:46 -0500 http://www.calpirgstudents.org/calpirg-in-the-news/calpirg-in-the-news/last-push-before-polls Sunday afternoon on Bruin Walk is a stark contrast to the normally bustling environment of students rushing to class or campus groups handing out promotional fliers.But Garo Manjikian, a graduate of UC Riverside and current CALPIRG campus organizer for UC Santa Barbara, was there to approach the few people walking by."Hello, have you registered to vote?" Manjikian asked a passing student.Voter registration volunteers will be on campus today from 10 am. to 1 p.m. to give one last push to register students, as today is the deadline to turn in registration forms to vote for the Nov. 7 elections.Registration forms can no longer be sent to the L.A. County Registrar's office by mail, so volunteers will take the registration forms they gather directly to the office to make the 5 p.m. deadline today.Students must reregister if they want to vote from the UCLA campus. Otherwise, if the student is already registered, he or she would vote by absentee ballot.Volunteers from CALPIRG said it is important for students to register to vote so politicians will know they have to consider their needs as students."If we have 5,000 students in one district, a congressman will have to listen to us. ... We are more powerful than if we were spread out all over," said Lauren Macheski, a director in the Undergraduate Students Association Council's external vice president office.Macheski said there are many issues in the upcoming elections that will affect students, including fee increases, financial aid and electing officials who can decide who is on the UC Board of Regents."Who we elect in November will determine the UC Regents, and they have the ability to enact policy affecting the diversity of the university," Macheski said.Both gubernatorial front-runners have also made UC-related issues a priority in their campaigns. Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and State Treasurer Phil Angelides have both promised to cut college fees.On Nov. 7, there will be polling areas for students to vote in the De Neve, Hedrick and Rieber residential halls.Macheski said the USAC external vice president's office has partnered with many on-campus student groups and the Office of Residential Life over the past few weeks to encourage students all over campus to register to vote.Over the past week, volunteers from CALPIRG working with USAC advertised on Bruin Walk, campaigned all over campus, announced voting registration in classes and went dorm-storming (door-to-door solicitation in the dorms)."Our volunteers who went dorm-storming had a lot of fun and received positive feedback from residents," Tung said.As of last Thursday, the USAC office of the EVP reported that CALPIRG registered between 300 and 400 students and the overall voter coalition registered 1200 students.   http://www.calpirgstudents.org/calpirg-in-the-news/calpirg-in-the-news/last-push-before-polls Tue, 17 Jun 2008 15:33:46 -0500 http://www.calpirgstudents.org/calpirg-in-the-news/calpirg-in-the-news/climate-challenge-launched In a commitment to fight global warming, a group of UC Davis students came together Tuesday to announce their plans to reduce pollution generated by the campus.They are participating in the Campus Climate Challenge, a national campaign to get more than 1,000 colleges and universities to reduce greenhouse gas emissions that contribute to global warming. The campaign is led by the Public Interest Research Groups, including CalPIRG.The students also plan to enter MTV’s Break the Addiction challenge which offers a prize for the campus that makes the most change. MTV will award a $5,000 party for the winning student group. The winners also receive a $10,000 renovation of their campus student union building to make it more environmentally friendly.“We really need to step it up and make some changes,” said Dan Xie, CalPIRG Campus Climate Challenge coordinator at UCD.“I think it’s responsibility to the future generations and our own generation because we’re the ones who will have to deal with the negative effects of global warming,” said Xie, a junior majoring in environmental planning and policy as well as political science.Mark Schwartz, an associate professor of environmental science and policy at UCD, applauded the students’ efforts at a news conference Tuesday.“Global climate change is becoming the issue of the day,” Schwartz said. “No matter how you slice it, global warming is a huge issue for the next generation.”The UCD students said they are researching ways for the campus to increase recycling, alternative transportation and renewable sources used for campus energy needs. And, the students are looking at ways to add environmentally friendly features to a Student Resources Center in the early planning stages.The group of students want the center to be built to the platinum level of Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design standards. Only 22 buildings in the United States and four in other countries have received platinum LEED certification awarded by the U.S. Green Building Council based in Washington, D.C.The Student Resource Center will be partly funded with $9.6 million collected from a $13-per-quarter student fee increase approved by the students in 2002 as part of the campus expansion initiative. The university hopes to raise another $5 million in donations to cover building costs and $2 million to $3 million for an endowment fund to support programming.The center would be about 30,000 gross square feet, of which about 50 to 65 percent is assignable space. The rest is closets, equipment rooms and the like. Details are still being worked out, but the center may provide space for the Cross Cultural Center; Women’s Resources and Research Center; Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Resource Center; the Student Programs and Activities Center; the Student Recruitment and Retention Center; Undergraduate Research; Student Computing; meeting space and a 24-hour study area.Janet Gong, associate vice chancellor for student affairs, said two or three sites are under consideration on the central campus and the university will likely begin accepting design proposals from architecture firms this fall. Most building projects of this size take three to five years to complete, from planning through construction, she said.Gong said the university will “do our very best” to meet as many of the highest LEED standards as possible, as it does in building projects across campus. Gong said she shares the students’ desire “to be as environmentally concerned as we possibly can” but there can be many obstacles to reaching the platinum level. Even the site selection can be a challenging factor, she said.Groups coming together as part of the student effort include the California Student Sustainability Coalition, American Planning Association, Campus Center for the Environment, R4 Recycling and California Student Sustainability Coalition-Transportation unit. http://www.calpirgstudents.org/calpirg-in-the-news/calpirg-in-the-news/climate-challenge-launched Tue, 17 Jun 2008 15:33:46 -0500 http://www.calpirgstudents.org/calpirg-in-the-news/calpirg-in-the-news/groups-gather-to-warm-up-for-mtv-contest  It’s getting hot in here, so a few campus groups are coming together to fight global warming by competing in an MTV-hosted competition for environmental sustainability.CalPIRG, a statewide student organization that wants to increase public interest in environmental issues, is collaborating this year with the Associated Students Environmental Affairs Board, the Donald Bren School of Environmental Science and Management, the Office of Sustainability and the Green Campus Council to compete in the Campus Climate Challenge. The groups hope to win recognition as one of five schools MTV will pick as champions of energy efficiency.Garo Manjikian, campus organizer for CalPIRG, said the Campus Climate Challenge is a nationwide competition where students work on their campus to stop global warming“Everyone’s talking about global warming,” Manjikian said. “We have the technology to stop global warming.”MTV will award the five schools - selected on the basis of which generate the most media coverage for global warming solutions - compensation up to $10,000 and the chance to be featured in an MTV segment. The television network will also give recognition to two schools that achieve 100 percent clean energy policy during the upcoming spring.CalPIRG is planning to host educational events such as a “clean car show” - where the organization brings hybrid and electric vehicles to campus - and “Take the Stairs Day,” as well as encouraging students to bike to school rather than drive, Manjikian said.“Our focus is whatever we can do to reduce our campus carbon dioxide emissions … whether it’s by making buildings energy efficient or educating students on how they can reduce their impact,” Manjikian said.Fourth-year global studies major Kelly Burns, who is an intern at Green Campus Council and an EAB officer, said all environmental groups on campus have formed an alliance to save energy, including the GCC.Burns said the Green Team, which is part of GCC, created a program called the Green Scheme to make the MultiCultural Center an Energy Star-certified building. The Green Scheme will focus on three components: waste and recycling, energy and procurement.“The Green Scheme is a pilot project happening within Associated Students and the MultiCultural Center,” Burns said. “We chose that building because of the eagerness of the people involved and their dedication to sustainability.”Katie Maynard, coordinator of the Office of Sustainability and a UCSB alumnus, said the GCC also regularly tracks the types of products A.S. and the MultiCultural Center buy to evaluate whether they are energy-efficient, and also monitors energy use in the dorms by holding annual energy competitions.Within the next two weeks, Burns said the GCC will go door-to-door in the dorms to exchange regular light bulbs for compact fluorescent light bulbs.Maynard said the Office of Sustainability is working to make buildings on campus certified by Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design.“UCSB as a whole is very dedicated toward having a more sustainable campus and reducing greenhouse gas emissions,” Maynard said. “We’re operating in a way today that will also give back to future generations. We would not be here today if it had not been for our incredible student efforts.” http://www.calpirgstudents.org/calpirg-in-the-news/calpirg-in-the-news/groups-gather-to-warm-up-for-mtv-contest Tue, 17 Jun 2008 15:33:46 -0500 http://www.calpirgstudents.org/calpirg-in-the-news/calpirg-in-the-news/eco-friendly-party-heats-up-the-night The Environmental Quality Committee, a student organization working on various sustainability and energy issues, joined forces with Kappa Delta to throw “It’s Getting Hot in Here,” Pomona College’s first carbon neutral party on Wednesday night. The two groups have bought carbon offsets to neutralize this party’s effect on global warming.“This is a great idea in so many ways,” said KD President Kyle Ridgeway. “It is a great way to raise awareness.”The collaboration began when fraternity member Matt Barbour ‘07 joined Campus Climate Challenge, an environmental awareness group on campus. As social chair for the fraternity, a collaboration seemed like a logical step.“Although [we] may seem like two very different organizations at first glance, [we] are really just made up of people who want to have a good time on a Wednesday night while creating awareness about a pertinent, interesting cause,” said Environmental Affairs Commissioner Becky Abbey ’07.Ridgeway agreed, saying that there were benefits for both organizations.“It is a great way for the EQC to get its name out there, and a great way for KD to fight the meathead, party-animal, athlete stereotype,” said Ridgeway.The party was held in Clark Social Room IV, on Wednesday from 9 p.m. to midnight. The group calculated the party’s carbon emissions based on the size of the room, number of people, and food served. Carbon dioxide is a greenhouse gas that is released when fossil fuels such as oil, gas, and coal are burnt. Offsetting means paying someone to reduce the carbon dioxide in the atmosphere by the same that these activities add. These organizations purchased two metric tons of carbon offsets to make the net carbon offset zero.“That will more than offset every possible cost of the party,” Campus Climate Challenge member Kyle Edgerton ’08 said. “We overshot on purpose.”Students were eager to see how it would differ from KD’s typical parties, and weren’t opposed to more in the future.“If it’s a good party and it works, then I think we should have more of them,” said Laura Lefkow ’07.The party organizers agree and hope this will encourage other organizations to follow suit.“It’s been great working with [EQC], and hopefully we can set an example for future parties and events of other organizations by making this party carbon-neutral,” said Barbour. http://www.calpirgstudents.org/calpirg-in-the-news/calpirg-in-the-news/eco-friendly-party-heats-up-the-night Tue, 17 Jun 2008 15:33:46 -0500 http://www.calpirgstudents.org/calpirg-in-the-news/calpirg-in-the-news/statewide-coalition-organizes-hosts-rally While only 10 students got access to the debate between Republican Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and his Democratic foe, state Treasurer Phil Angelides, at Sacramento State, many of the students who were shut out didn’t throw in the towel and go home.While fans rooted for the Hornets at the Homecoming football game Saturday night and partisan rallies were at their crescendo, more than 100 students flocked to the traditionally commuter campus to view a live screening of the debate, partaking in discussions with peers on issues important to them.During the debate, students booed when Angelides noted the continual climb of tuition and fees under the Schwarzenegger administration and clapped following his promises to bring tuition down.“Now it takes $2,000 more to get a degree from the CSU,” Angelides said.Gov. Schwarzenegger countered, saying former Gov. Gray Davis raised tuition 40 percent while Angelides did nothing to stop the fee hike.Higher education issues popped up throughout the debate, with Angelides promoting education as a way to better California’s economy.Students from University of California and California State University colleges gathered at Sac State’s Outdoor Theatre near Capistrano Hall, while at the same time about eight other screenings were happening at other California colleges, some with politicians and guest speakers in attendance, said Ruth Obel-Jorgensen, UC Student Association organizing director.The California Student Vote Coalition – a consortium composed of the UC Student Association, the California State Student Association, the California Student Public Interest Research Group, the League of Young Voters and the Voter Registration and Education Project – hosted the event as part of its voter registration, education and turnout efforts in the run-up to the Nov. 7 election.The coalition – created during the summer – is nonpartisan and aims to pull together assets of the different groups to “sharpen the focus of education and mobilization,” said Bill Shiebler, UCSA president.Jeremy Mills, chair of legislative affairs at CSU San Marcos, said the coalition took the individual voting efforts of the different groups and strengthened them by uniting them.“I think tonight will be a success,” said Shiebler, who attends UC Santa Barbara. “We want to send a message that students are listening and engaged.”The point of the rally was not to tip students’ preferences in favor of one party over another, but to embolden them to make a decision on their own, Shiebler said.Percentage-wise, the coalition seeks to beat the high 2003 recall turnout, which compelled 45 percent of young adults to vote. Already, the coalition has registered more than 10,000 voters statewide.While students enjoyed free Round Table Pizza and staked out spots on tarps and blankets in front of the large screen, “Get-Out-the-Vote” booths promoted voter registration. A blow-up boxing ring provided entertainment and a group of students gathered, chanting and encouraging the governor to sign a law that would enable illegal immigrants to participate in student aid programs. Gov. Schwarzenegger recently vetoed a bill that addressed this issue.Jose Montoya, a Sac State government major, said he came to participate in the day’s events to express his opinions.“Politicians think we have no voice,” Montoya said, adding that students have strength in numbers, pointing to the record of 550 voters Sac State registered in the past three days.Fellow Sac State debate team captains, government major Chantel Crane and communications major Brooke Boehning, attended the debate in support of Angelides.“I think the debate is key,” Crane said, suggesting she didn’t like the informal setup that barred candidates from making opening statements and allowed them to talk without time restraints.Boehning said she was upset at the lack of student seating inside Capistrano Hall, which she said “devalues students.”Miguel Cervantes, secretary of state affairs for Associated Students Inc., who helped put the event together, said he hoped the event would send a message to politicians that higher education policies are important to young voters.While Angelides supporters made up most of the crowd, students wearing orange and green Schwarzenegger T-shirts expressed equal enthusiasm.Wendy Booth, a Sac State humanities major, said she liked Gov. Schwarzenegger’s attempt at lightening up the debate through humor. “I know what to expect from him,” Booth said.Max Mikalonis, a genetics major from UC Davis, said, “They’re both really trying to speak to their choirs. I enjoyed it, but I don’t think they got anywhere.”Many students agreed that the candidates spoke to their party loyalists.Students from San Francisco State, UC Davis, UC Berkeley and UC Irvine, among others, traveled by bus and carpool to the event.Some students, like those from UC Santa Cruz, journeyed hours, dedicating the majority of the day to participating in the screening event.Foaad Khosmood, external vice president of graduate affairs at UC Santa Cruz, said students traveled on a bus for more than three and a half hours “to make our power known.”The four-hour event concluded with departing words from ASI President Angela Arriola, who watched the debate in Capistrano Hall.“I think the best part is it was held at Sac State,” Arriola said. “Tonight’s efforts were a result of collaboration between many students throughout the state.”Event organizers from the coalition said goodbye by leading a farewell chant: “We’re watching, we’re voting” – which carried loudly into the night. http://www.calpirgstudents.org/calpirg-in-the-news/calpirg-in-the-news/statewide-coalition-organizes-hosts-rally Tue, 17 Jun 2008 15:33:46 -0500 http://www.calpirgstudents.org/calpirg-in-the-news/calpirg-in-the-news/calpirg-pushes-text-legislation The beginning of the quarter textbook rush is just about over, but California Student Public Interests Research Group and Congressman David Wu have not stopped their investigations into high textbook prices, and how to lower them.The textbook price question has been on the CalPIRG agenda for about six years, said Tessa Atkinson-Adams, project coordinator for CalPIRG’s textbook campaign. She said current projects include drafting state legislation that would require publishing companies to disclose price information on their books, educating professors on what they can do to keep prices low for their students, and increasing the used book market at UCSB.According to a press release from his office, Wu, D-Ore., a member of the Education and Workforce Committee, ordered the U.S. Department of Education to investigate the continually rising cost of textbooks. The study will be finished in summer 2007.The order follows a Government Accountability Office study, which reported that college textbook prices are increasing and have become more of a financial burden for students. According to the press release, the cost of textbooks at a four-year public institution is 26 percent of students’ college tuition and fees.Hana Abdo, a third-year business economics major, said she has felt the financial strain imposed by expensive textbooks.“The higher textbook prices get, the more debt students are going to be in,” Abdo said. “It’s not economically fair for students who are struggling to pay for college.”Atkinson-Adams said UCSB students pay more for their textbooks per year than other schools in the UC system. She said a survey done by CalPIRG reports that UCSB students pay an average of $978 per year while schools like UC Santa Cruz and UC Berkeley pay in the $700 to $800 range.According to the 2003 survey, “Ripoff 101: How the Current Practices of the Textbook Industry Drive up the Cost of College Textbooks,” UC students will spend an average of $898 on textbooks during three quarters of school.“I spent $157 on one book for an upper division economics class,” Abdo said. “Not only is it overpriced, when you sell it back you don’t get nearly the same value.”Atkinson-Adams said CalPIRG introduced model legislation in January that included a disclosure act requiring textbook publishing companies to release all information and options to professors and faculty, such as options for textbooks in black and white and paperback editions.“We’re looking to find some legislators to champion our model legislation and bring it to the House,” Atkinson-Adams said.She said the legislation included a clause about bundling textbooks with CDs and workbooks. Bundling materials raises the price of textbooks and included supplies by 57 percent, Atkinson-Adams said.“Students rarely use these workbooks or CDs and you can’t sell them back, which makes used books obsolete,” said Garo Manjikian, UCSB campus organizer for CalPIRG.Atkinson-Adams said professors have some power in keeping book prices low. Two years ago, she said, the UCLA mathematics dept. negotiated a 20 percent discount on a calculus book with a textbook publishing company.In addition to negotiation options between professors and publishing companies, Atkinson-Adams said educating professors on the issue is an important part of CalPIRG’s work.“We’re also looking at online textbooks and informing professors about online textbooks because they’re considerably cheaper,” Atkinson-Adams said. “We want to educate professors on their power.”The CalPIRG Affordable Textbooks campaign is also seeking ways to increase the used book market, such as educating students about their options, including used book websites.In addition, Atkinson-Adams said CalPIRG is developing an online service that students could use to transfer books among each other.CalPIRG issued a report last August titled “Textbooks for the 21st Century: A Guide to Free and Low Cost Textbooks” that offers students alternative suggestions to expensive textbooks such as online versions.Manjikian said that every year about 30,000 UC students pledge money to the student-directed and student-funded group, CalPIRG.“Really, our campaign wants textbook publishers to adopt fair practices,” Manjikian said. http://www.calpirgstudents.org/calpirg-in-the-news/calpirg-in-the-news/calpirg-pushes-text-legislation Tue, 17 Jun 2008 15:33:46 -0500 http://www.calpirgstudents.org/calpirg-in-the-news/calpirg-in-the-news/congress-tackles-book-costs Members of Congress and the U.S. Department of Education began an official investigation of skyrocketing textbook prices in response to a report conducted by the U.S. Government Accountability Office that found textbook prices had gone up an average of 6 percent every year for the past 19 years.Rep. David Wu (D-Ore.) requested the report two years ago, which found that the cost of textbooks has risen 186 percent since 1986 in comparison to general inflation of 72 percent. The investigation, which started last week, comes after a joint request from Wu and Rep. Howard P. “Buck” McKeon (R-Calif.), and will be conducted by a U.S. House of Representatives advisory committee to find solutions to the problem of rising book costs.The committee’s first hearing in Washington, D.C., included an address by economics professor and representatives from the GAO, publishing and bookstore industries and student public-interest groups. As part of the investigation, committee members will examine multiple student programs, including campus book-swaps and book-rental programs. The committee will also conduct field hearings across the country to get opinions from faculty members, students and other representatives before making final recommendations.However, American Association of Publishers Executive Director for Higher Education Bruce Hildebrand disputed the GAO report’s statistics and said that today’s college textbooks have taken on an entirely new role in post-secondary education, generating almost $8 billion in sales annually.“The problem with the study is that it was unable to tell the difference between an old-timing textbook and new, modern textbooks combined with technology,” Hildebrand said. “It was a total comparison between apples and oranges.”With exponential growth in student-teacher ratios, textbooks have become more technologically advanced, with “bundling” where online instruments and additional CDs make up for what could not be covered during class hours, Hildebrand said.Wu’s office did not return repeated phone calls for comment.“Textbooks definitely contributed to the rising cost of a degree,” Jillian Schoene, Wu’s press secretary, told UC Berkeley’s Daily Californian. “We hope that this study will determine some ‘best practices’ that we can implement across the country in all colleges and universities.”Hildebrand, however, attributed rising costs to students being increasingly unprepared for higher education studies. Students need supplemental resources geared toward improving their education, and many textbooks have added materials such as CD-ROMs, online tutors and solutions manuals to assist the faculty in addition to aiding the students, Hildebrand said.Students disputed the need for more supplemental materials.“I don’t think it’s fair how [publishers] come out with new editions almost every year,” said Revelle College junior Kory Swanson, a structural engineering major. “Also, they include new features in many textbooks like CDs, most of which aren’t even used. I think textbooks could be cheaper — I’ve never used any of the CDs that have come with any of my books.”According to the study, students at four-year universities spend over one-fourth of college expenses on textbooks every year. Hildebrand disagreed, saying that students spend around $650 on textbooks annually — and that one cannot appropriately compare the price of tuition to the price of textbooks.“Textbooks have always been an emotional issue,” Hildebrand said. “Somehow you’ve figured out how to get tuition paid, how to get your clothes together, how to save some beer money, how to pay for your cell phone and then you walk in and you have to pay for textbooks — and students have been upset about that for as long as any of us can remember.”The average college textbook nationwide costs about $52, according to the National Association of College Stores. At UCSD, the latest edition of a structural engineering manual for steel construction was originally priced at $342.85, but students protested and were able to purchase the manual at a 65 percent discount, Swanson said.Three years ago, California Public Interest Research Group, which lobbies government officials on behalf of students, brought attention to the rapidly increasing prices of textbooks by creating the Make Textbooks Affordable campaign. Since then, the campaign has helped faculty negotiate more affordable prices from publishers and promote cheaper ways for students to obtain textbooks.When asked why universities don’t follow suit with the general high school system of checking out — rather than purchasing — textbooks and returning them when the particular course is over, Hildebrand stated that the practice is completely plausible for college — and that it all depends on the university’s preference.“Publishers only sell [textbooks] wholesale; we don’t set the final prices,” Hildebrand said. “Everybody wants to fight about prices. But what about passing the course? Staying in school? Intellectual development? Education?”Publishers are responding to increased demand from instructors for supplemental devices in textbooks by distributing more advanced editions at faster intervals, while wholesalers and retailers have shown concern for the idea that “more frequent revisions might unnecessarily increase cost to students,” the GAO report said.Students can lower their textbook expenses by swapping books with other students, checking library reserves or asking faculty to create custom books, according to the Wall Street Journal. http://www.calpirgstudents.org/calpirg-in-the-news/calpirg-in-the-news/congress-tackles-book-costs Tue, 17 Jun 2008 15:33:46 -0500 http://www.calpirgstudents.org/calpirg-in-the-news/calpirg-in-the-news/activism-returns-to-campus After three decades of declining civic engagement, the new millennium has brought a rising interest among college students nationwide in current events, protests and politics, a study shows.Inland-area students say the state's recent budget crisis and the need to vote helped revive their interest in social and political issues.At Cal State San Bernardino, several student groups started a voter registration drive and early voting project for college students. Last spring, a student at the campus started a political action committee for CSU students. He cited the state's budget crisis as the reason."Now more than ever, we have to be vigilant and organized," said Corey Jackson, 24, a recent Cal State San Bernardino graduate who started Golden State Action. "Anything can happen very quickly in the state legislature."After two years of fee increases, it wasn't enough just to go to Sacramento every once in a while," Jackson said. "What choice do you have when the quality of your life and your education is at stake?"CALPIRG, the consumer advocacy group, began a student chapter At UC Riverside. By the end of last school year, the group had about 20 new members, organizers said.In the last couple of years, students throughout the UC system have taken up the causes of several groups, predominantly unions, joining in protests against administrators over wages, work hours and benefits.In April, a group of students who wanted the UC system to toughen its policies against sweatshop apparel occupied UCR Chancellor France Cordova's office for several hours.Renewed interestAccording to a report by UCLA's Higher Education Research Institute, the percentage of college freshmen who feel that "keeping up to date with political affairs" is a very important or an essential life goal rose for the fifth consecutive year to 36.4 percent in 2005.The level of political engagement remains far below the 1960s when student protests and marches were prevalent, the report found.For instance, in 1966, 60.3 percent of college freshmen valued keeping up with politics, the report found.Experts consider the upward trend noteworthy after years of disengagement and apathy among college students."They're showing more interest in current events and politics," said Emily Kirby, senior research assistant with the Center for Information & Research on Civic Learning and Engagement at the University of Maryland.Voting among those ages 18 to 29 was up 9 percentage points in 2004 from the 2000 presidential election, the center found.The center estimated that turnout among voters under 30 rose to 51.6 percent from 42.3 percent in 2000.The last peak among this age group came in 1992 when 47.9 percent voted, according to the center.The war in Iraq, the cost of higher education and concern about safety from terrorism are among the factors contributing to students' greater civic interest, Kirby said."They're the ones having to pay back the costs of student loans and watch the cost of books," Kirby said.Getting involvedAt Cal State San Bernardino, a newly formed group called Students Advocating Voter Education has started a voter registration and early voting project. The group encompasses several organizations, including Associated Students Inc., that have come together to boost voting among students at the campus.The group has started registering students daily and is planning to hold early voting in the lobby of the Santos Manuel Student Union on campus the week of Oct. 23.Anthony Conley, a senior and president of Associated Students Inc., said he came up with "Do it in the Booth" because he was concerned that his peers were not voting."My idea was maybe students were just too busy to travel," said Conley, 21. "I just wanted to do something to make it easier, make it more visible on campus. You really have no excuse not to vote when it's right here."Conley said it was also important to get students voter guides early."I know it's hard for students," Conley said. "Most of us have to work. It's hard to find the time to do the research." http://www.calpirgstudents.org/calpirg-in-the-news/calpirg-in-the-news/activism-returns-to-campus Tue, 17 Jun 2008 15:33:46 -0500 http://www.calpirgstudents.org/calpirg-in-the-news/calpirg-in-the-news/democracy-needs-youth The majority of college students have those scary moments where they wonder what life will be like after college. However, I sincerely doubt most of them have any idea how bad it can truly get. Take, for example, the case of Luis.Not knowing that pursuing a higher education would leave him with $19,000 in debt because college tuition has doubled in the last decade, Luis happily headed off to college.He is now one of 1.4 million part-time workers who would rather have full-time job in order to pay back the debt that he's accumulated. His job doesn't offer him health insurance, which he hasn't had since his 19th birthday when he was removed from his parents' plan.To top it all off, Luis can barely afford his rent and he'll probably file for bankruptcy some time after graduation, which isn't that surprising, given that bankruptcy filings for adults under the age of 25 increased 150 percent during the 1990s. Luis's case is not exceptional. This is our generation and these are the problems we face.However, politicians are more concerned with the plights of the older generation instead of how much we're paying for our education because we don't care enough about our issues to vote.Older citizens are three times more likely to vote compared to young people. It isn't to say that their issues such as property taxes and more affordable prescription drugs are three times more important than the issues we face, such as the draining away of entry-level jobs in favor of outsourcing or one-sixth of young adults not enrolled in school facing unemployment.I have also been guilty of not voting in the past. I didn't vote because I am ashamed of our government. I despise how politics is a game of money and, because I don't have any, I lack any power.Not only are we massively in debt as a demographic, but the government then takes any little bit that we might be able to amass with a ridiculous set of fines, fees and taxes.So why bother? The rationalization behind this attitude is simple: I can't change anything and even if I could, I just don't have the time. We just whine and complain about how there's nothing we can do while we checking our Facebooks and Myspace profiles because those are the things that matter.The so-called reasons we have for not voting are just that, excuses. We are sitting back and watching our resources being siphoned from us while we point fingers. If you choose the wrong candidate or flip-flop between parties, that's fine. Change your mind as often as you like, just go out and vote.Start doing what you're supposed to be doing. Acknowledge that you have the privilege to choose. Show that we are not just a nation of mindless consumers. Exercise your rights before they're gone because no one is going to do it for you. If you think your vote doesn't matter because there are tons of other teenagers and twenty-somethings doing their civic duty, you're wrong.And even if the candidate you choose doesn't win or the proposition you voted for fails to pass, your vote still matters. The government keeps tabs on who registers to vote so that politicians will know what demographic they need to appeal in order to win elections. Since older people are the most reliable voters, then if candidate A caters to them while candidate B caters to the younger voters, guess who's going to win? And they have been winning because we're losing our money and our sanity.We can't blame the politicians for our problems if they're securing their place in office by satisfying the most voters. We can't blame the older generation for exercising their civil right to vote. They're looking out for their best interests; but why aren't we looking out for ours? I think we're old enough to decide what is best for us rather than let our parent's generation do it for us.This generation is not an oppressed powerless minority; in fact, our situation is quite the opposite. We are the most empowered and educated, but debt-ridden and uninsured generation to date. Why not take all this power we've acquired and show politicians that we're an important political force by registering to vote and actually heading to the polls in November?If you haven't already, register to vote and take your friends. Significant turnout at the polls is the only way we're going to win. The government needs to see that young adults need to be satisfied too and, thus far, we haven't been. Let's make peace with authority so we can become authority. http://www.calpirgstudents.org/calpirg-in-the-news/calpirg-in-the-news/democracy-needs-youth Tue, 17 Jun 2008 15:33:46 -0500 http://www.calpirgstudents.org/calpirg-in-the-news/calpirg-in-the-news/no-voter-to-be-left-behind Students are being asked to play a big role in the Nov. 7 mid-term elections for governor and other state and local races.Adults aged 18-25 have statistically had a lower voter turnout than their older counterparts.Many people in the 18-25 age group recently have begun to register to vote in part because of youth voter registration drives such as Hip-Hop star P. Diddy's "Vote or Die" campaign, which he launched just prior to the national elections in November 2004.Another popular youth voter registration drive in 2004 was the "Rock the Vote" campaign that focused on registering younger voters.This Fall at LBCC, the California Public Interest Research Group, is launching a new voters project on campus."We want to register 1,000 new voters at LBCC. We can definitely do that," Sayla Eisner-Mix from the group said. Eisner-Mix is organizing a new voters project club in LBCC.As a constituency, young adults are largely ignored by politicians because of a lack of voter turn-out. According to the New Voters Project, only 19 percent of people 18-25 voted in the 2002 mid-term elections."Politicians don't pay attention to us. We want to make politicians pay attention to us students and young people," Eisner-Mix added.CALPIRG is a non-profit and non-partisan organization that has been around for more than 30 years helping to solve some of the toughest issues facing society, such as hunger, homelessness, environmental issues and text-book rip offs.CALPIRG has student-run campus chapters at Universities all over California.During the 2000 national elections, "soccer moms" as a group were a force that helped put George W. Bush andDick Cheney in office.In the 2004 national elections, it was the NASCAR dads that tilted the vote in favor of Bush and Cheney over John Kerry and John Edward in the race for president and vice president.Electoral experts believe that in 2008, the deciding group will no longer be the soccer moms or the NASCAR dads. Instead, experts say young voters will tilt the spectrum toward one party or another."It's a democracy. We want to put the power back into the hands of the people," Eisner-Mix said.LBCC student Jessica Lopez said, "I'm really glad that other students are starting to realize that voting is important."The voter registration deadline for the upcoming November election is Oct. 23. In person registration is available at all California Department of Motor Vehicles and online registration forms may be obtained at www.rockthevote.org http://www.calpirgstudents.org/calpirg-in-the-news/calpirg-in-the-news/no-voter-to-be-left-behind Tue, 17 Jun 2008 15:33:46 -0500 http://www.calpirgstudents.org/calpirg-in-the-news/calpirg-in-the-news/academic-publishers-reap-profits The paper to make the books grows on trees, but at the prices students shell out for required texts, they say the money should too.“My wallet gets gutted every time I have to buy textbooks,” said senior Eduardo Martinez, expressing a common sentiment among students.“I think textbook prices are pretty absurd,” sophomore Mario Silva said.Joe Moore, the Course Materials Manager at the Stanford Bookstore, says he is aware of student dissatisfaction. He said he has tried to educate students on the issue to mitigate not only their frustration but misconceptions too, speaking to the ASSU Undergraduate Senate last year.“Our pricing formulas are the same as they were 20 years ago,” he said. “What has changed are the textbook industry and the prices the producers set. It’s unfortunate that I’m not able to effectively communicate with all the students.”Textbook prices have also caught the attention of Congress. In June, the Advisory Committee on Student Financial Assistance began investigating high textbook costs and their impact on students.California is the nation’s second-largest textbook market with state consumers spending more than $4 billion in 2004, according to a report from the Government Accountability Office (GAO) last year. Americans spent more than $40 billion on textbooks nationwide in 2004.Three companies, McGraw Hill, Pearson-Prentice Hall Education and Harcourt Publishing, control 69 percent of the textbook industry, the GAO report continued. Due to this diminished competition, the average student has been forced to spend more than $900 per year on textbooks.“I just bought three books for $280,” said sophomore Winnie Wang. “I know that there’s a textbook I bought last year that’s more expensive now.”Textbook prices have increased 186 percent since 1986, an annual increase of about six percent. By comparison, consumer prices rose 72 percent over that period, and college tuition and fees rose 240 percent, the GAO report stated.Nearly two-thirds of those receipts end up in publishers’ coffers. 12 percent of the book price goes toward the author’s royalties, 23 percent goes to the store, 32 percent pays for the publisher’s costs, and another 32 percent is publisher profit, according to the National Association of College Bookstores,Attempts by college bookstores to circumvent the high-priced textbook market with used textbook buyback programs have met limited success.However, some students expressed dissatisfaction with selling back books. Many pointed to instances where a book is bought back for $1.50, only to be resold at $15.“I sold some back last quarter and it was obscene,” Martinez said. “I had paid a lot of money for this one book only for it to be bought back for a tiny fraction of the cost.”Moore countered that the Stanford Bookstore buys back two different types of used books at two different pricing rates.One rate is for a used textbook, one not known to be needed next quarter at Stanford. In that case, the text is sold to a used book company, which accounts for the low buyback price and the high resell value with shipping and storage costs and third party profit factored in.The other rate is for a used textbook that will be in use again, as the bookstore buys back the textbook to resell. The purchase certainty and the elimination of a third party allow for an average of 50-75 percent discounts on used textbooks and more cash from buybacks.According to Moore, however, the latter type of used textbooks depends solely on faculty.“We prefer buying used books from students, but we cannot if the instructor did not turn in a book order for the next quarter,” Moore said.Without punctual book orders or notification that the same book will be used again, the value of the used books decreases significantly, he added.According to a report issued in the winter of 2004 by the California Student Public Interest Research Group (CalPIRG), entitled, “Rip-off 101: How the Current Practices of the Publishing Industry Drive up the Cost of College Textbooks,” publishers are retaliating by attempting to circumvent the used textbook market themselves.CalPIRG, which surveyed 156 faculty members and 480 college students from 10 public colleges and universities across California, laid the blame at the feet of the publishers. The group concluded publishers are offering expensive supplements like online courseware as a means of “gouging students, ‘bundling’ their products with unnecessary add-ons and undermining the market for used textbooks by coming out with new editions — even in subjects that evolve little, if at all, such as Latin.“Sixty-five percent of faculty ‘rarely’ or ‘never’ use the bundled materials in their courses and 59 percent of students who searched for a used book for the fall 2003 quarter/semester were unable to find even one used book for their classes,” the report stated.In 2003, The New York Times reported that American textbooks are available in overseas markets for roughly half of what American students pay, and that the books are identical, save for a change of ISBN and cover.Publishers have fought hard to stop overseas textbooks from reentering the U.S market. A ruling in 1998 by the U.S. Supreme Court found that federal copyright laws do not protect text manufacturers from having their books originally sold in foreign markets and shipped back to the U.S. for resale at a discount.Moore added that students and faculty can both help curb textbook prices.“I urge faculty to use, as much as possible, the same materials for classes and to inform us of your decisions so that way we can buy back used books ourselves,” he said. “I also urge students to sell buy and sell used textbooks. If both do their part, it is possible to circumvent the huge publishers that are charging the high textbook prices.” http://www.calpirgstudents.org/calpirg-in-the-news/calpirg-in-the-news/academic-publishers-reap-profits Tue, 17 Jun 2008 15:33:46 -0500 http://www.calpirgstudents.org/calpirg-in-the-news/calpirg-in-the-news/publishers-should-put-students-above-profit Students fresh from high school may not initially understand the changes associated with college life, but no student is ever led to believe attending a major university is cheap. Without alternative funding, students are billed for tuition, a meal plan, on-campus housing (if they choose to live here), class fees and any other number of appended expenses.One expense absent from the ubiquitous student billing account is the cost of textbooks. In most situations, students must front the costs of these books by providing their own cash or credit card -- a painfully expensive feat for the average, low-income college student.Eastern offers a few alternatives; some textbooks can be bought cheaply online, and a selective few can be found through student sellers at www.emich.collegetextbookexchange.com. But finding a textbook on the Internet is largely hit-or-miss and the expensive local bookstores are sometimes the only option.On average, American college students spend $898 per academic year on textbooks, according to a recent study conducted by the California Student Public Interest Research Group. For a student working a part-time job for 20 hours a week, at $7 an hour, that's six straight weeks of paychecks being poured directly into textbooks. And if students enter college unprepared for such a major expense, it's likely the semester will begin for that student without the proper class materials, meaning a difficult uphill battle for acceptable grades.College students are responsible for things such as book expenses, but the perpetual high cost of textbooks should be not considered an acceptable constant. Each year, textbook publishers release new editions of "popular" titles, and professors often require the latest (and most expensive) version of the class text.According to the study cited above, many new editions contain minimal new information, swapping around chapters or info-graphics to justify an update. In fact, most textbook publishers package textbooks with CDs or "study manuals," simply to drive the price of the book higher. At Eastern the same company (Nebraska Books) owns all three off-campus bookstores, stifling competition.The Government Accountability Office has found that the price of textbooks tripled between 1986 and 2004, and the current average price is increasing at double the rate of inflation. During the same period, materials' prices remained roughly the same.The recipients of this exorbitant amount of money are, by and large, the textbook publishing companies. This July, major publisher McGraw-Hill reported a profit of $121 million dollars, and Pearson announced a profit of $802 million dollars, according to the online newspaper Newstandard. Bruce Hildebrand of the Association of American Publishers told USA Today that students "don't realize how much it costs when you pay for rights for all the content, all the charts and art." But the amount of profit made by publishers proves Hildebrand's statement to be a poor excuse for companies cashing in on students' educational needs.Some Eastern professors understand about students' tight financial positions, allowing old editions of textbooks to be used or offering cheap copies of class texts. Other professors, who have written their own textbooks, provide small in-class compensations (doughnuts or other niceties) for any royalties students must pay in textbook fees. Indeed, most authors are awarded only a few dollars per book; again the profit is filtered back to the publishers.While not necessarily moral, it is an accepted fact that higher education is a big business. But textbooks gouge students' pockets, and students cannot boycott or seek alternate options without seriously jeopardizing their grades.Not much can be done to convince publishers to begin caring for college students. But we hope Eastern's professors can take some of the fuel from book publishers' fires by creating more course packs or worksheet packets, or uploading vital course information to the "Emich" web shell. The more college students can move away from the ankle-grabbing art of book-buying, the more we can retain our dignity. http://www.calpirgstudents.org/calpirg-in-the-news/calpirg-in-the-news/publishers-should-put-students-above-profit Tue, 17 Jun 2008 15:33:46 -0500 http://www.calpirgstudents.org/calpirg-in-the-news/calpirg-in-the-news/officials-reach-deal-to-cut-california-emissions http://www.calpirgstudents.org/calpirg-in-the-news/calpirg-in-the-news/officials-reach-deal-to-cut-california-emissions Tue, 17 Jun 2008 15:33:46 -0500 http://www.calpirgstudents.org/calpirg-in-the-news/calpirg-in-the-news/rising-education-costs-take-toll-on-public-service Because of the increasing debt loa