Testimony of Levi Menovski in support of SB388 at the Senate Education Committee hearing in Sacramento
My name is Levi Menovske, I am a second year student at UC Davis, and I run our Affordable Textbooks Campaign as well as serve as the Chair of our CALPIRG chapter and the Vice Chair for the state of California. The cost of textbooks is a huge issue for students across the state, and one that unfortunately gets worse every year with textbook prices increasing at twice the rate of inflation. The average UC student spends over $900 per year on textbooks, which is a huge financial burden. Personally I have spent over $730 this school year alone.
The reason textbooks are so expensive is that the textbook market lacks typical economic pressures that keep prices in check. Because textbooks are assigned by professors, students must purchase their books regardless of price. This gives publishers an unfair advantage to set abnormally high prices and engage in practices such as rapid new editions and bundling that undermine the effectiveness of rental and buy-back programs. Textbook prices will only come down in the long run if more affordable options come into the market. Therefore, the best legislative action is to increase competition in the textbook market by introducing more affordable options.
On The UC Davis campus we are doing many things to help reduce the burden of textbook prices on students. We are building faculty support for open textbooks by having professors sign a statement of intent and we are working closely with the bookstore to start a textbook rental program.
However, these things alone will not solve the problem and this bill will be a huge help. It requires publishers to disclose their prices and revision cycles to professors when marketing textbooks, and ensures that publishers stick to those prices for the next semester. The bill also requires publishers to offer all textbook “bundles” as separate books and supplemental items so students can purchase only the materials they need. SB 388 reinforces and strengthens similar Federal legislation by closing potential loopholes and ensuring publisher accountability.
When I came into UC Davis I was an undeclared life sciences major thinking of possibly going into the medical field, and my first quarter at Davis I took Calculus and Chemistry courses that required me to purchase expensive textbooks. I ended up spending over $737 dollars on textbooks alone, and this was my first quarter of college. It was such a shock in fact that I ended up switching my major from life sciences to English and Political science. I’m not saying that the cost of my books decided my major, but I know for a fact that there are students out there that come from low income families or survive on financial aid, who simply cannot afford to buy the textbooks for the classes they want to take. This is a sad reality and the passing of SB 388 will help reduce the burden on students and allow them to take their desired courses.
Thank you Senator Calderon for your leadership on this issue, which is so important to so many students, and thank you all for your time and consideration.