Students will be automatically enrolled in the Day One Textbook Access program beginning next Fall for instant access to all their required textbooks. The price for full time students will be $250 per semester and $165 per semester for part-time students.
According to Neil Hultgren, an English professor and vice chair of the Academic Senate, only the Executive Committee was informed about the Day One Textbook Access program on Aug. 22 of this year. This worries Hultgren because he fears that faculty are probably not even aware of the program yet, despite the fact they need to place orders for fall semester textbooks in the spring.
Some professors have a shared concern regarding the program being presented nine months before it becomes a reality and not being given the opportunity to join the conversation in its initial stages.
Miles Nevin, Vice President and Executive Director of Student Auxiliary Enterprises said that they have asked the executive committee for an opportunity to present the program to the full senate but do not have a date scheduled yet. Student Auxiliary Enterprises is a university division that includes all Beach Shops and Associated Student departments.
Reducing the university’s carbon footprint is a goal that has been presented on the D1TA website. However, History Professor Caitlin Murdock does not believe that is probable unless no more trucks deliver books to the library.
She said that most of the books she assigns, her students can get by mail and she even makes some readings available through Canvas already.
“So that wouldn’t be that different, but yeah I think that is brainwashing,” Murdock said.
The professors argue the D1TA program is not, in fact equitable. This opinion stems from a lack of transparency regarding pricing decisions.
“In courses where faculty have tried to keep costs down may actually end up spending more and subsidizing the more expensive majors, I’m not sure that’s fair,” Murdock said.
According to English Professor Norbert Schürer, professors were not offered any data to back up the equity the program advertises, despite him asking them to break down how much each major spends on books per semester on average.
“We know on average, for example, that in courses that require textbooks the student is on average paying $125 per course for the print book and about $90 per course for a digital book,” Nevin said. “So, if you just think about those numbers a student taking two courses is going to save money in this new program of which a very large majority of our students are taking at least that many courses.”
Murdock said that some of the books she assigns, her students can order online for $3 in used condition. So, it is important to note that despite the data that was compiled by Beach Shops, students’ experiences vary throughout the university.
“It is still true that there are going to be some situations where this program might cost more money than what a student is paying now and for those reasons we just encourage students to opt out of the program,” Nevin said.
A major concern for professors is how enforcing online textbook learning will affect student education. Professors are worried about the negative impact the program will have on classroom interaction and accessibility regarding electronics, internet and books available.
“If you’re on a device you’re distracted much more easily, the way your brain interacts with a screen is different from the way your brain interacts with a piece of paper,” Schürer said.
Students may also be missing out on interesting readings that would enhance their education. Murdock said she has found interesting reading materials through smaller publication houses, however the D1TA program will ultimately only make books from big publication houses available.
“In no way are we telling faculty what textbooks to select, we’re simply enrolling all students in a program that’s digital first,” Nevin said.
However, the professors said they feel the program is being forced on them because if a book is available through the program they were asked to use the digital format. Professors can still assign other readings, however Murdock said it is expected that many students will not want to spend more money than they already would pay for the D1TA program.
“It kind of predetermines what kind of teaching can happen in the classroom,” Murdock said.
The professors believe the assumption that every student has access to good electronic devices is inherently inequitable. With university power and internet outages, classes being at the hands of the undependable connections is another problem when using solely digital books.
Hultgren, Murdock and Schürer seemed to agree on not letting the D1TA program dramatically change the way they teach their classes and rather help students through this unanticipated transition.
“I’m of course willing if students need accommodations and they need another form of the text, I’m more than happy to work with relevant offices to get the students that text,” Hultgren said. “But I think I am going to try to teach print books in the future because it’s a crucial part of my discipline.”
When deciding to opt out of the D1TA program, it is important to understand that you cannot opt out of a single book, you would be opting out of the entire program. However, the bookstore will continue to serve students who do not want to participate in the program.
In a time when many costs are increasing including tuition hikes, gas prices and student fees, the D1TA program is an attempt to control textbook costs. However, some professors feel that the pricing is not fair for all majors, providing a good education is their priority and they do not think the program will ensure that.