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Textbook cost increase higher than rate ofU.S. inflation Skyrocketing book prices hit student pocketbooks hard IDatt Williams (U. COLORADO) COLORADO DAILY BOWLDER, COLO. — University of Colorado-Boulder students who feel they are plunging deeper into their bank accounts for school textbooks might be right. A report released Tuesday from the U.S. Government Accountability Office found the price of textbooks increased 6 percent on average each year over the last two decades — twice the rate of U.S. inflation. The report estimates a student at a four-year institution like CU Boulder paid $898 for textbooks during the 2003-2004 academic year. “I’m really happy that the report confirms what we already know at CoPIRG, which is that textbook prices are definitely a significant cost to college students, and that the prices of textbooks have been skyrocketing over the last few years,” said Cory Nabler, the CU Denver campus organizer for the Colorado Public Interest Research Group. CU students flocked to the CU Book Store on Tuesday to get an early jump on buying materials for the fall semester. Students said they don’t need a new report to tell them textbooks are pricey. “It was really expensive, especially coming from high school where you could just borrow books,” said CU freshman Melissa Lehman, as she toted around a bag ofbooks. CU senior Randy Egan said he spent $550 one semester for math and science books. “In a way, being an engineering student is more expensive because they tell you not to sell your books back,” Egan said. “You’re supposed to have them there on your shelf for reference.” College textbook prices nearly tripled from 1986 to 2004, the GAO report concluded. But during the same span, tuition and fees rose even higher — 240 percent, according to the report. The GAO report said textbooks are increasingly bundled with supplemental materials such as workbooks and CD-ROMs, accounting for much of the cost increases. Publishers are also releasing new editions of textbooks more frequently, every three or four years instead of the five-year cycle common a decade ago, according to the GAO. Nabler calls the bundled extras and new editions “gimmicks.” Patricia Schroeder, president and chief executive officer of the Association of American Publishers, said the textbook industry is meeting the “ever evolving needs” of students and faculty by bundling extra materials with textbooks. Schroeder said the association endorses the GAO’s findings, though it contests how much students are really paying for books. “Our key concern with GAO’s report is that they relied on data that do not reflect the true cost of books to students,” Schroeder said I "" in a statement Tuesday. “Two independendy derived estimates — based on actual sales data from the National Association of College Stores (NACS) and the Association of American Publishers — confirmed that the average, full time equivalent student actually spends about $580 per year on textbooks, far less than the $898 figure used repeatedly in GAOs report.” The GAO figure is inaccurate because it combines textbook costs and school supplies, she said. NACS, a trade group of 3,100 w college store members, estimates students spent a combined $6.5 billion on textbooks and course materials in 2003. The College Board estimates an average student spent $843 for books in 2003-2004. A National Retail Federation study estimates students will spend $8.8 billion on textbooks in 2004. Incoming CU-Boulder freshman Jake Margolis said whether he pays $600 a year or $900 a year, it’s too much. Interested in writing for the THiS&AMECOCK ? Come to interest meetings Monday, Aug. 22 at 7:30p.m. in RH 322/326and Wednesday, Aug. 24 at 7:30 in RH315 -1 ' WELCOME BACK a contemporary church m an ancient tradition you are invited to join us! 9a Sundays at the State Museum www.apostlescolumbia.org Start off the new semester with Vera! 1111 Lady Street X X„ v Next to Chick-fil-A Downtown f l imRin 803-765-9010 ^ Mmn iim