For students at Syracuse University, the beginning of the semester is often a time of excitement. This semester, it meant reuniting with friends after a summer away, coupled with the return to a more normal way of life on campus. But there is one tradition that comes with this time of year that is not met with joy and excitement: navigating the frustrating world that is college textbooks. To buy? To rent? To do neither and scour the internet for free versions?

As a junior at SU, nearly every professor I have had has deemed the purchasing of that course’s textbook to be essential. Oftentimes, it is, with frequent quizzes, assignments and class discussions directly related to the textbook. Not uncommon, however, is the sparse use of the assigned text, rendering triple-digit purchases of textbooks unnecessary.

Many would argue to just play it safe — purchase the textbook for every class you are registered in, and move on. But this is a financial burden many students are unable and unwilling to stomach, unless it is absolutely necessary. Even for students who are not in a financial bind, nobody wants to spend hundreds of dollars on something they aren’t going to get the value out of.

For the 2021-22 school year, SU classifies books and supplies as a “non billable cost,” estimating that any given student should expect to pay $1,582 a year ($791 a semester) on books and supplies. With a nearly $80,000-sticker price to attend this institution, one would think that something as seemingly essential as textbooks could be included in the tuition. But alas, they are not. It would be unfair to frame this as an SU problem, however. Most colleges and universities in this country do not include textbooks as a billable expense.

In talking with peers and friends on campus, many students seem to fall into two camps: those who immediately buy every textbook, and those who opt for a more “wait and see” approach. The latter group has grown in size from freshman to junior year. Another trend I noticed while talking to other students on campus was that professors assigned books they had published, requiring students to purchase their book.

I have never had this experience on campus, but it did not seem to be an uncommon scenario for many of my peers. SU is home to an abundance of brilliant faculty and professors. The research done by these members of our community should be celebrated, and they should be able to profit off of their work — if there is natural demand.

While I have had professors assign classes to read their research, they have always provided their research for free. It seems antithetical to the idea of a nonprofit research institution for professors to mandate that students buy their published works. It leaves students with no choice but to purchase the text and fatten the pockets of someone who is supposed to be educating them. This is yet another example of the whole approach to college textbooks being completely out of sorts. 

SU should think boldly, and become one of the first universities in the nation to include textbooks as a billable cost. Not only would this simplify a tedious part of the college experience, but it would lead to a more equitable campus environment and improved learning outcomes. If every student had a print version of every text they were assigned, the classroom experience would be far improved. I urge the university to take this simple, yet innovative step, in improving its academic environment. 

Lucas Kaplan is a junior political science major. His column appears biweekly. He can be reached at lkaplan@syr.edu. 

Published on September 7, 2021 at 11:01 pm