Whereas, the price of textbooks has risen, on average, about four times the rate of inflation in the past 20 years; and,

Whereas, the University of California (UC) administration decided to shorten the winter break of UC campuses on quarter systems and leading students to have less time to gain less income during the break; and,

Whereas, it is the duty of the Associated Students of UC Irvine (ASUCI) to address student concerns; and,

Whereas, College Board research indicates that an average college student spends around $1,200 USD on textbooks every year; and,

Whereas, the Congress of the United States of America passed the “Higher Education Opportunity Act” in 2008 designed to institute procedures that are aimed to make college education more affordable for students; and,

Whereas, the California State Legislature passed SB 1052 and SB 1053 to increase the resources and grants available for faculty seeking to create and utilize open source materials; and,

Whereas, it is appropriate to seek and consider low-cost and no-cost options, including open source course materials, as long as there is no decrease in quality; and, 

Whereas, the cost of many course materials is often a major affordability issue for college students; and,

Whereas, open source materials such as textbooks and readers have proven to be viable and affordable alternative options at institutions including, but not limited to, the University of Illinois (UI), the Florida Distance Learning Consortium (FDLC), and Washington state community colleges; and,

Whereas, faculty and students are both concerned about the affordability of textbooks and course materials; and,

Let it be resolved that, ASUCI supports the effort to increase affordability of college experience; and,

Let it be further resolved that, ASUCI encourages the UC Irvine administration to search and consider open source and other low-cost alternatives when selecting course materials and textbooks; and,

Let it be further resolved that, ASUCI supports efforts that include student voices in regards to the cost of their education; and,

Let it be finally resolved that, ASUCI Legislative Council Member Alexander Fung sends copies of this resolution to the University of California President Janet Napolitano, UC Irvine Chancellor Michael Drake, UC Irvine Bookstore (The Hill) Managers, The New University, The Orange County Register, and The Los Angeles Times.

Sources:

1.       http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/01/04/college-textbook-prices-increase_n_2409153.html

2.       http://www.usnews.com/education/best-colleges/articles/2012/02/10/open-textbooks-most-affordable-for-community-college-students

3.       http://www2.ed.gov/policy/highered/leg/hea08/index.html