BOOKS AND BEYOND: 2.6 MILLION STUDENTS CAN CHANGE THE STATUS QUO!

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BOOKS AND BEYOND2.6 MILLION STUDENTS CAN
CHANGE THE STATUS QUO!
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A sustainable solution to the problem of rising
textbook costs must meet the needs of all
stakeholders

• Students must have lower costs while maintaining
  the quality of their learning materials
• Faculty must have access to the most recent
  content, pedagogical tools, and training to
  support their teaching (Student Success)
• University administrators must be able to see
  demonstrable improvement in student and faculty
  performance
• And publishers need sales revenue to support
  their growing investments

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START A TEXTBOOK AFFORDABILITY COMMITTEE

• Start a team of enthusiastic PASSIONATE students
  in your A.S. to begin a campaign of awareness
• Learn about the various bills that have been
  passed on textbook affordability
• WWW.GOVTRACK.US
• Type in the word COLLEGE TEXTBOOKS/BOOKSTORES at
  the top and narrow your search MANY bills have
  been introduced and passed
• Using this newly acquired education you can go to
  the next step

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OTHER VALUABLE RESOURCES TO LEARN ABOUT TEXTBOOK
ISSUES

• http//www.bsa.ca.gov
• California Textbook Audit Report
• http//www.halplotkin.com
• http//www.laccdsuccessnet.com
• Author of the Open Educational Resources (OER)
  campaign in the Foothill/De-Anza District in San
  Francisco
• http//www.studentpirgs.org/index.html
• Research studies
• http//swccd.edu
• Very successful Textbook Rental Program in San
  Diego
• http//www.maketextbooksaffordable.org/newsroom.as
  p?id244596

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YOUR COLLEGE BOOKSTORE

• Establish a good relationship between the
  Associated Students of your college and your
  Bookstore!
• Without this partnership NOTHING will be possible
• Have meet and greet MAKE AN APPOINTMENT. They
  are VERY busy, and you dont want to step on
  their toes and burn your bridges with too much
  aggression.
• Bring only your top student leaders on textbook
  issues to meet your bookstore manager

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INSTRUCTORSDO THEY CARE or DO THEY JUST NOT
KNOW?

• Faculty do not even know the laws (Audit Report)
• They do not understand the processes and
  logistics behind purchasing cost effective books
• Requisitions (book requests) on time
• Teachers complaints
• Starbucks coffee and I-Pods

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STUDENT SUCCESS INITIATIVE VS ACADEMIC FREEDOM

• The Student Success Initiative (SSI)
• This is a state mandate that forces ALL districts
  to view student success as ONE OF THE HIGHEST
  priorities to get basic skills students to move
  on to the workforce or to a 4 year university.
• Basic Skills courses are Math and English college
  competency classes such as
• Basic and Intermediate Algebra
• Basic Grammar
• English as a Second Language etc.

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STUDENT SUCCESS INITIATIVE VS ACADEMIC FREEDOM

• Academic Freedom
• This is also a state mandate that gives
  teachers/instructors the FREEDOM to choose ANY
  book they see fit in teaching their curriculum
• The problem with this is that many instructors
  hide behind this so that they do not have to be
  accountable to purchasing expensive textbooks
• They do not want to be TOLD how to teach their
  classes (via their educational materials)

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STUDENT SUCCESS INITIATIVE VS ACADEMIC FREEDOM

• SOLUTION!!!
• Student Success Committee
• At a recent meeting on my campus, 6 guidelines
  were discussed as to the requirements needed to
  obtain state funding for increasing student
  success in Basic Skills courses
• The 6th one down the list was EDUCATIONAL
  MATERIALS AND EQUIPMENT
• This is the loophole needed to start a Textbook
  Rental Program for Basic Skills courses AT EVERY
  COLLEGE IN CALIFORNIA!
• Do to my persistent questioning, our campus
  started its first ever Textbook Rental Committee
  to begin discussion on creating a program at our
  campus

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CORE ADOPTIONS

• Create surveys
• Poll your student body
• How much they spend a year on books?
• How many times they have dropped a class because
  of the cost of the books?
• How many times they have went through an entire
  semester without a book because of the cost?
• How many buy their books online?
• Poll your Academic Affairs department and
  bookstore for sections that have same textbooks
• Use this information as ammunition to get other
  teachers who are INDIVIDUALISTIC to jump on
  board!
• If other teachers are doing it WHY ARENT YOU!?

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What can we do?USE YOUR CLUBS!

• Go to Club Council meetings to express ideas and
  concerns
• Create contests between them
• Get them excited!
• Make T-Shirts and pass them out to the presidents
  of the clubs (on avg they are _at_ 7/EA)
• Show a video!

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What can we do?NETWORK AROUND CAMPUS

• As student leaders, we dont only just meet once
  a week for our A.S. meetings, but we must
  communicate effectively with staff to get our
  voice out there!
• Go to open faculty meetings
• Join shared governance committees
• IE College Council, Student Success Committee,
  Academic Senate etc.

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ROUNDTABLE DISCUSSION

• IF ANY OF YOU EVER HAVE ANY QUESTIONS OR NEED
  ADVICE ON YOUR OWN CAMPUS. DO NOT HESITATE TO
  REACH ME
• CONTACT INFO
• Christian Marfil-Amatulli
• At-Large Senator, SSCCC
• christian.amatulli_at_gmail.com