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Consider cost when ordering texts, faculty urged
By MARY COCHRANE
Contributing Editor
The Faculty Senate Executive Committee yesterday was advised that UB faculty members should always consider costs to students when selecting textbooks and avoid "bundling"—the practice of ordering texts packaged with other items as a set—if the bundle includes costly and unnecessary study guides and workbooks that won't be used in class.
Staff members from the Follett Higher Education Group, which runs the UB bookstore, told the committee that while some instructors who buy in bundles do use everything included in the set—some Spanish textbook bundles, for example, include handy CDs and headphones—others may be talked into a package that ends up draining precious dollars from students.
"The faculty members choose what they want to use. Sometimes the students get on our case, asking 'Why are you selling us that (expensive) book?' but we don't get to choose the books. We just put them out there for sale," said Bill Adamczyk, text manager.
"The bundling factor—that comes down to a faculty decision. Early on when publishers started doing that, all the publisher reps that I deal with, I asked them to please always present usable stuff to the faculty, not just to make a sale from the publisher's point of view."
With the average retail price of new books now at $73 and used books at $55, the bookstore works to provide as many used copies as possible, according to Greg Neumann, store director.
During fiscal 2006, 21.4 percent of texts sold to students were used, saving students $577,173. The bookstore also paid just over $800,000 to students who sold back textbooks they had used during that time.
"We'd like more buyback because that allows us to maximize more used books," Neumann said.
Adamczyk said that the sooner that faculty "adopt" textbooks for their courses, the sooner the bookstore can begin offering copies to students at lower prices, he said.
"'The earlier the orders, the better' is the message we're trying to send here for your benefit and for the students' benefit," Adamczyk said.
Students may shop at the bookstore or at efollett.com, which Neumann said is the world's largest online college bookstore.
In other business, the FSEC heard that 20 percent of all undergraduate students—about 3,000 students—benefit from services offered by the UB Center for Academic Services (CADS).
Henry J. Durand, senior associate vice provost for undergraduate education, brought his team of directors from CADS to make a presentation on the many programs and services available to current and potential UB students, including:
Academic Challenge and Enrichment (Marita K. Daniels, assistant vice provost, director), an individualized admissions and support program for students who demonstrate strong academic potential, but do not meet UB's standard-score admission criteria.
Educational Opportunity Program (H. William Coles III, assistant vice provost, associate director), which recruits and admits talented students without access to higher education due to educational and financial disadvantages.
Student Support Services (Jennifer L. Morrison, director), a U.S. Department of Education-funded program that assists low-income, first-generation and disabled students to increase their retention and graduation rates.
Daniel Acker Scholars Program (Letitia Thomas-Rogers, assistant vice provost, coordinator), which recruits African-American, Latino/a and Native-American, and extremely low-income majority students, and offers support activities to help maximize their college experience.
Collegiate Science Technology Entry Program (Shanna Crump-Owens, project director), a state Department of Education-funded program of services designed to increase disadvantaged students' entry into targeted areas of the sciences, technology and the licensed professions.
Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation (Christine D. Wingo, program coordinator), a student support program sponsored by the National Science Foundation to increase the number of underrepresented minority students in the areas of science, technology, engineering and mathematics.
Ronald E. McNair Scholars (Cecil O. Walters, vice provost for academic affairs, director), a federally funded program that encourages low-income/first-generation college students to consider careers in college teaching and prepares students for doctoral study programs.
Cora P. Maloney College (Letitia Thomas-Rogers, assistant vice provost), named after the first woman and African-American elected to the Buffalo Common Council in 1957, which provides students academic experiences from a community perspective.
The Public Service Internship Program (Curtis E. Hamm, program coordinator), which encourages UB students to perform community service in exchange for education credits, and which Durand said is the largest internship program at the university.
CADS employs more than 300 persons year-round, including 29 full-time, professional staff members; eight academic-year adjunct faculty members; two graduate teaching faculty members; 113 tutors and supplemental instructors; 86 peer mentors; eight graduate advising assistants; two graduate research assistants; 17 undergraduate student assistants; six community service student assistants; and 37 faculty and staff working each year on the summer program.
With 19 budgets—including state, Research Foundation and UB Foundation—and $5 million in operating funds, CADS monitors $24 million in merit- and need-based financial aid.
Durand noted that CADS graduates can be found throughout Western New York, the state, the nation and the world. In 1995, two CADS graduates who worked for the governor in Albany spoke up and saved the program from drastic budget cuts.
"You'd be surprised how many CADS students are in your midst," he said. "We've had four UB Student Association presidents, and there's currently a UB Council member who went through CADS."