UNIVERSITY TO STAY WITH TEXTBOOK RENTAL WITH SOME MODIFICATIONS

The book is apparently closed on the Southeast Missouri State University textbook policy issue.

The university's Administrative Council decided Tuesday to keep the textbook rental system, but with some modifications including eliminating the institution's textbook committee.

The council is comprised of the university's top administrators, including deans, and representatives of the student body and employee groups.

Current plans call for implementing the revised textbook policy in time for the selection of fall semester textbooks this spring.

"Essentially what happened is that the textbook service will remain in business, with the current rules for book purchases in effect," said Art Wallhausen, assistant to the president at Southeast.

Under those rules, faculty adopt a text for two years, are limited to one book per course and all faculty teaching that course must use the same text.

But under the revised policy, exceptions to the textbook purchase guidelines will now be decided at the department level, rather than by a campuswide committee.

Faculty leaders had argued that allowing exceptions on the department level would allow faculty more flexibility in the selection of textbooks.

Student leaders had been concerned that giving university departments the power to grant exceptions to the textbook rules would result in faculty members changing textbooks more frequently.

They said that, in turn, could lead to increased costs for operating textbook services, which would end up being passed on to students in the form of higher fees.

But Wallhausen said the new textbook process "will be monitored so that the textbook rental system itself does not get into financial difficulty" with too many exceptions being granted.

He said the manager of textbook services and department chairpersons will work out operational guidelines and a report will be made each semester as to the textbook exemptions granted.

Wallhausen said the issue would come back before the Administrative Council for review if it's found that departments are granting an excessive number of textbook exceptions.

"What has been worked out is that we assume the new system is going to work within the budget that textbook services has to operate with, and if it appears that the requests exceed the budget, we will review it," said Wallhausen.

"The real agreement is that everyone around the table agreed that we will maintain the textbook rental system. We will keep it financially viable," he said.

"I think the student concern was that by not having a review process, you would run a risk of essentially bankrupting it and forcing its discontinuance."

But Wallhausen said, "We are pledged to maintain it in a financially healthy condition so that students will be able to take advantage of that service."

K.C. Martin, Student Government president and a member of the Administrative Council, said there was general agreement among council members to proceed with the revised textbook policy. He said, however, that he has asked the Administrative Council to review the situation in October or November.

The new textbook policy will allow students wishing to purchase textbooks to apply the rental fee for a textbook toward the purchase price.

Any student desiring to purchase a textbook at the beginning of a semester would be provided with a new copy of the text, if available. If there is a delay in receiving a new copy of the text, the student will be provided a rental copy during the interim, with the entire rental fee being applied to the purchase price.

Under the policy, students would be able to purchase textbooks at prices no more than 10 percent over the direct cost of those books.

The Administrative Council action essentially follows the recommendations made by a Faculty Senate task force. The task force had looked at whether to retain the rental system or require students to purchase books.