With a new school year starting, one purchase is inevitable for almost all SUU students: expensive textbooks

Each year, students are required to purchase textbooks for their classes that professors have adopted for their course. 

The Washington Post reported last year that the average student in the US throws down $700 to $1,100 annually on required textbooks. 

The University Jounral Editorial Board thinks that students are required to spend too much money on books that are not always necessary for their education.

The SUU Bookstore remains one of the most expensive, yet convenient places to purchase textbooks.

Many students are able to save hundreds of dollars by purchasing books via Web sites like Amazon.com or eBay.

Textbook trading sites have also become popular for students to switch texts with each other. 

However, we think that these methods of obtaining discounted texts do not eliminate the source of the problem of how textbooks are selected and used.

There are many classes, especially in the social sciences, where we feel textbooks are not as useful for classroom instruction. 

We do not discount the importance of books as a valuable tool for learning.

That said, we feel that in a time of overall down turning literacy, more general trade books and practically applicable literature that students might actually want to keep and reread should be used. 

Many textbooks are written by committee, with multiple contributors and authors, effectively making these texts the Wikipedia of print.

No one would use Wikipedia if it cost $200 every semester. 

Nor should students be required to purchase these texts that provide little help to their overall education. 

Many texts are frequently updated in new editions with minor changes, necessitating purchasing a brand new book, but with little advantage of doing so.

Some, but not all professors select their books based on incentives and free copies they receive from publishers. 

We feel this is not a wise method of book adoption.

Textbooks, when used, should be selected based on the best information and the best practical application for its reader. 

In this age of rapidly advancing technology, electronic textbooks have also emerged as a new medium for disseminating knowledge.

These versions are available for Web-based viewing, computer downloading, and some for mobile e-book reading devices.

These platforms make it easier to update for new editions, and new research unfolds.

Electronic textbooks also provide a green option for environmentally conscious students concerned about natural resources.

The electronic method also saves money for the end-user and publisher, but cuts out middle-man retailers, a step most booksellers would rather not see happen.

We strongly encourage professors to take great care in the books that they select for their classes, and advocate for an increased use of electronic textbooks and general trade books.

The Journal does not believe that academics should be thrown to the wayside on the account of prices, but feel that professors should, at the very least, consider the ever-rising cost of textbooks.