Nicole Allen is head of the Student Public Interest Research Groups campaign Make Textbooks Affordable. About 1,500 professors from universities and colleges throughout the country, including the University of Maryland, have signed a petition in support of the campaign.
What is the worst story you’ve heard about how high textbook prices have affected students?
Well, it’s normal for students to put their books on credit cards and go deeper into debt. I’ve heard stories about students paying up to $1,500 a year, students who purchase a book with a pass code and CD on it, then they drop the class, so they’re stuck with a $170 book that really has no resale value. I’ve heard of students actually having to drop classes because they can’t afford the books for the class.
