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Portland, OR-- Congressman David Wu (D-OR) and the Oregon Student Public Interest Research Group (OStudentPIRG) released a new report today at Portland State University (PSU) detailing price gouging by the college textbook industry. Congressman Wu, who serves on the U.S. House Education Committee, is the sponsor of legislation to investigate the college textbook industry’s pricing practices.
"Price gouging in any form is unacceptable, but it is particularly outrageous when it cheats students," said Congressman David Wu. "I want to thank OSPIRG for educating the public about the high price of college textbooks and I look forward to continuing the fight on behalf our students to make college more affordable for Oregon families."
The report released today, “Ripoff 101: How the Current Practices of the Textbook Industry Drive Up the Cost of College Textbooks,” demonstrates that college textbooks and expensive and prices are continuing to rise. According to the report, college students now spend an average of $898 per year on textbooks, at an average price of $102.44 each.
The report reveals that textbook publishers often add extra materials, such as CD-ROMs and workbooks to raise textbook prices, but that 65 percent of college professors “rarely” or “never” use the extra material. The report also reveals that frequent new textbook editions, often with very few content changes, lead to higher book prices.
Also, recent news reports have also revealed that American students often pay much more than overseas students for identical textbooks published in the United States, providing further evidence of textbook price manipulation.
Congressman Wu is the sponsor of legislation (H.R. 3567) to investigate the textbook industry’s pricing practices. Wu’s bill directs the General Accounting Office (GAO), the investigative arm of Congress, to determine why there is such a discrepancy between what American college students and overseas student pay for identical textbooks. The bill also directs the GAO to investigate the practice of frequently issuing new editions and the reason college bookstores in the U.S. are barred from buying cheaper alternatives that are available overseas, such as soft cover textbooks.
Congressman Wu and OStudentPIRG were joined today at the PSU bookstore by PSU Bookstore manager Ken Brown, and PSU students and faculty.
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