The Prospector (El Paso, Tex.), Vol. 70, No. 3, Ed. 1 Tuesday, September 11, 1984 Page: 2 of 12
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The Prospector, September 11,1984 • Page 2
College textbook prices rise
By Wendy Dowkings
Staff Writer
Inflation has hit students in astronomical propor-
tions. Textbook prices have increased 1,043 percent
for paperbacks and 407 percent for hard covers over
the past 30 years, according to figures supplied by
Book Industry Study Group Inc.
Prices have gone up 7 percent per year over the
past several years, noted Rey Cadena, University
Bookstore director.
In 1955 the average retail price for a hard cover
book was $3.72. In 1984 it is $17.48. Paperbacks sold
for 95 cents, now they average $9.91, according to
Trends in Textbook Markets 1984.
“The cost of producing books has gone up with in-
flation. Everything from the glue to the paper to the
research involved has gone up," said Kathi Benson,
marketing director at McGraw Hill Publishing Com-
pany.
Cadena said publishers try to lower costs by mak-
ing more paperbacks, but it really does not keep
prices down.
The bookstore tries to keep its textbook prices low
by raising the prices of other items, Cadena said.
The average textbook is marked up 25 percent
from the wholesale price. After shipping costs,
maintenance and salaries, the bookstore makes a
one to two percent profit on of each book.
“We really stay alive by selling the other things in
the store," Cadena said.
Bill Furlong, bookstore assistant manager, said
T-shirts are marked up 33-40 percent to make up for
the low income from the books.
One alternative for combating high book prices is
File-A-Book There students can have their books
sold to other students at low prices.
In the first three days of this semester, it sold a
record $11,500 worth of books, said David Galyon.
Student Association president.
This figure beats the previous record of $8,969
from the first three weeks of Fall 1983, he said.
“We’re really glad to be able to serve the students
so well and let them buy books for less," said Enri-
que Martin, one of the council senators who worked
at File-A-Book.
But many students still think the prices of tex-
tbooks are too high.
* “The professors just changed the books for most
of my classes so I can’t find cheap used-books."
said Salim Alsibani, freshman mechanical engineer-
ing major.
Keith Redetzke, assistant professor of biology,
said his department reviews books every two years
to discover if they need updating.
This constant reviewing is used to keep pace with
rapid advancements made in the field of biology, he
said.
Under this system, a committee of professors
recommends a textbook and everyone is supposed
to use it.
But Eleanore Duke, professor of biology, said she
does not always follow their recommendations.
“In my classes my students can use any edition of
any book they can get," she said, explaining that she
makes assignments by subject and not by chapter.
“They can find the information they need
anywhere, and there are several books that are ex-
cellent," she said.
Some students find it expensive to buy the books
the professors specifically request.
“It’s a shame when books cost more than tuition,"
said Tim Delmont, senior microbiology major.
Delmont is taking 16 hours of sophomore and
junior level courses. “Tuition cost me $230, my
books cost more than $200, and I still have two more
books to buy," he said.
Women’s Studies
offers course
By Beatrice Terrazas
Staff Writer
For the first time since it was established
almost two years ago, the Women’s Studies Pro-
gram is offering an introductory course in
women’s studies.
The University has been slower than most other
schools in establishing any kind of women’s
studies, said Lois Marchino, program director.
Part of the reason is because women’s studies
don’t generate the interest in El Paso that it does
in other places.
“In some ways El Paso has a long way to go. We
don’t even have a women’s bookstore," Marchino
said. “Other places have enough interest in
women’s studies to at least have a bookstore that
deals with women’s issues."
In the past, courses dealing with singular
women’s issues have been offered under the
various departments. However, this is the first
time a course introducing the different issues has
been offered, said Mimi Gladstein, English pro-
fessor and program member.
Another reason the course was not offered until
now is that the program is still without an
operating budget, Marchino said. The program
operates through contributions from outside
sources and the cooperation of the individual
departments on campus.
“We run off our dittos through the English
Department’s budget," Marchino said. “We rely
on their help."
The program should be able to obtain an
operating budget if it continues to attract
students to the courses, she said.
Marchino, who will be teaching the course, said
the class will involve a variety of issues in
feminism, such as women in psychology and
medicine.
“I plan to have lots and lots of guest speakers,"
Marchino said. Included among the speakers will
be professors who teach the various other
women’s studies courses on campus.
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University of Texas at El Paso. The Prospector (El Paso, Tex.), Vol. 70, No. 3, Ed. 1 Tuesday, September 11, 1984, newspaper, September 11, 1984; El Paso, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth1625968/m1/2/?q=%22~1~1%22~1&rotate=270: accessed July 16, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu.; crediting University of Texas at El Paso.