You asked why students who live on campus at Connecticut State University (CSU) and University of Connecticut (UConn) campuses have to participate in the colleges’ meal plans. You also asked why the colleges change textbooks so frequently.

Students living on UConn campuses sign a contract with the university that requires them to participate in a meal plan. According to UConn’s associate director of dining services, this is because the university must bring in enough revenue to cover the costs of providing dining services. The only way of guaranteeing sufficient revenue is to require every student to participate in the meal plan. CSU appears to require students to participate in meal plans for the same reason. But it also requires participation because most of the residence halls do not have kitchens. Requiring participation discourages students from bringing their own cooking supplies, such as hotplates and burners, which pose a fire risk.

With regard to the textbook issue, textbook publishers put new editions on the market every three to four years, and sometimes more frequently. The older editions are no longer available from the publishers once they publish a new edition, and students must purchase the new edition (Connecticut Student Public Interest Research Group, Ripoff 101: How the Current Practices of the Textbook Industry Drive Up the Costs of College Textbooks).

Additionally, according to the UConn textbook manager, publishers compete to have their books chosen. They often visit the colleges or speak with professors to advertise textbooks. Textbooks may change frequently because publishing companies convince professors that their textbooks are better suited for a specific course. This practice is common at all universities.

In response to the rising cost of textbooks, the Higher Education and Employment Advancement Committee has reported a bill to study the issue. sSB 461 (File 203) establishes a taskforce to study textbook costs at Connecticut’s public universities and the ways in which the state can help minimize the costs of textbooks to students. Specifically, the taskforce must look at ways to (1) provide faculty members with information about textbook costs before they choose textbooks, (2) encourage textbook stores to sell textbooks separately from the publishers’ other products, (3) use on-line or older textbooks, (4) inform students about how to purchase textbooks at lower costs from other sources. The taskforce must submit its report by January 1, 2005.

KS: nf