Editor,
ASUNM elections are approaching, and candidates will become more active on campus to seem involved and appealing. I have a suggestion for candidates looking to reach out: Campaign to make textbooks affordable.
The average student pays about $400 a semester on textbooks, which is about one month's rent. Textbook publishers seem to think most students still live on mom and dad's nickel, but this is far from the case, especially at UNM. Textbook publishers charge far too much because they know students will be forced to pay when their classes offer them only one option. In addition, newer, more expensive versions come out every couple of years, which teachers endorse after meetings with the textbook publisher's representatives.
There are many problems with the textbook industry. Essentially, there is a monopoly, and as we learn in economics, a market cannot reach maximum efficiency under such a condition. Steps need to be taken to solve this problem. The UNM student chapter of NMPIRG, for example, has started a campaign to make textbooks affordable. I encourage senatorial hopefuls to become involved in the fight to make textbooks affordable, whether through the NMPIRG campaign or other means. Textbook prices are an issue almost everyone agrees on, and trying to lower them would be a great way to gain the support of the student body.
Victor Murthy
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