SGA Helping Students Afford Textbooks

Olivia Stevens, staff writer

Textbook prices are extremely high. Students can spend over $400 just on books alone. Why do students have to pay these outrageous prices for textbooks? Some students do not know of the different websites with less expensive books.

There are students who can only use the bookstore because financial aid will cover the cost of textbooks.

The Student Government Association (SGA) wants to help students who struggle with buying textbooks semester after semester. The SGA is attempting to create a program which allows students to rent a single textbook per semester for free.

Even just one textbook per semester can make a large difference in the way students can save money considering they can cost around $100 to rent or $150 to buy. The price of one credit hour can be the same as the cost of a textbook, around $150. Having to pay for both is asking too much from students who have to support themselves.

If approved, the program will be called The Textbook Resource Program. Right now the program is in review, which means that the deans at PVCC are making sure that the program itself does not violate any contracts and if it is a good program to go through with.

Before it went for review, the program was already approved by SGA and was set to start collecting donations from students and faculty in the spring and summer semester of 2017.

PVCC student Cambria Kowalzik, the newly appointed SGA Director of The Textbook Resource Program, said, “It’s amazing that we have the opportunity to do a project like this. The Textbook Resource Program is a charity operation, run by PVCC students, for PVCC students. It says a lot about the empathy and kindness of the people here at Piedmont  that, within only a few weeks of announcing it, we have already received several donations. I believe that if we can implement this program, it will benefit many students who, even with financial aid, may have trouble affording textbooks.”