School starts soon. Inflation is everywhere, money is getting tighter and the publisher's are getting greedier and greedier. Have you ever gone to class only to find out there is a strange bundle required for a triple digit price that you can't find anywhere else? What are in those things? Do you need them?
We just looked at a 1,000 student class at the University of Utah where the BIOL 2325 Human Anatomy class requires a "bundle" for $176. The bundle contains two print books and an "access" code. The author of the books are professors at the school and operate a website where you cannot buy the access contained in the bundle, in fact you can't buy it anywhere. The publisher's website doesn't sell it separately, it can't be found anywhere. The books, can't be purchased separately either. The course already bilks students for an expensive textbook/access code from another publisher BUILT into the cost of tuition!
The intent of the law is to reduce the price of textbooks, supplements, and materials needed for PUBLICALLY FUNDED universities like UVU and U of U. (Sorry BYU, you are not liable for this law)
Can anyone see the ethical dilemma here? the authors collaborate with the publisher to offer an expensive bundle for a 1,000 student class taught year round. They profit from all of this while ignoring the law above that was created to help students get a fair shake. We hope everyone will follow this law and clearly break down isbns, prices, and availability through the publisher's website, the campus bookstore, and anyone else involved like web portals. Sell each item separately so the racket can be exposed and students have options. In this case they wanted $141 JUST for an access code. Would you want to pay $141 for something you may NOT actually need because you had no other choice?
Students can cite this law when they see similar violations at a state school. If they are notified of this violation and ignore it, you can sue them. How much is $176 worth for 1,000 students? $176,000 per semester. This is a total racket and goes on in every school. Use this law and fight back against authors who require cryptic bundles for high prices, even worse when THEY wrote the material and THEY are the beneficiaries and they are MANDATING it.
https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/20/1015b
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