New grants helping Palomar students afford textbooks
North County Times 2/6/07
Money for the program was provided by the President's Associates philanthropic group, which also gives money for scholarships and a variety of other programs at the school.
Counselors and professors quickly identified 100 deserving students shortly after spring semester began Jan. 16, and all the grants were disbursed within two weeks, according to Kim Hartwell, Palomar's scholarship coordinator.
Hartwell said the grants will be available again in fall 2007, and that the President's Associates will probably increase the amount of money devoted to the program based on positive feedback from students, professors and counselors.
Since Palomar's board of trustees urged school officials to address the rising cost of textbooks last yeaar, the two-year community college has explored textbook rental programs, a textbook reserve library, changing how the campus bookstore operates and many other approaches.
When Palomar's Faculty Senate declared in December that a textbook rental program was not feasible due to costs and concerns about academic freedom, school officials decided to take a multifaceted approach to the problem of textbook costs.
The senate recommended greater promotion of grant programs and federal textbook aid, new efforts to keep copies of textbooks on reserve in the library and a commitment not to order books bundled with other items.
"I think the college is trying to offer as many supportive programs as possible," said Bob Hahn, a member of the President's Associates. "We are able to impact so many more students with this book program than with one large scholarship."
Hahn said expanding the book grant program, which has existed in a much smaller form during previous years, became popular with his group when they began to realize how quickly textbook costs have been rising.
Costs rising sharply
Textbooks for a typical full-time course load cost about $470 per semester, according to a recent analysis by Palomar administrators. National studies show college textbook costs have risen 62 percent since 1994, which is much faster than inflation.
Michelle Eichelberger, president of the student government, said Monday that community college students struggle with book costs more than anything else.
"Books are the single largest expense for students," she said.
Tuition at community colleges was reduced this semester by 23 percent, from $26 to $20 per unit. A unit is essentially an hour spent in class on a weekly basis, so a class that meets three hours per week is a three-unit class.
A student taking a full, 12-unit load now pays $240 per semester, instead of $312. But they spend almost twice as much as that on books.
Eichelberger said that the new grants program is a welcome alternative that is much more convenient than other textbook aid programs.
Federal programs entail more red tape and approvals usually take a few weeks, which can be a problem in fast-paced college classes.
"You usually need your books right when the semester starts, because most professors just start right in with the first week," said Eichelberger.
Hartwell said the President's Associates grant program is extremely simple and efficient.
"This has a one- to two-day turnaround because the students need their books," said Hartwell. "Some students end up not buying books in many classes these days, because the costs have become astronomical."
Counselors and professors were asked to carefully identify a small group of students who had exhausted all other means possible of covering the cost of textbooks, said Hartwell.
"We didn't want professors and counselors saying, 'hey, free money,'" she said. "We wanted to make sure we have the students who are most in need."
Those students simply fill out an application, get an approval from Hartwell and then go to the campus bookstore, where their grant has been entered into the computer system, she said. They do not have to present tax returns or other documentation to qualify.
Hartwell estimated that about half the students given grants are not eligible for other programs because they are not taking a full course load. She said another goal of the program is helping students who fall through the cracks of financial aid for various reasons.
Hartwell said she could not provide the names of students awarded grants this semester because of privacy concerns.
Eichelberger said she is not worried that the new grant program will take any momentum away from other textbook programs now under consideration.
Increasing textbook grants was one of the recommendations made by the Faculty Senate in December when that group declared a textbook rental program infeasible.
Brent Gowen, president of the Faculty Senate, said Monday that professors are pleased that the President's Associates have stepped up their effort to help needy students. Gowen also said he is making progress on plans to create a textbook reserve program that would allow students access to textbooks at Palomar's campus library.
"We think that a greatly expanded reserve program has real potential," said Gowen. "The senate is in the beginning stages of stirring more faculty participation."