From: "Hamaker, Charles" <[log in to unmask]>
Date: Fri, 16 May 2014 04:11:26 +0000

Sandy:  The professors and universities are not "buying" The Students
are being Forced to buy..

Chuck


-------- Original message --------
From: Sandy Thatcher <[log in to unmask]>
Date: Thu, 15 May 2014 00:25:39 -0500

Despite everything you say here, Chuck, my point remains: no one is
"forcing" professors or the universities to buy these products. There
is no "law" that mandates such purchases. If students don't like what
their professors are requiring them to sign up for, they should
protest to the professors, not the publishers or state legislators.
Students have NEVER had a choice about what textbooks they are being
asked to purchase. Yes, as Peggy emphasized, they could normally opt
for used textbooks, or borrow copies from fellow students, in the
print era; but they still had to use the textbooks assigned. The
professors hold the power here, and THEY are not being coerced by
anyone. Why is this simple point so hard to grasp? The best solution
might be for libraries to get more involved in publishing open
textbooks themselves, following the lead of places like SUNY-Geneseo.

Sandy Thatcher