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