An organization called Student PIRGs (public interest research group) claims in their Faculty Statement of Support that the cost of course materials has increased 88% over the past decade — three times the rate of inflation. The group is part of Open Textbook Alliance, a nationwide project of the Student PIRGs “uniting student leaders who are working to bring open textbooks to college campuses and protect students in the textbook market.” Their website says their focus is to “fix the broken textbook marketplace.” Open Textbook Alliance’s research found nearly 65% of students have skipped buying a book at some point because of cost and 10% of students have skipped meals because of course expenses.
https://universe.byu.edu/2022/02/14/student-groups-take-action-against-overpriced-textbooks/
