Bobcat Buzz

Hill. When professors require these new versions, it eliminates the possibility of reselling old books or buying them from previous students, per U.S. News & World Report.

Textbook companies definitely have the upper hand, but university administrations are the ones at fault. Even though purchasing textbooks is a method of furthering education, colleges use convenience as an advantage and upsell the already costly materials at the school bookstore in order to make a profit off their students.

I understand that education is too valuable to put a price tag on. But at what point does the cost become unfair and unethical profit? I believe if universities really cared about their students, textbooks would be more accessible to all, financially struggling or not.

Even with the prices of textbooks currently, some students will stop at nothing to acquire reading materials deemed necessary by their professors, even if it’s illegal. Some websites make it simple for students to obtain their textbooks for free. The only cost they pay is piracy.

Approximately 22% of students in 2019 downloaded educational texts from a free website, including pirated versions, according to EdSurge. This statistic is more comforting than the whopping 65% of students who opted to not purchase a textbook because of the price and the 94% of students who were nervous that their decision to forgo that purchase would negatively impact their grade, according to a U.S.

PIRG Education Fund survey. If students work hard enough to be accepted into a university only to have their education suffer because they cannot afford a textbook, what does that say about the education system?

The average college tuition in America is around $103,000 for four years when you’re an in-state student and approximately $180,000 for the same duration when you’re an out-of-state student. Private institutions like Quinnipiac might even cost more, per Education Data Initiative. The average $1,500 per academic year may seem like a small price to pay for a high quality education and college experience, but if it is so little, why not have the university cover it?

I do understand that in some cases students may receive scholarships for their textbooks. Quinnipiac considers textbooks an indirect cost when determining financial aid and scholarships for incoming freshmen, so depending on aid-determining factors like household income and expected family contribution, textbooks may be no cost at all for certain attendees, per Quinnipiac University’s Guide to Undergraduate Financial Aid. While I always support giving aid to students who need it, I think textbooks are a cost that the university should adopt for all students, regardless of their financial aid package.

I am extremely grateful for my education and all the opportunities that come with attending college. However, I disagree that the expense for required educational materials should fall on the shoulders of students who already took out loans to sit in a classroom.

If textbooks are such a valuable asset to education, then universities should be happy to supply students with the resources they need to be successful.

The new Recreation and Wellness Center was worth the wait

By MICHAEL LAROCCA Opinion Editor

As someone who makes an honest attempt to work on my physical health throughout the year, coming to Quinnipiac University in the fall of 2021 made things pretty tough. I learned quickly that the Recreation and Wellness Center offered to students wasn’t going to make things easy for me.

For the first three semesters of my Qunnipiac experience, I was forced to deal with a small, crowded gym. There was little equipment to go around, and poor air circulation forced the gym-going public to endure the perpetual stink emanating from every surface. I got to a point where I could only force myself to go to the gym once per week.

The one thing that kept me go - ing was knowing that a brand-new RecWell Center was coming at the beginning of the fall 2022 semester. However, the university announced that it would take several more months for the facility to be fully ready. As a result, many students, as well as myself, began to think this would be another half-fulfilled promise from administration.

The new RecWell Center began gradually opening in August, with a large portion of the facility opening in November. As I explored it more, I’ve been slowly convinced that this is the best improvement done to the Mount Carmel campus since I became a student. It was worth the wait.

All of my complaints regarding the old gym were resolved. The gym layout is now much more spread out, allowing for more equipment and more students to use the facility without it feeling crowded. The quality of the equipment also finally feels up to par with what a university like Quinnipiac should provide. The building’s new size also eliminates all of the previously present funky smells.

Above all else, the RecWell Center is a place that makes me excited to workout again. The one time a week I went to the old building has now been bumped up to three times at the new one. I haven’t tried the new smoothie bar or participated in fitness classes yet, but I have heard nothing but good things from those who did.

This is an exciting time to be active at Quinnipiac and I can only hope that future initiatives are completed with the same love and care as the RecWell.