NEWPORT NEWS, Va. — With students paying thousands of dollars every semester for university, the cost of buying a textbook for every class can be a challenging extra expense. However, thanks to a new initiative from Christopher Newport University, students will be able to sign up for classes that don’t require a $200 textbook.
Starting last December, when students sign up, each class will have a new label on it, signaling if the class is no cost, or low cost. The threshold for the low cost label is any class where a textbook costs below $50.
"It is a statewide initiative, but not a mandate at the individual class level. Universities across the Commonwealth are sensitive to cost, and so I would imagine this kind of initiative will find its way to most other state universities," said Quentin Kidd, provost at Christopher Newport University.
Some professors at the college, like Assistant Professor of Human Geography, Dr. Federica Bono, has already been running her classes at no cost. She says she's always thinking about equality, even with her students, and will not change the way she conducts her teachings.
“I’m being approached by textbook companies all the time to purchase books. I always say that I’m not interested in changing my syllabus at this moment," she said.
Economy professor Dr. Rik Chakraborti, is also a part of the low cost/no cost initiative. He hopes that if more colleges adopt the practice, then it will affect the price that textbook companies charge in the long run.
“If we, the professor, adopt these, I think that’s the only way to put competitive pressure on the big players on the textbook market, and once we start doing that, then these companies have to respond,” he told News 3.
In a world where college tuition is constantly increasing, if a university can help with money problems in any way, the more inclusive that university becomes.
“I don’t want to keep someone out of my classes, not being able to do this work, just because their financial aid hasn’t kicked in,” Chakraborti said.
Provost Quentin Kidd says this is not a mandate yet. This is still a very new initiative, and CNU will make adjustments if needed.
"The faculty teaching the subject knows better than anyone what resources are needed in order to provide students with the best learning experience, and so we trust our faculty to make that call."
