On the first day of college the first thing I see on the syllabus is one word shining brightly at me: “Recommended.” I assume, “Sweet. I don’t need to buy the book.” For an international student, this is bliss. Spending $150+ on a textbook sounds so much worse than spending that money for an overpriced Starbucks coffee containing enough chemicals to make me a sound American.
But as I tread around campus, I have been pondering : Why am I being asked to buy a physical book in the first place?
This is not the 1960s, nor is it the 1990s. We carry computers that can store thousands of books and access several databases in seconds, yet somehow, at a top-30 liberal arts school, I am carrying heavy books with me everywhere I go.
To be fair, Franklin & Marshall (F&M) does not necessarily mandate that students purchase a physical copy of every book. Many courses do offer alternatives: library copies and e-books. The caveat is that these alternatives are not presented enough by the college to its students. Most students find this out at a time later than ideal – during finals. A student sees a $150 textbook on a syllabus and quite understandably assumes that they need the physical version to succeed. This assumption is only reinforced by the bookstore’s spam emails imploring students to spend money.
If the school does not adequately inform students about the library’s resources, how can the average student know the library possesses a copy of the required book?
This lack of information affects freshmen especially. Orientation spends a huge chunk of time reiterating the same jargon about what resources exist, what campus tours we can join, what rules we need to remember and the bazillion ways to ‘succeed.’ Yet one of the most relevant lessons—how do I access the course materials (for which I already paid tens of thousands of dollars) without unnecessarily spending hundreds of dollars—doesn’t receive the same amount of attention.
I am not asking to eliminate physical books. Some students learn better from paper; some professors prefer everyone having the same edition of the books. I understand that. The problem is making physical books the default without clearly communicating the sustainable and cheaper alternatives
The main reason this issue matters at F&M is its implications for sustainability.
The college itself states that it seeks to “minimize our use of natural resources” and “reduce our environmental footprint,” going on to describe sustainability as “integral to how we teach, learn, work and play.” The Centre for Sustainable Environment identifies “education, action and example” as its core aims.
Clearly, the school takes waste buildup more seriously in other contexts of campus life. They highlight efforts to reduce food waste and lessen plastic bottle and paper towel use. Yet somehow, this conversation about sustainability seems to cease at the classroom door.
So, I ask the reader:
Is all of this sustainability jargon simply for show?
I am not asking F&M for very much. Make library copies visible on syllabi; professors should distinguish between what the students need and what is merely a supplementary recommendation. The bookstore website should not annoy students with emails that drive them mad until they purchase physical books.
Lastly, a question: if F&M genuinely believes sustainability should be “integral to how we teach, learn, work and play,” how does a carrot-and-stick policy urging students to buy physical books support our sustainability goals?
Freshman Zaccrya Habib is a Contributing Writer. His email is zhabib@fandm.edu.