Spring 2024
WHEREAS, Textbook costs highly discourage community college students from starting and completing their degree(s)/certificate(s); textbook costs are a financial barrier to access to education;
WHEREAS, The success/retention rates of in-person classes are higher after the establishment of the San Bernardino Community College District Books+ Program in the terms, Spring 2022 and 2023, in comparison to success/retention rates prior to the program in Spring 2018 and 2019 [1,2];
WHEREAS, Strengthening investment in California community college students will increase college affordability and eliminate student barriers to access and success; this initiative is aligned with the Student Senate for California Community Colleges’ goal of educational equity [3]; and
WHEREAS, In the presence of AB 1111 (Berman, 2021), the Common Course Numbering Task Force has identified the top transferable General Education courses by enrollment from the years 2020-21, 2021-22, and 2022-23 and as of November 2023, the top three General Education courses for community colleges statewide include ENGL 100- College Composition, MATH 110- Introduction to Statistics, and COMM 110- Public Speaking [4]; now, therefore be it
RESOLVED, That the Student Senate for California Community Colleges work to prioritize reduced-cost to zero-cost textbooks for the top transferable General Education courses by forming a committee dedicated to this initiative;
RESOLVED, That Student Senate for California Community Colleges prioritize advocacy, collaboration, and partnerships to sustain resources; and
RESOLVED, That the Student Senate for California Community Colleges form a committee working towards a future where California community college students enrolled in any of the top transferable General Education courses statewide can receive zero-cost textbooks for their class(es), prospectively by Spring 2025.
WHEREAS, The success/retention rates of in-person classes are higher after the establishment of the San Bernardino Community College District Books+ Program in the terms, Spring 2022 and 2023, in comparison to success/retention rates prior to the program in Spring 2018 and 2019 [1,2];
WHEREAS, Strengthening investment in California community college students will increase college affordability and eliminate student barriers to access and success; this initiative is aligned with the Student Senate for California Community Colleges’ goal of educational equity [3]; and
WHEREAS, In the presence of AB 1111 (Berman, 2021), the Common Course Numbering Task Force has identified the top transferable General Education courses by enrollment from the years 2020-21, 2021-22, and 2022-23 and as of November 2023, the top three General Education courses for community colleges statewide include ENGL 100- College Composition, MATH 110- Introduction to Statistics, and COMM 110- Public Speaking [4]; now, therefore be it
RESOLVED, That the Student Senate for California Community Colleges work to prioritize reduced-cost to zero-cost textbooks for the top transferable General Education courses by forming a committee dedicated to this initiative;
RESOLVED, That Student Senate for California Community Colleges prioritize advocacy, collaboration, and partnerships to sustain resources; and
RESOLVED, That the Student Senate for California Community Colleges form a committee working towards a future where California community college students enrolled in any of the top transferable General Education courses statewide can receive zero-cost textbooks for their class(es), prospectively by Spring 2025.
Status:
The SSCCC is working with the Chancellor’s Office and the Academic Senate for California Community Colleges to reduce cost to zero-cost textbooks. More information about accomplishments in this area can be found on this document.