Undergraduate Assembly members are trying to combat thinning wallets, one proposal at a time.
These proposals include everything from resources for cheaper textbooks to a guide to a more-affordable Philadelphia.
UA Secretary and Wharton sophomore Faye Cheng is starting with textbooks.
Last semester, Cheng created a survey to gauge students’ feelings about textbook prices.
Of those who responded and bought books from a bookstore, whether the Penn Book Center, the Penn Bookstore or others, 72.4 percent said textbook prices were too high.
The survey also asked if students chose not to purchase any textbooks or other materials required for class that students did not purchase. Of the 47.6 percent of respondents who said yes, most cited high prices.
The resulting proposal stressed that Penn needs to devise more equal opportunities for academic success.
This semester, Cheng said, the textbook proposal is “beginning to enter the action phase.”
The UA’s executive board and committee directors raised the proposal with University President Amy Gutmann two weeks ago, and Gutmann made suggestions.
There are several possible courses of action, Cheng said. One is to keep more books on reserve at libraries so students can borrow books rather than buy them.
Another solution is urging professors to be more cost-conscious when selecting course books. The difficulty with this, Cheng said, is that the content of books is a top priority and price is not always taken into consideration.
The UA spoke with financial services about a possible textbook stipend for students who have trouble affording course books.
Cheng has also been looking into is an online book-exchange system. Both Dartmouth College and Princeton University have created databases that facilitate book exchanges, linking students selling books to students looking to buy books.
Fellow UA member and Wharton sophomore Faizan Khan has another idea for saving students money: a Philadelphia Resource Guide.
Khan said his project will create a “recession-proof, if not recession-friendly, sort of guide.”
The guide will include a list of student discounts in Philadelphia and a “compilation and review of web sites that every Penn student should know.”
Khan said his goal is for the guide to be as dynamic as possible, with changes and additions being made regularly to better serve students.
“I know I’m going to get a bunch of e-mails saying, ‘You should add this, you should add that,’” Khan said. “Everyone has their bit of knowledge.”
Khan added that the project will have little-to-no marginal cost, depending on whether it will be published in brochure form or not. If the guide comes to fruition, Khan said, it will be available online.
The UA is also renewing other projects that provide cheaper services for students, such as free legal services, the UA airport shuttle and free copies of The New York Times.
