Textbook Task Force
Meeting 5-10-06

Members in attendence: Michael Sonnleitner, Rhonda Smythe, Joyce Morrison, Colin Fleming,  Sheila Afran-Manns, Kerr Mahnke, Christine Teh, Scott Quinn (at 4:10).

Members absent:  Ed DeGrauw, Anne Marie Martin, Phil Hess, Diane Mulligan.

Guests Present:  Ava Hegedus, Randy McEwen (3:35-4:10).

Discussion of Agenda begun at 3:10, with only 7 TTF members present (lack of quorum for decision-making. Minutes will be taken by Rhonda & Michael as Ed DeGrauw has notified us of his inability to attend..  Acceptance of minutes from 4-26-06 Meeting is effectively postponed (until our next meeting on 5-24-06).

1)  Discussion of Textbook Order Form:  Joyce noted that the “MBS” form now able be used to place orders online has a feature which automatically informs those who

    placing the order of the PCC Bookstore selling price, unless it is a customized text being used for the first time.  Joyce also noted that providing a link to “Books In  

    Print” would not likely provide this information because “Books In Print” is often not up-to-date.  She suggested that publishers and publishers representatives are

    generally accurate if you are careful to ask about the “retail” price.  In any case, Joyce does not desire to have cost inquiries directed to her because of the impact

    on her workload.  She was uncertain whether or not the automatic feature would be available with regards to our proposed new Textbook Order Form, or whether

    the information on that form would “pull over” to those with whom she makes purchases.   This led to several people engaging in the discussion with Michael

    eventually suggesting that the one-year transitional period suggested in our Recommendation #1 ought to be sufficient time to have computer-savy people iron

    out these issues. He volunteered to modify our proposed Order form accordingly.

2)  PCC General Fund and Bookstore Markup Discussion:   Introductions occurred upon the arrival of Randy McEwen who then provided a lot of information us all.

    Regarding the Bookstore markup:  A search of PCC Board Meeting minutes uncovered no official resolutions setting the markup at 23% or any other figure –

    so this figure would appear to be at the discretion of the Bookstore manager and staff.  Regarding the Bookstore mandated contribution to the General Fund:  This

    is part of the budget approved by the PCC Board, though the Bookstore portion of it is not separated from the total of about $700,000 drawn collectively from

    Parking, Food, Print Center revenues, as well as the Bookstore.  Randy’s estimate is that this year the Bookstore’s portion of the $700,000 was about $350,000 and

    that this was more than enough to cover all costs associated with the Bookstore as well as money set aside in “Building Reserves” for Bookstore needs.  The

    bottom line is that the Bookstore remains a “profit center” for PCC and that the Bookstore markup could be any figure sufficient for it to meet the mandated

    General Fund budgetary obligations.

          Joyce noted how Bookstore textbook sales this year are only about 51% of ordered inventory nationwide, where a 75% sales figure was considered good.

          Randy was interested to hear Rhonda’s observation that it might be better to increase student tuition than to have Bookstore profits fund PCC services beyond

    the Bookstore itself – this providing more transparency as well as helping the Bookstore be more competitive in its prices as compared to other textbook sources.

    Randy noted how, with PCC Board approval, tuition next year at PCC will be $67 per credit hour (third highest in the state behind Lane and Mt. Hood) – compared

    to $57 per credit hour at Clackamas and Chemeketa.  He also pointed out how PCC has seen a 57% increase in tuition over the past 5 years.  This led to comments of

    concern from several Task Force members – which would impact our modifying proposed Recommendation # 4 later in this meeting.

          Randy had to leave to fulfill another obligation, thanking us graciously for our inviting him to this meeting.  He suggested that whatever our recommendation may

    be, that it be either deferred to next year or otherwise scheduled to be phased in gradually so as to minimize any adverse affect.  We thanked him for his time.

3)  Consensus Recommendations:  Shortly after Randy departed, Scott Quinn arrived (late due to teaching obligations) and the Task Force had the quorum necessary to

    make decisions.  We then proceeded to reach consensus on each of the following 10 Recommendations, taking time to consider each individually:

• Institute an improved Textbook Order Form, which makes use of an entirely online submission process including a default mechanism that will not accept the order form unless it is filled out completely.

• Affirm the PCC practice of allowing any student with financial aid from any source to charge purchases at the Bookstore at least two weeks before a new academic term begins.

• Ensure that all financial aid awards administered through the PCC Financial 

    Aid Office are disbursed as early as possible.

 

• Joyce Morrison “stood aside”, abstaining from support of this recommend- ation on the ground of its increasing inefficiencies at the Bookstore – including making it harder to estimate how many textbooks to order.

 

• Evaluate the PCC Bookstore mandated contribution to the PCC General 

    Fund with the intention of reducing the PCC Bookstore markup.

• Encourage PCC as an institution to provide improved support for the PCC

    Bookstore, including more PCC Foundation Book-Buying Scholarships.

• Establish a Copyright Office within PCC to process College-generated

    copyright requests, including materials selected for classroom use that can be  

    made available electronically via WebCT, MyPCC, or other online platforms.

         Permissions and other related expenses could be charged to students in the form of fees.

• Prohibit PCC employees from accepting any financial compensation, gift, or service for personal gain unless it is directly associated with work actually authored by themselves.

• Prohibit PCC employees from accepting any financial compensation, gift, or service for professional gain from publishers unless such acceptance
• a) is entirely unrelated to the placing of an order for student purchase and b) is accepted only after prior consultation with one’s Division Dean regarding possible impropriety.

              Discussion of this item included an expressed desire to have a written record of consultation with one’s Dean as well as having some kind of “cooling off”

         period associated with “entirely unrelated”.

            *  Scott Quinn “stood aside”, abstaining from support of this recommendation

            on the ground that accepting of complimentary textbooks by faculty might run

            afoul of this comprehensive-sounding prohibition.

• Ban all solicitations of sales by book buyers to faculty at any site owned,

    leased, or otherwise used by Portland community College.

•  While communicating with State and Federal Policymakers, student, faculty, and other representatives of Portland Community College should seek to:

a)  protect and improve funding for student educational needs, noting the

    increased costs of textbooks as one of many factors contributing to increased  

    need.

 

• provide a tax credit for textbook and other student costs directly related to

educational expenses.

• prevent publishers from restricting markets, thus allowing bookstores and 

    others to purchase textbooks from outside the United States.

• create a capital fund which public universities and community colleges

use to set up textbook rental systems.

 

• place limits upon royalties charged for use of written materials.

        f)   prohibit employees at public institutions from accepting financial incentives to adopt one textbook rather than another.

• require both publishers and public university and community college 

bookstores to make all bundled items available for purchase separately as individual items.

 

It should be noted that all of the recommendations agreed to above were issues that had been subject to discussion both at previous Textbook Task Force Meetings as well as occasionally extensive email and other communications among Task Force members out-side of official meeting settings.  Consensus was also arrived at with the understanding that, following discussion feedback from the May 17th EAC Meeting, the Task Force could modify the precise wording of any recommendation (together with commentary related to it) to be more appropriate for a Final Draft of recommendations to be proposed to the EAC for adoption at its meeting scheduled for June 14, 2006.

Meeting adjourned at 5:20pm. 

Next Meeting: Wed., May 24th, 3-5pm in the SY Bookstore Conference Room,  

with an additional meeting on June 7th, if necessary.