Are You Aware of the Cost of Your University Textbooks?

By: Luma Kudsiova

It is a high school tradition to celebrate the end of each year by throwing books into the nearest garbage can. But that’s not the case with students at the American University in Dubai, where the price of a single book can reach up to AED 1,000 in the AUD bookstore.

            The average student pays AED 37,000 per semester for tuition; annually that adds up to AED 75,000, excluding health insurance, books, housing, food, transportation, and other necessities. Taking this amount of money into consideration, many students try to avoid buying books from the AUD bookstore and rely on other means of receiving the required information, such the Student Government Association bookstore, which sells used books at cheaper prices.

Despite the alternative method of the SGA bookstore, many students believe that both the AUD and the SGA bookstores are in need of improvement.

However, before leaping to student suggestions on how to improve the bookstores, it’s important to understand how they operate.

Sura Athamina, the AUD bookstore manager, states that the prices of books are set depending on many factors such as, “the quantity of how many copies [they are] getting for the semester, the publisher, and the cost of shipping.” She adds that as a bookstore, they are only “distributing the books from many different places,” and states that almost “everything is in the hands of the publisher.”

On the other hand, Nourhan Farrag, a civil engineering student, manages the SGA bookstore. She states that previous business students have developed a formula that determines the prices of the books in the SGA bookstore. The original price of the book and its condition are both taken into consideration. Furthermore, “if the book is in excellent condition, which means that it has no highlights and is almost as good as new, it can be sold for half the original price or a little more,” she adds.

While students do take the pricing factors of the bookstores into consideration, many still believe that the AUD bookstore’s books are overpriced.

Dana Kachlan, a visual communications student, says that, “the university is simply profiting, I don’t think [the books] should be that highly priced because we’re already paying tuition. Sometimes buying only one or two books can reach to a 1,000 dirhams.”

Many students buy books that they barely ever use. Ali Corey Ayoub, a digital production and storytelling student, says that he doesn’t really use books he buys because his professors “mainly use the slides in the lectures.”

As a result of these issues, many AUD students believe that several changes can be made to accommodate their needs. “Since in some classes professors use only a few pages of the book, it’s not worth paying that much money; therefore I believe that the university should make the books available in the library as well,” says Abeer Kharsa, a journalism student.

Ehab Esmail, a digital production and storytelling student, recommends a completely different solution regarding AUD books. “Students should be offered something called ‘Book Credit.’ What I mean by that is that every semester students get a certain amount of credit they can buy their books with,” he says. As a former student of the American University in Sharjah, Esmail states that, “at the start of every semester, [students in AUS can] get a card with 850 Dirhams as a part of the tuition and buy any books [they] need. This way they don’t have to spend so much pocket money on the book.” Esmail thinks that if this system were applied at AUD, “it would really encourage students to buy the books instead of slacking off.”

Many students say that although the SGA bookstore is very helpful, more books should be made available. Maheen Hemani, a visual communication student, says that she’s forced to buy her books at the AUD bookstore since “the SGA bookstore doesn’t usually have the books required for [her] courses.” She urges the SGA bookstore to “accept more books when students want to sell them, especially the Math111 book.”

SGA bookstore timings are also a concern. Business student, Fouad Maalouf says, “The SGA bookstore needs to be more organized and punctual in their timings.” Abir Kharsa agrees with Maalouf and says, “many students are urged to buy their books as soon as possible, if the timings of the SGA bookstore remain they way they are, students would be forced to buy more expensive books since the regular bookstore is always punctual and has extended opening hours.”

Students’ disapproval of the SGA bookstore is not unwarranted. However, it’s important to take note of the fact that the SGA bookstore is run voluntarily by AUD students whereas the AUD bookstore relies on paid, full time employees. Also, the volunteers are not permitted to accept books that are older editions or have new codes each semester, which is why students are not able to sell some of their books. Despite the odds, the SGA bookstore is already showing signs of improvement by working with the IT department to launch a software program that would enable students to keep track of books offered in the bookstore, along with books that the SGA has sold.

While some believe that improvements should be made, Zainab Ezzeddine, an interior design student, states that the bookstores are “good the way they are.” “If people don’t want to buy the books in the AUD bookstore due to the high cost, they always have the option to go to the SGA bookstore which, in my case, has most of the books I need.”

Whatever the case may be, many AUD students believe that there is always room for improvement when it comes to university books. Students, hope to see their needs accommodated in the near future because books will always be an important aspect of education.