Faculty Senate members discussed online materials and the role the Textbook Rental Service plays in the distribution of these materials on Tuesday.

Cheryl Noll, the chairwoman of the School of Business, said the school of business opened the discussion about online class materials when the school of business faculty sent a position paper on the Textbook Rental Service.

“We really are seeing some changes in the industry,” Noll said. “We are looking more and more at online information.”

The school of business faculty sent a memo to the Faculty Senate and the Textbook Rental Service regarding the business model of Textbook Rental Service and its lack of providing online material to

students.

“The current Textbook Rental Fee structure is not flexible and does not support options other than the hard copy text,” the position paper stated.

The memo also stated that a professor’s mandatory two-year commitment to textbooks purchased for their class does not support the need for current up-to-date information.

Noll said she felt a discussion needed to take place about the current business model for Textbook Rental Service and how it could be changed in order to support new and emerging media in place of, or in supplement to, textbooks.

Noll said she felt this transition was necessary due to the shift in the publishing industry.

Noll also said not adding costs to students was important in considering online materials, considering some of the online workbooks are just as expensive as their paper counterparts.

Carol Miller, the director of Textbook Rental Service, said the discussion was generally positive and focused on the logistical, financial and ethical aspects of online-based class materials and the role Textbook Rental Service plays in distributing them.

“I was pleasantly surprised with the number of people in support of Textbook Rental Service,” Miller said.

Miller said she felt the conversation opened the door for more communication between Textbook Rental Service and the university departments and the role that Textbook Service Rental plays in the distribution of information to students.

Miller said Textbook Rental Service receives no money from the university or the government and operates solely on student fees, which is currently $159.20 per student,

which Miller said is roughly the price of one textbook if students were to buy them.

Aseret Gonzalez, a senior sociology major and student representative to Faculty Senate, said Faculty Senate was currently in the discussion stage of online textbooks.

Gonzales also said Faculty Senate may devote a committee in the future.

“It seems they want to increase the discussion and dialogue,” Gonzales said.

Kathryn Richter can be reached at 581-2812 or kjrichter@eiu.edu