#cas110

1) What was the event?

·      Class presentation

  2) What did you do?

·      Our group had to pitch a new idea in front of eight Kohl’s executives.

  3) How did this break what you normally would have done?

·      All my class presentations I have done for school have just been in front of the class and the professor. Presenting in front of actual store managers and VP of the brand for the Midwest of Kohl’s was a little different than usual.

  4) What were the results of your behavior?

·      Of course I was nervous, but since my part was in the middle of the presentation, it was not that bad to perform. We did really well on the overall delivery, and they definitely liked our idea, but unfortunately we did not place in the top two so that was a little disappointing.

  5) How did it make you feel?

1) What was the event?

·      An interview for an internship

  2) What did you do?

·      I had an interview with a well-known company in Chicago for a summer internship.

  3) How did this break what you normally would have done?

·      I was nervous because of how big the company is, and how well known they are not just in the US, but also overseas. Their office was on the 35th floor of a pretty tall building, and I have never experienced that before.

  4) What were the results of your behavior?

·      They were incredible, or so I thought! The interview was very informal, and we had a good hour and a half long interview regarding the internship, and what tasks I would be doing.

  5) How did it make you feel?

1) What was the event?

·      At a bus stop in East Lansing?

  2) What did you do?

·      I gave money to a homeless veteran that came up to me. He told me his story, and his situation, but I didn’t really buy it, but I gave in any way and gave him a few dollars to help him out.

  3) How did this break what you normally would have done?

·      Not that I am a jerk, or anything but I don’t give money to homeless people that come up to me and ask for money. It’s my money, I worked for it, and usually they end up spending it on booze so it’s not worth it.

  4) What were the results of your behavior?

·      He expressed feelings of thanks and that I was helping him out so much. He gave me a hug and then got on the bus and left.

  5) How did it make you feel?

1) What was the event?

·      Night out in downtown Grand Rapids

  2) What did you do?

·      My group of friends went to a country bar, and we line danced with a bunch of country folk.

  3) How did this break what you normally would have done?

·      I usually don’t dance, especially a country line dance for that matter. I dance, but in the comfort of my own space.

  4) What were the results of your behavior?

·      It was actually a lot of fun, and I enjoyed being part of a group.

  5) How did it make you feel?

1) Why do textbooks cost so much at MSU?

2) From where does MSU buy their textbooks?

3) Do new editions really need to be made every year?

4) What percentage of students take out loans for textbooks explicitly.

5) Does the fact that Professors don’t incur any financial loss for requiring textbooks to students inhibit them from teaching to their best ability?

6) Could the University set up an online textbook library where you would pay a monthly fee to access all the books online?

7) Is e-books a beneficial alternative for students?

8) Should there be a deadline in the summer for faculty to select the books required for class so that students can shop around online finding the best deals on them?

9) Have their been any efforts by universities to try and make textbooks more affordable for students?

10) Could books for freshman and sophomores be made available online since the first two years are typically general education courses?

11) Other than the state of California, are there any states trying to push for a bill that will create an open-source e-book library?

12) What is the total amount of revenue that universities make per year from textbooks?

13) Can the university help faculty with becoming cost-conscious through book adoption strategies?

14) Why do students get paid less than 20% of the book value at the end of each semester?

15) Could MSU partner with an online book rental site to help reduce costs for students?

16) Can there be a longer time period for students to return rental books?

17) Can we implement scholarships directly for covering textbook costs for students?

18) Can the university let students know more directly that all textbooks are made available at the library for a limited checkout time?

19) Do professors just choose the books they are most familiar with?

20) How long does it take to make a full-colored textbook?

21) Is there a difference in grades for students who use a physical copy, or electronic copy of the same textbook?

22) Could universities afford to supply students with Kindles, or IPads?

23) Are textbooks actually helpful, or are professors not teaching to the best of their abilities?

24) What percentage of college kids skimp out on textbooks because they cannot afford them?

25) Would making textbooks sales tax-free save students a good amount of money in the long run?

26) Wouldn’t it make sense for colleges to adopt electronic books for students since they grew up with so much technology in the first place?

27) Why hasn’t the government done anything regarding textbook publishers becoming monopolized? 

28) Have the bundling of books and online discs shown to increase student’s ability to learn the material, or is it a farce?

29) Should publishers give the college faculty a list price of the textbooks for which they require for their class?

Rising costs of tuition over the years have been frustrating for many parents and college students taking out loans, but there is another rising cost that is causing students to take out even more money every year; the problem, textbooks. According to a chart done by the Bureau of Labor Statistics that examines the rising costs of four different categories since 1978: college textbooks, medical services, new home prices and the consumer price index. College textbook costs blow the other three categories out of the water with an 812 percent increase since 1978, medical services is the next highest with a 575 percent increase. Academic Publishers will tell you that creating modern textbooks is an expensive, labor-intensive process that demands charging high prices, but that is certainly not the case (Weissmann, 2013). Just like doctors prescribe prescription drugs they’ll never pay for, college professors often assign titles with little consideration of cost. Another reason why textbooks have continued to soar is the cash incentives universities receive if students spend more and more on materials. Also, publishers are more apt to bundle textbooks with online software packages to increase costs.

The National Association of College Stores (NACS) says the average college student in a four-year college will spend around $655 on textbooks each year, but with some books costing as much as $300, that total can easily be higher (Kingkade, 2013). Roughly one-fifth of a textbook’s price goes to the store where it is sold to cover personnel and operating costs, while more than three-quarters goes straight to the publisher, according to a recent article from U.S. News & World Report. New editions are released on average every 3.9 years, but a 2008 report from the California state auditor found many college deans, department chairs and faculty members admitted the revisions to textbooks are often minimal and not always needed. From personal experience, I have held off with buying textbooks for classes after the first exam to see how well I could do from just the professor’s lecture and own knowledge. I feel that many professors slack in their teachings because they do not take on any cost from suggesting their textbook lists. Some professors have their own textbooks that are so bad, and unhelpful, yet they require them for class because they can make a lot of money off the students.

            Probably the most apparent reason why college textbooks are costing so much is because of the snaky professor who gets to choose which textbook(s) he/she wants to require for class. If they incurred any financial responsibility for the materials they suggested, then textbooks would be lowered very quickly. Of course some instructors are very diligent about watching prices, and some institutions have made it a goal to lower textbook costs. But the average instructor, in the battle between moral imperatives and economic incentives, they usually follow the money (Esposito, 2012). The problem of high costing textbooks will continue to be a problem for college students and it does not seem that a solution is in the near future, but that is why we hope. Hope for a better tomorrow.    

          Koch, V. James. July 9, 2010. The Real Cost of College Textbooks. Room For Debate. Retrieved March 18, 2013 from

http://www.nytimes.com/roomfordebate/2010/7/25/the-real-cost-of-college-textbooks/how-colleges-profit-from-high-textbook-prices

  Kingkade, Tyler. January 1, 2013. College Textbook Prices Increase. Huffington Post. Retrieved March 18, 2013 from