The ASUO senate unanimously passed a resolution supporting efforts to increase transparency around textbook affordability Wednesday evening. Senator Ella Meloy proposed the resolution after State Secretary Aaron Lewis asked her to do so as part of ASUO’s support for Oregon Student Association textbook affordability efforts.

The resolution calls upon UO faculty to reduce additional course fees where possible, and to make information about any added costs accessible to students during registration. It also asks the UO Textbook Affordability Task Force to incorporate fee transparency in its strategic plan for the university.

OSA is bringing a bill — Oregon HB 2919 — to the Oregon legislature that asks public universities and community colleges to display the cost of course materials to students as they are registering for classes. The resolution asks ASUO senators to write testimony in support of the bill.

“There is a really strong coalition building around this legislation,” said Senator Nick Keough, who is also on the University of Oregon’s Textbook Affordability Task Force, at the meeting. Both Keough and Senator Nathan Waldman hinted during the senate meeting the UO faculty Senate may bring a similar resolution to the floor in the coming weeks.

“The resolution emphasizes that these hidden costs create even more barriers for students,” said Meloy. She said ASUO sees the lack of clarity around textbook prices as an issue of equity, since students with greater financial need are less able to shuffle money around for an unanticipated textbook cost.

Furthermore, the document points to exponentially increasing tuition fees and growing financial insecurity in light of the COVID-19 pandemic. 

The resolution garnered support from OSA, the ASUO executive branch, the ASUO senate student outreach committee, the UO Senate President, UO Libraries and OER Librarian Rayne Vieger, among others.