During the spring break, a number of students used social media to report issues with their balances that were affected by the latest book adjustments. Contrary to last Fall, adjustments were not delayed during the current semester. However, many were surprised by the amounts that were charged for their books. This issue in itself is not new and was problematic for a while at AUI, but changes to the books policy that occurred in Fall 2019 should have prevented such issues.
Issues with transparency, pricing, and most importantly, usage
Before prices, one important aspect of any business transaction is to have proof of payment and/or details about what has been charged into a customer’s account in an efficient and easy manner. The transition to e-books for AUIers meant a disappearance of the invoices that were given to students when they used to buy physical books at the bookstore. While it is true that anyone can contact the bookstore to receive the details of their purchases, such a document should be systematically communicated to students upon the execution of the transaction.
When it comes to prices, many students reported according to our sources that they had to pay more than the books deposit for their e-books. Some argued that, allegedly, they are now paying more on certain e-books than for their physical copies. This leads to situations where students have to pay a substantial amount of money for books they can get from their peers, or from other sources. The pricing issue is controversial as the university had to switch providers due to the unavailability of books last year, and with that control over the pricing structure is believed to have been reduced. Ebooks were thought to be a cheaper alternative, as VPAA Messari had promised in 2020 that transitioning into e-books “will be “substantially” cheaper“ according to meeting minutes published by the SGA.
They charged me about 2400 dhs while I am fully online and have only two e-books in which we use only one!
AUI Student on Student Community Group
Another issue that was reported by students (even before the new transition to digital textbooks) is the usage of the books that the university requires students to buy. Many students complain that professors do not bother using the textbooks assigned to the class, or worse, communicate PDFs of the books to their students due to technical issues they face. In that sense, to which extent, if any, are these e-books useful to the students’ experience? Most students end up not using them as their professors prefer to use their own material, which pushes students to pay thousands of dirhams for no reason.
Why force students to buy books through the bookstore?
One solution that was suggested before the books policy reform was not to force students to buy books. This solution was not accepted by the administration as the university incurred costs on imports of books that it had to sell, given the estimated demand that is generated by the pre-registration period. Now that most books are assigned in their digital version, why would students be forced to buy books if they are not explicitly required by a professor?
One argument that might arise is that contractual requirements that are set by the providers of e-books might require the university to buy a certain volume of ebooks, which forces it to pass down the cost to students. The answer to such an argument is simple, allow students to make their own choice whether to buy it online through its distributors or to get it from other sources. This will simplify the task for both the university and the student (Unless the books’ deposit is considered to be a very useful source of cash flow).
What has to be done?
The solution to this everlasting problem is available, and the first steps towards simplifying the books’ policy at AUI were taken by several generations of the SGA. It is now important for the student body to reconsider the waste that goes into buying books that are not used. Moreover, principles of transparency have to be adopted as a core priority for any service that is directly affecting the student experience.
In a sense, it is up to the university’s administration and the student representatives to re-initiate talks about the digitization of books at AUI, with further emphasis put on more flexibility when it comes to acquiring books, a stricter scrutiny of the books assigned in classes, and a reconsideration of the need of forcing students to go through the university to buy books (unless it can guarantee competitive prices in comparison to the market).
