Page 2 - The Michigan Daily - Friday, May 16, 1986 Officials say bill may pass I Fenced in Daily Photo by ANDI SCHREIBER Cal Brown (left) and Ray Harris end their day at the construction site on the corner of South University and South Forest. Students endure reselling books By MARY CHRIS JAKLEVIC University administrators and state officials predicted a bill that would require public universities to ensure English competency for foreign-born faculty will pass the state legislature. Administrators last week had expressed concern that the bill would violate the University's autonomy from the state. Most administrators have not read the bill, proposed by Sen. Joe Conroy (D-Flint), but those who have say the state is not over- stepping its bounds. "It sounds as if the Senator is trying to give the institutions autonomy," said Roberta Palmer, assistant to the vice president for government relations. LAST WEEK University Vice President for Academic Affiars and Provost James Duderstadt speculated the bill could threaten the University's independence provided in the state constitution by "undermining the autonomy of the institution to determine its own faculty." Conroy said the bill was a reac- tion to years of student complaints that foreign teaching assistants of- ten cannot communicate effec- tively with students. The bill would require public universities to insure that all instructors are proficient in English, but it gives no standard and leaves implemen- tation entirelty up to each in- stitution. "We want to leave the univer- sitiesbwith as much autonomy as possible," Conroy said. THE BILL now stands in the Senate Higher Education and Technology committee, which will hold a hearing Wednesday. Com- mittee chairperson, William Sederberg (R-East Lansing), believes the bill will pass, even if University administrators voice opposition. He said senators will vote for the bill in response to students and parents who have complained about teaching assistant quality. A similar bill was passed in Ohio last month, the first of its kind in the nation. Prof. Herb Asher, Ohio State University's Legislative Liaison, said the Ohio bill did not threaten universities' autonomy. since it leaves implementation up to each university. Asher said some Ohio univer- sity administrators were concer- ned that once the state was allowed to take one step in influen- cing university decisions, there would be a precedcent for it to request more. Asher disagrees with this "slippery slope" argument. "It was not heavy-handed. The state was simply telling us to solve the problem. We did not think it was an issue to fight the legislature about." The University of Michigan has been dependent on TAs since the 1960s when enrollment soared and the faculty-student ratio suffered as a result. Last fall there were about 1,800 graduate teaching assistants at the university, mostly concentrated in engineering, science, and math courses. Just over one quarter of these are foreign born. Palmer said she plans to attend Wednesday's hearing, although she is not sure if she will testify. By DOUG WOLFE College textbooks can teach everything from the history of Europe to the structure of DNA. But some students trying to sell their books back this spring are discovering that intellectual value does not always translate into dollars and cents. Steve Borsand, an engineering senior, usually saves his textbooks for future reference. When he decided to sell them back to Ulrich's last year, however, he was disappointed. "They gave me five bucks for five books," Bor- sand said. "What a ripoff!" THE THREE Ann Arbor booksellers who buy books back from customers - Ulrich's Books, University Cellar, and Barnes and Noble - insist that they do not want to cheat anyone. "If we think a book is going to be used again (at the University) next year, and it's in good con- dition, then we'll pay 50 percent," said Irv Scheel, a textbook depar- tment manager at Ulrich's. "That's the same price that the national book wholesalers charge us for a used book." New copies of hardcover books such as the standard text for Math 115 run close to $40. Ulrich's will pay students up to $20 for a used copy, and the other stores follow the same policy. "OF COURSE, there are limits to the number of copies we need of each book," Scheel said. "And the price will fall as our stock in- creases." If the retailers determine that a book will not be required next year, they may still buy it in order to resell it to one of several national book wholesalers. These companies buy and sell used books from college book stores across the country. In that case, according to Jim Junker of the Barnes and Noble textbook department, the local retailer will pay a student the wholesale price. UNFORTUNATELY for studen- ts, wholesalers only pay 10 percent to one-third of a book's original list price. To some student's however, set- tling for wholesale prices is accep- table. When publishers introduce a new edition of an old book, the old edition becomes worthless. Not even the national wholesalers are willing to buy outdated editions. Professor Edward Rothman, for example, is currently writing the second edition of a basic text book for Statistics 402. Students who took the course winter term and paid as much as $24 for the old edition will not be able to sell it back. Textbook publishers help create this situation by frequently producing new editions of books without substantial changes in content, according to Junker. "When a new edition comes out," he said, "the old edition is wor- thless." But Parker Ladd, director of the higher education division of the American Association of Publishers, contends that publishers produce new editions only when they are truly needed. "We publish revised editions whenever the academic world demands them," Ladd said. To determine which books will be required for future courses, the local bookstores jointly operate a Text Book Reporting Service that solicits information by mail from University professors and depar- tments. Up to 75 percent of the professors have not yet released their book selections for fall term, according to Sue Zeller, a service administrator. ZELLER SAID she does not ex- pect to have a complete book list until October 1. Until then, each store's employees will have to rely on experience and intuition when they buy back books. According to Scheel, many professors and departments are fickle with their book selection. "Biology 305 is a good example," he said. "For the last five fall ter- ms, the professor has used five dif- ferent text books." TEXTBOOK publishers, who make no money on used book sales, provide additional pressure. "The publishersasendsout field men every year," said Com- munications professor William Porter. "They try to convince us to use their new products." Vol. XCVI - No. 2-S The Michigan Daily (ISSN 0745-967 X) is published Friday during the spring and summer terms and Monday through Friday during the fall and winter terms. Subscription rates: May through August-$5.00 in Ann Arbor; $7.00 outside the city. September through April-$18.00 in Ann Arbor; $35.00 outside the city. One term-$10.00 in town; $20 outside the city. The Michigan Daily is a member of the Associated Press and subscribes to Los Angeles Times Syndicate and College Press Service. A SILVER TANNING CENTER Stadium Centre, 18% W. 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