Letters to the editor

Books include useless bonus material, costs

Vanda Suvansilpakit’s article “New textbook sales
down,” (News, Oct. 14) underlines a point painfully obvious
to anyone who attends UCLA: publishers are overcharging college
students. By releasing new editions of text that hardly contain any
new information or repackaging books with useless “bonus
material,” publishers make old editions of books obsolete,
meaning students strapped for cash can’t rely on buying used
copies.

Consequently, the choice comes down to paying for a book
required for a class or being able to buy lunch. While this might
sound like an extreme example, the fact students find themselves
having to pay more and more in university fees means any sort of
financial relief would be appreciated, especially when it comes to
course material.

As this is a problem that every student has experienced first
hand, all Bruins need to band together in an effort to alleviate
the burden of overpriced textbooks. As students attending one of
the state’s most prestigious colleges, we should all
understand that education comes at a high price. However, that
price should be hard work, not our grocery money.

David Luong Fourth-year, English and
sociology

Clear Skies plan must be opposed

I was ecstatic to see James Moon’s viewpoint
“Gov.-elect must oppose Bush air plan,” (Oct. 14). With
the huge media circus surrounding the election of Arnold
Schwarzenegger, incredibly important issues like environmental
protection are not receiving the attention that they need.
President Bush’s Clear Skies plan spells disaster for
Southern California, considering it will allow dozens of old plants
to opt out of upgrading their pollution controls.

Every year, air pollution in California sends thousands of
people to emergency rooms. Asthma, which is triggered by poor air
quality, is the number one reason why children miss school.
Considering our air is already a danger to public health, White
House plans to gut our clean air laws and allow more industrial
pollution need to be stopped now, before it’s too late.

College students must take initiative and get involved in this
fight. If we sit back and let these environmental rollbacks take
place, we stand to lose more than we can afford, including our
health, our climate and our democracy. College students need to
realize that they have the power and the resources to change their
surroundings. All they need to do is get together, get organized
and then do something.

Aliya Haq CALPIRG campus organizer, UCLA