Higher Education Policy Analyst Kimberly Clarida was interviewed by The Texas Tribune for an article on West Texas A&M’s decision to no longer require students to buy textbooks, contributing to the larger discussion on higher education costs.
Read an excerpt below:
“Removing the cost of textbooks is a step in the right direction to make college more affordable,” said Kimberly Clarida, a higher education policy analyst at the left-leaning think tank Every Texan.
“Oftentimes, there are low-income and first-generation college students who have to wait several weeks to purchase the books because they are either waiting for financial aid or trying to work to save up enough money in order to purchase books for the courses each semester,” she said. “That puts them behind academically and it just adds an additional level of stress.”
Clarida said she is hopeful no-cost textbooks will become a trend across other universities in the coming years, but is wary that the Texas Legislature may do something to prevent that.
“People want to make money,” she said. “There’s no telling what may pop up, but I would love to envision a world where students aren’t having to take on these additional costs or unnecessary costs that the university could easily provide or take care of for students.”
Click here to read the full article on The Texas Tribune.