The late Jared Stene, president of the WSU student senate at the time of his unexpected death from a genetic liver disorder, worked to help lower the costs of textbooks. One of his parents reflects on this at his Caring Bridge page, following the inclusion of textbook reform language in the federal higher ed bill:
About two years ago I remember Jared calling me to tell me that he was helping to organize a demonstration on campus at Winona State to protest the high cost of textbooks. The idea was to build a ‘coffin’ and then invite students to bring books that they were not able to sell back to the bookstore and place them in the coffin. One of the high costs of attending college is the cost of textbooks; the average student will spend $900 a year on books. You buy a textbook at the beginning of the semester for let’s say $100, three months later the bookstore will buy back the book for $10, or worse they will not buy the book at all because a ‘new edition’ has been printed.
When I heard that he was planning a ‘demonstration’ on campus my first reaction was, ‘Jared promise me that there will be no book burnings’. I could just see him leading the news, as video of him showed him throwing books into a bonfire. He assured me that there would be no burnings and that the books collected would be sent to other schools to be reused.
The day of the event came and it was quite successful in getting people’s attention. In fact Jared was interviewed by the Lacrosse, Wisconsin TV station and he was the lead story that night. (I have added a few pictures of the event).
Jared also told Congressman Tim Walz about the problem.
On Thursday February 7th, 2008 a bill was introduced into Congress in Washington D.C. regarding Higher Education. A part of that Bill calls for a revision in the way textbooks are purchased by colleges that would reduce the price of textbooks for college students. As part of the process, Congressman Walz stood in the House of Representatives to announce that there was ‘a constituent in his district named Jared Stene, the President of Winona State University, who had worked for years on this problem’ and that due to his efforts the Committee had included this provision in the bill.
I think Jared would have liked that, to hear his name mentioned on the House floor in Wash. D.C. in association with this Bill. As Congressman Walz told me, if this bill is enacted it will ‘impact millions of students for years to come.’ I think Jared would have liked that, too.
Read more about the issue at IDHA.
What a wonderful legacy!
Posted by: Grace Kelly | February 09, 2008 at 12:22 AM