This week is Open Access Week, and to highlight the need for more affordable school texts, we asked students how much they paid this semester on textbooks. Many of us have experienced the feeling of dread when tallying up the cost of the books on our syllabi, and Open Access Week is a way to highlight how that anguish (and many other systemic issues) can be assuaged.

“This year I spent around $200 on books for class”

-Matthew Marhefka, Comprehensive Science, Class of 2023

“This semester I had to spend $250 last minute on textbooks.”

-Patrick Shields, Mechanical Engineering, Class of 2022

“I’ve spent $500 on textbooks this semester, by far the most I have spent on school materials.”

-Jean Reilly, Nursing, Class of 2022

This week’s Curious Cat is brought to you by Allie Reczek, Lindsay Sasson, and Liam Brassington, three of our wonderful undergraduate student workers in the Falvey Memorial Library Communication & Marketing Department. Keep an eye out for them every Thursday, asking students their opinions on a range of subjects and topics.