College textbooks are too expensive and many students can't afford them. The Oregon Student Public Interest Research Group released a national surveyMonday on textbook costs and alternatives.
Lane Community College Student Body President Paul Zito says he has only bought 4 textbooks in the 3 years he's been a student. He takes a normal course-load but he can't afford the books. Instead Zito looks for the information himself.
Zito: "I do that studying by asking specific writers of the material from the instructor and then I proceed to research that online in a very grueling long process to find all the pieces of information that they're going to test me over. It's possible to pass your classes without textbooks, but it's outrageous that they're asking us to learn this material in this type of fashion."
The OSPIRG survey finds it's not unusual for a student to have to pay 200-dollars for one textbook. The organization recommends alternatives like an online source of free or reduced-price copies.