We can’t have over burdened college students saving money, can we?

Dave Huber of the College Fix reported.

GW University to Profs: Don’t Inform Students about Cheaper Textbooks!

After initially informing its faculty about their “contractual obligation” with the organization that runs the campus bookstore, George Washington University eventually backed off after profs complained.

TaxProfBlog reports that GW at first told staff

Since the [bookstore] company has the “exclusive right” to provide textbooks and other course materials for all of the university’s courses, “alternative vendors may not be endorsed, licensed or otherwise approved or supported by the university or its faculty.”

But:

The letter irked many faculty members — not only did it prevent them from helping students save some money on textbooks, but it also seemed to prohibit them from listing on their syllabuses open educational resources, online exercises and other content that could help students understand the material.

On Aug. 11, the university sent a clarification, walking back the guidelines and reiterating its commitment to curbing the rising cost of textbooks. “Individual faculty have discretion as to what information they put on their syllabus, including any options available to students to obtain texts,” Nancy M. Haaga, managing director of campus support services wrote, apologizing for the confusion. …

As noted in the article, according to Mark J. Perry of the American Enterprise Institute, the cost of college textbooks has risen 150% since 1998.