By Chris Parker, Holly Tormey and Audrey Wade

If a college education is an investment that will last a lifetime, then textbooks are an annoyance that will haunt you for the duration of your education.

In today’s shaky economic climate, jobs and money are harder to come by. There is a fine line to walk between getting by and going under.

Textbooks are a necessity to be successful in the classroom, but the ever-rising prices are causing many cash-strapped students to dole out money that sometimes is not there.

And there is no relief in sight for the rising prices.

“The price of books has climbed dramatically over the 17 years or so I have been here (at Friends),” said Marketing Professor Betsy Ross.

No help on the horizon

Follett, an outside book company, runs Friends University’s bookstore as a separate business on campus. Business is the keyword. It is Follett’s goal to make money.

At the same time, financial aid and flexibility are hard to find when dealing with bookstores.

Wichita State University does not offer any help for students who cannot afford books, according to its financial aid office.

Friends and Newman University only offer vouchers for books if a student’s semester tuition is overpaid. If students only have enough money to cover tuition, then they are on their own to cover the cost of books.

This policy can leave students out in the cold when it comes time to buy books and they do not have the cash in hand.

Internet offers relief

“Many of my students are finding books from other sources and even finding places to rent books instead of buying,” said Psychology Professor Bill Allan.

In recent years the Internet has started to crack the monopoly that bookstores have had on textbooks.

Half.com, an eBay company, is a prime example. It has become a place where students can sell books back for more than bookstores offer and buy for cheaper than a bookstore price.

In a survey of nine commonly needed books from core courses -- covering math, science, social sciences and English -- huge savings were possible with minimal effort.

The price of the nine books new was $1,355.25. Online at half.com those nine books cost $669.40 new. That is a savings of $685.85, or about 50 percent off. On average, each book was $76.21 cheaper than in the bookstore.

Even the used books offered a huge savings. If a student bought all nine books used from the bookstore, it would have cost $1,017. The best price online would run $598.32 for all nine. That is an average of $46.52 saved online.

A full-time student will have an average of four or five classes in a semester. By going online, an average full-time student could save a minimum of $200 on average.

Some students rent their books from online sources.

“I saved over eighty dollars on one of my books,” sophomore Tim Patterson said.

Patterson went to Chegg.com to rent three books. He will use the books all semester and then return them at the end of the semester.

“I don’t have to worry about selling them (the books) back,” Patterson said.

Case for the bookstore

The bookstore continues to be a popular option because of its convenience.

"I buy books from the campus bookstore because they give back up to 20 percent on buy-back days at the end of the semester, and when you buy them online you’re stuck with them," senior Adam Klausmeyer said.

Selling books back online can be a hassle. Students must post the books on a Web site and then wait for someone to buy the book. Sometimes a student will get stuck with the book if it is not in heavy demand online. The bookstore offers instant money at the end of the semester, but it sometimes will not buy a book back if a new edition is coming out.

The bookstore tries to help in the buy-back process, but sometimes it is not enough.

“We try to use used books as often as possible buying back from students, used booksellers and wholesale booksellers who may have used books. After that we go to the publishers (for new books),” said Cliff Ewert, Follett’s vice president of media relations.

The composition of the textbooks is a major reason for the high prices. Ewert cited time spent researching, composing and editing as major factors for the high prices. He also pointed out that they are printed on better quality of paper with colored ink, which would make them cost more than regular books.

Even Follett has been trending toward online sales at www.efollett.com. Follett’s online bookstore has been doing “wonderful,” Ewert said.

Ewert said that convenience is a reason bookstores are still in operation.

“It is one-stop shopping,” Ewert said. “You don’t have to go to different venues to receive all of your books or pay for shipping.”

Downsides to buying online would be that the student might receive the wrong edition, the book may be bad shape, or it may not be returnable at the end of the year, he said.

Professors try to help

The teachers at Friends understand the hardships that come with purchasing books, and many of them take that into consideration when choosing books for classes.

“When I am selecting a textbook for a new course or am changing a textbook, I always look at the price,” said English Professor Marv Hinten.

Allan said that the current text for Intro to Psychology, a required course, is about $125 and referred to the price as “awful.” The Psychology Department is looking into a replacement text for next year that sells for $29.95.

Though many teachers are on the student’s side, sometimes publishers make it difficult for the teachers to help with price.

“Most instructors do not take price into consideration when choosing a textbook for their class, largely because publishers have a tendency to hide that information from instructors. Only after the book is in the bookstore do instructors realize the price,” said Science Professor Patrick Mathews.

Generally the professors try to find a cheap textbook, but they also have to look for texts that will adequately convey the material they are teaching.

“I try to choose a book based on its completeness for the topic but without too much unneeded fluff,” Mathews said. “All the added stuff, including chapters on topics I can’t possibly get to in one semester, just add to the cost for the student.”