IowaWatch (https://www.iowawatch.org/tag/william-penn-university/)
Here, in their own words, are students and faculty Loras College, William Penn University, Simpson College and the University of Northern Iowa, who are concerned about college textbook costs.
Dylan Miller spent $495 on college textbooks at the University of Northern Iowa – $167.50 for a linear algebra textbook – in the spring semester just ending, yet said he might have used the books, perhaps, once a month. The internet? Used it close to two hours each day, he said, raising the issue of why he still buys textbooks. “That’s a great question,” Miller, 20, a sophomore this spring semester from Homestead, Iowa, and studying for a major in actuarial science, said. “I will not be buying textbooks next semester.”
A lot of college students are avoiding textbooks costs that generally can range from around $20 for a book on writing grant proposals to $400 for a physics book, a spring IowaWatch/College Media Journalism Project revealed.
Q: How much did you pay for all textbooks, hard copy and e-textbooks, this semester? Lucas Smith: I paid $350 for all my books. Lucas Smith, 21
Spring 2018 senior
William Penn University
Hometown: Sully, Iowa
Major: Sports and Recreation management
Q: What was your most expensive book, and how much did it cost? The most expensive book was Sports Law and I believe it cost around $200. Q: How often do you use your textbooks?
We at IowaWatch are raising funds to pay stipends to more than a dozen student journalists from six Iowa campuses in an IowaWatch/College Media reporting project. These journalists are interviewing students, faculty members and administrators to learn about this topic and to report it to you later during this spring.
Iowans lament the long U.S. presidential campaign that started in their state with the first-in-the-nation precinct caucuses. The ads and constant bickering are a toll. But they still are tuning in to what’s happening.
OSKALOOSA, Iowa — Jessica Magill received her associates of arts degree from Indian Hills Community College in Ottumwa right before graduating from high school in 2012 in Sigourney. On Saturday, May 10, she graduated from William Penn University with a degree in business management at the age of 20. Although she got ahead in her college education she wasn’t sure about her job prospects yet. Perhaps her interviews at Walt Disney World and Universal Studios in the Orlando, Fla., around the start of June after she graduates will land her a job in hospitality. “I’ve done a lot of research between the two companies and several similar companies,” she said.
IowaWatch project with college student journalists in Iowa shows that, despite growing numbers of state and federal programs aimed at improving students’ financial literacy and years of talk about Iowa’s high student debt, students continue to graduate with debt that will follow them long after they leave the classroom. This report includes video interviews from students affected by their debt.