The school year has ended for most academic institutions; now students are either out having fun or working to pay for classes and text books.

When the Fall Session begins; its going to be the same debate were its students vs. the bookstores vs. publishers vs. teachers vs. the common sense of offering materials online. But with the high cost of text books and the low demand for online sources; is their some scam in play?

For years students have blamed the bookstore for the high prices. But the bookstore passes the blame onto the publisher that sells the new editions (with marginal differences from the latter edition). Yet the bookstore only orders the new editions at the request of the department.

Yet it’s too common in some class to require students to buy several books that may not be needed. Other times its printed material that the bookstore prepared (material that could have been posted online).

But statistics show that online material is in small demand. So some professors are requiring students to buy excessive material at bookstore prices but there is no demand for online material?

It should be obvious a conspiracy is at work? Some departments are receiving kickbacks from the publishers and the bookstores in exchange for inflating the required material for the classes. At the same time a PR campaign is in the works to kill the demand for online resources.

However it’s safe to assume that not all departments are involved in this scam. If the professor dose not require the purchase of a lot textbooks; than they are one of the honest ones.

So when the Fall Session starts; just buy a used textbook for the class. If the professor complains than they are profiting from the scam.