Beating the Pequod monopoly

After meeting with several competing printing companies, including Triangle on Nassau Street and Allegra Print on Route 1, the ULC has confirmed that Pequod is vastly overcharging students. These competitors were convinced that they could offer course packets at a lower price than what Pequod charges. Since Pequod is the only distributor of University course packets, competition does not exist, leaving Pequod with a monopoly and the freedom to set unfair prices. This does not have to be the case, however.

After meeting with Dean of the Faculty David Dobkin, various professors and representatives from Firestone Library, the ULC began to convince many professors to make their course readings available through E-Reserves, rather than in Pequods, to help alleviate the financial burden on students. With readings for many classes now available on Blackboard, students have the option of printing out the articles or reading the course materials online, saving students money as well as significantly decreasing the amount of paper used for assignments.

Firestone already owns the rights to the copyright clearance of almost all relevant articles and only has to pay to clear each article or selection once. In other words, currently students are essentially paying twice to read the articles that they buy from Pequod. In terms of cost-efficiency, the E-Reserve option is preferable and eliminates a significant financial burden from students’ budgets. The ULC thus asks all professors to make the switch to E-Reserves and help our community become more sustainable, economical and embracing of a proven pedagogical technology. We want to urge students to tell their professors that they care about this issue and want to see more readings available online, rather than only through Pequods.

It seems that the E-Reserve alternative is starting to gain popularity among professors, and it is important that this trend continue. This year in particular, many department heads encouraged their professors to contribute to sustainability and cost-reduction efforts by using E-Reserves, causing many courses that had previously used Pequod course packets to make the switch to Blackboard-accessible readings. But high Pequod prices continue to be an issue in classes whose professors have not yet switched over.

The only reasonable solution to reduce student expenses on course reading materials is to strive for a complete transition from print to online readings. Not only would this save students money, but it is also the most sustainable option, as well as the most convenient. Though the new printing quota would have to be adjusted accordingly, this initiative would still save paper on the whole, even if Pequod paper is not University paper per se, because many students would likely opt to read assignments on the computer rather than printing them out. While we understand that there is value in having the material physically available in class, there is greater value in reducing students’ financial expenses on course materials when that option is easily available. If students or professors truly believe that having the material physically in front of them would be greatly beneficial, then there is an obvious compromise: They can print the readings out or have them up on their laptops during class.

Eventually, course packets may become obsolete, as technologies such as Google Books, Kindle and other electronic devices and software programs become more readily available. We would like to be proactive in making this transition away from expensive Pequod packets complete as soon as possible, especially given the current economic environment and its effect on the student body.

Arthur Levy is the outgoing chair of the Undergraduate Life Committee and can be reached at arlevy@princeton.edu. Shannyn Gaughan, a sophomore, is a member of the Undergraduate Life Committee and can be reached at gaughan@princeton.edu.