tl20081211-01 "Ashley Rabe News Editor Administrators are working toward revamping the general education requirements. A committee was appointed in Spring 2007 to reevaluate the current curriculum and try to make it �reflect contemporary conceptions of impor-tant objectives for undergraduate education,� according to the Report of The General Education Review Committee. On Tuesday afternoon the commit-tee, headed by dean of the College of Liberal Arts Terry Cooney, met to dis-cuss the final proposal and prepare to open it up for feedback. Cooney was unavailable for comment following the meeting. �I think the Gen Ed committee did a great job. I really like what they pro-posed. I love the way it�s structured; they have had a lot of great discus-sion,� provost James Clements said. According to the report, there was a lot of work done translating the language to make more sense and be more effective. �I think they have made it much more user-friendly. It�s easier to under-stand, it�s not a knock on the pervious program but I think that the new pro-gram is very good,� Clements said. According to Clements, there is now going to be an open forum and people are going to get to have input. �The committee has done all they feel they can do and I think it�s very solid. Now it�s on a larger scale for fac-ulty, staff and students to have some input and I think overall people will be pleased,� Clements said. In a letter sent to Clements by the General Education Review Committee, �Faculty will need a full year after changes are adopted (assuming those changes follow the recommendations in the report) to develop courses meeting the requirements of the new policy and revise or resubmit courses for certification in continuing catego-ries.� The letter also stated that following this schedule may make it possible for a decision to be made by late Spring 2009, allowing implementation of the new requirements by the beginning of the Fall 2010 semester. Now on TheTowerlight.com: View footage from the men�s basketball game and Video Word on the Street... Thursday www.thetowerlight.com FREE The Towerlight Published by Baltimore Student Media for the Towson University Community Battling rising costs of textbooks Committee finalizes report on Gen Ed evaluation Academic affairs seeks to revitalize required courses for all students Photo Illustration/Kristofer Marsh/The Towerlight Supplemental materials have contributed to the increasing costs of textbooks. In the last two weeks, students across Maryland have met twice to discuss ways to combat the rising fees through legislation and communication with faculty. Supplemental materials key to price tag on required text; legislation part of response Kiel McLaughlin Editor in Chief Ashley Rabe News Editor Students will begin lining up outside the doors of the University Store and around the corner to Tiger Reels on the first floor of the University Union Saturday, hoping to get any kind of return for their textbooks from the last semester. By the time they return in January to prepare for the spring, though, they will still be paying steep costs for required texts. Textbook costs have trended upward for at least a decade and the price tag is emptying the already shal-low pockets of students across the country. Students in Maryland have gathered twice in the last two weeks to discuss the continued problem that has severely affected higher education. On Nov. 24, the University System of Maryland hosted a Textbook Affordability Summit at College Park and, the Student Government Association held a forum for Towson students, faculty and administrators to discuss the issue, Tuesday. �It�s not just the tuition or the textbooks. It comes down to one number. What is the cost of a student to go to college?� Josh Michael, University System of Maryland student regent, said. �We have a tuition freeze, but we don�t have a freeze on the cost of going to college.� At the summit at College Park, a representative from a publishing company suggested the reasons for the increasing costs. Comparing current textbooks with those of the last generation, he said that current books have more color, photos, graphics and supplemental materials. Supplemental material such as CD-ROMs, study guides and workbooks are frequently bundled with new texts. Michael said that these materials are pitched to See BOOKS, page 9 One-man �Star Wars� is force-ful performance at Centerstage News, page 10 Dec. 11, 2008 "
