Online textbooks: Saving money AND academic integrity!

Between producing supplemental book sections, needlessly updating editions, and incessantly lobbying teachers to assign particular textbooks, scholarly publishers have perfected the art of separating students from their money.

Of course, given the ever-increasing costs of tuition, it is pretty clear that universities seem to view students as little more than walking, talking ATMs. Under these circumstances, it's not really surprising that book companies would take the same approach.

Admittedly, textbooks have always been somewhat pricey. When I was a college student, there were some semesters in which I had to choose between books and food. In most cases, I would check my texts out from the library, but there were times when I had to resort to sitting in the stacks of the college bookstore, my notebook on one knee and a textbook on the other as I feverishly took notes and hoped that the employees wouldn't kick me out.