YI supported state investment in higher education through Open Educational Resources (OER), which provide no-cost learning materials across the state, and the TEXAS Grant program, to assist in making higher education more affordable for Texas students. YI testified on the importance of textbook affordability and courses that use OER, and worked with legislative offices to increase support for state investment in need-based aid resulting in an additional investment of $250,000 in OER and $40 million in the TEXAS Grant. Our Texas young advocate Elizabeth Keiser, who attends Austin Community College, shared how her textbooks cost more than her classes and the impact it makes on her life. Check out more reflections from our young advocates on their work in the Texas legislative process.
But when I decided where I would continue my education, I could only worry about one thing: affordability. I ended up giving up my acceptances to multiple colleges and chose to attend Austin Community College (ACC) because I couldn’t afford to go anywhere else. Now, I juggle two jobs with a full course load so I can afford my classes, out of district tuition costs, and other personal expenses to keep myself living.
To save money, I opted to rent my textbooks instead of purchasing them. However, my rental company did not allow marks within my textbook, so I wasn’t able to study the content intimately. During the semester, my dog ate the cover of one of my textbooks and I had to purchase the difference due to its condition. These textbooks ended up costing me more than the classes I paid to take.
Most recently, I was surprised when one of my textbooks was provided to me in a digital format completely free for a required course. All 1st year ACC students take the effective learning class which does a great job helping students develop better study skills, soft skills, and financial literacy. With the cost of the textbook completely taken care of I had more time to concentrate on learning the material and I was really successful in the course. ACC plans to implement more of these open educational resources (OER) classes on their campuses. I look forward to taking them and I know my bank account does too.
Elizabeth Keiser attends Austin Community College where she majors in Environmental Studies and hopes to pursue environmental policy when she completes her education.