A UGBC-backed program to replace individual textbook purchases with a flat-rate fee will be considered by University officials in the coming days, according to Senate discussions Tuesday night.
“At the University of Arizona, [Thomas Gray, student senator and MCAS ’27,] was able to see what they were doing in terms of textbooks, and being able to opt-in, opt-out of [the program], and it would be a charge added onto tuition,” said Jordan Doty, student senator and LSEHD ’28.
Boston College projects students spend $1,300 to $2,200 per academic year on course materials.
Under the University’s current system, students must purchase each required text at its retail price. The proposed initiative would allow students to pay a flat fee to access all required texts for the semester.
Under the University of Arizona’s system, students can pay $262 per semester to access all required texts, regardless of quantity. Similar programs are utilized at universities nationwide, such as Lehigh University and the University of Connecticut.
According to UGBC Vice President Reagan Marino, MCAS ’26, Gray plans to meet with BC Bookstore representatives and discuss the program’s logistics in the coming days.
In addition to changes within the Bookstore, UGBC revisited an initiative to create an adviser matching form. The form, a proposal that has been on the table since last year, would match advisers and students to promote individual academic success.
According to Makayla Boxwell, student senator and MCAS ’28, the initiative is focused on matching upperclassmen with major advisers.
“It’s pretty much turning the matching form that Residential Life has for matching random roommates, and translating that to adviser-advisees,” said Boxwell.
UGBC leaders will have a luncheon with Kristin Reed, assistant director of the Academic Advising Center, in late April to discuss moving forward with the match form.
“I’m excited there’s some kind of forward progress there, and it sounds like it’s been well received from both faculty and students,” said Cristina Gregory, student senator and MCAS ’26.
Correction (2/26/2026, 10:05 p.m.): This article was corrected to reflect that the matching program is between upperclassmen and advisers, rather than freshmen and advisers.
