Cal State Fullerton’s Academic Senate discussed the progress of the incoming SmartAccess+ program at Thursday’s meeting.
The program is the newest update to the university’s current program, Titan Direct Access, which is run by Titan Shops, an auxiliary program at CSUF.
Auxiliary Enterprise Director Kim Ball delivered the presentation at the Academic Senate meeting to provide the senate with information before the program goes into effect.
The SmartAccess+ program will go into effect at the start of the spring semester. Titan Direct Access was established in 2017 and has remained in use by Titan Shops since its inception.
“It’s kind of like a graduation from Titan Direct Access today where we can just cover a few titles with some savings, going to all titles with savings across the board, whether it’s print or digital,” Ball said.
Titan Direct Access, available during fall and spring semesters, allows undergraduate and graduate students free access to eligible course materials for discounted prices.
CSUF was one of the first universities to launch a book rental program in 2005. Then, in 2009, the university launched a guaranteed buyback program. In 2010, they received funding from a federal grant from the Department of Education and moved the program online to encompass digital textbooks.
There are three levels of participation in the program that students can choose from. SmartAccess+ allows students who pay the $245 semesterly access to their full course load. SmartAccess Flex allows students whose course materials may cost less than $245 to choose the course materials they need at the discounted prices offered. Students can also choose to opt out of the program entirely.
Students who choose to opt out of the program will still have access to any of the free or Open Educational Resources that exist within their course material bookshelf.
Any physical materials purchased through the program can be picked up at Titan Shops and electronic access to materials will be available by the first day of classes. Additionally, students will not be required to return their materials at the end of the semester.
Students are automatically enrolled in SmartAccess+, but can choose to opt out, participate or modify their participation during the period of time individuals can add and drop classes. All charges will be made directly to the student’s campus account.
SmartAccess can be viewed on Canvas by clicking the “course materials” tab. Here, students can view their required course materials and the lowest available prices for the materials, as well as manage participation.
At the start of a new semester, all students are automatically re-enrolled in SmartAccess+, regardless of their participation status in past semesters. Financial aid disbursements can also be used to pay for the program.
Materials that are not eligible for the SmartAccess+ program include supplies such as lab goggles, notebooks and art supplies. Furthermore, older and out-of-print editions or textbooks may vary in their eligibility status depending on the quantity of these materials Titan Shops can source.
Titan Shops is working toward discounts for course materials via negotiations with publishers and sourcing both new and used books at their lowest price available online. The program will not receive funding from the university; the student charge of $245 will fund the program.
Members of the Academic Senate stated concerns about student transparency and how some students may miss the deadline to opt out.
Ball stated that Titan Shops would work with students who may need to drop out of SmartAccess after the drop date or need to change their participation status as classes change to issue them a refund.
“We understand that there are going to be these little nuances like that, and we’re prepared to work with Vital Source and Student Business Services to make sure that we can cover the students or whatever their situation may be,” Ball said at the meeting.