"The problem is that the books are not sold directly to the students," said the manager of a printing company who requested not to be named. "First the publishers charge money to print the material and then The Coop marks up the prices as well. The Coop is not selling books to the students out of the kindness of its heart."

Students, the manager says, end up footing the bill for this collection of middlemen.

"I can't believe the numbers that the students are forced to pay," the manager says. "Just by looking at the number of pages in the books, I can tell that the students are paying for more than just the publisher's royalties."

Students and faculty are beginning to seek out alternatives.

The Undergraduate Council formed a task force at last week's meeting to investigate sourcebook prices and possible cost-cutting measures.

But until alternatives are found, students will continue to pay what they are told because they need the reading materials.

"It's like the 'company store' where everyone works for one company which also owns the store," Ganz says. "They can charge whatever prices they want because they have a captive market."