Students who turned to the GW Bookstore to stock up on textbooks and workbooks for classes had another option this year with the Rent-A-Text book rental program. Given the exorbitant amount of money students are forced to spend on books, the rental program is a favorable option that should not only continue in the future, but should also be expanded.

The rental program offers lower prices for textbooks, an appealing option for students. We appreciate the effort the bookstore has made to give students less expensive choices, and welcome lower prices in such a costly element of student life.

But the program is only in the initial stages at GW, and more students should have the option of renting their books. At the beginning of the semester, approximately one-quarter of the books usually sold in the bookstore were available through the rental program, but this should be expanded to satisfy the needs of the highest number of students possible.

Even though GW students now have the option of renting their books, the fact remains that purchasing textbooks through the bookstore can be extremely expensive. The University needs to make it a priority to offer books at lower prices for students, and should continue to make affordable options available any way it can. The rental program is a welcome change in the way students go about buying books, and we hope the effort does not stop there.

Readers can visit the Forum to comment on this editorial.