The Student Senate unanimously passed a resolution Wednesday opposing Textbook Rental Advisory Committee recommendations that could lead to students paying hundreds of dollars more for their textbooks next fall.

The committee has recommended that professors can require their students to purchase supplementary textbooks and outlined changes in the fine system for overdue textbooks.

Senate member Alison Mormino said forcing students to pay for their textbooks essentially does away with the textbook rental system.

Senate member Jessica Catto agreed, and said that the cost of supplementary textbooks could easily exceed the cost of students’ regular textbooks.

Student Body President Katie Cox said the recommendation could force students to pay hundreds of dollars more for their textbooks.

“Students assume that they will pay about $100 for all of their books,” Cox said. “They should not have to worry about having to pay $300.”

Another recommendation made by the Textbook Rental Advisory Committee would revise the late fee system for textbooks.

Currently, students who turn in textbooks after their due dates are fined $2 per book, plus 25 cents per book, per day. Students may not be fined more than a total of $10.

The recommendation would impose a fee of $10 for every book returned late with no maximum fee.

This would mean that students could have to pay hundreds of dollars more in fines for books they return even minutes after the time they are due, Catto said.

The resolution goes to the President’s Council, which has final say over whether to approve the committee’s recommendations.

In other business, senate members tabled legislation retaining H & H Transportation of Charleston to run the Panther Express through 2004, after learning that the company had not yet acquired a performance bond.

A performance bond, which assures a third party – usually an insurance company – will continue to provide service even if the contracted company defaults on its contract, is required under the proposed contract.

The senate also addressed some internal affairs concerns by making the senate parliamentarian a separate position and abolishing the system of senate staffers.

Until now, the chair of the senate’s Internal Affairs Committee assumed the duties of parliamentarian, which consist of advising the senate on parliamentary procedure.

Senate member Kristen Wooden said separating the two jobs would allow the internal affairs chair to work more on other senate business, such as promoting Student Government to the student body.

A bylaw change deleting three paragraphs of the Student Government Constitution dealing with senate staffers was also passed unanimously.

Senate member Joe Robbins said the senate has not used senate staffers for a long time.

“It’s not been in existence,” he said.