Since 2010, Williams has provided all aided students with their required materials, including textbooks, art supplies, and lab fees - free of charge to the students. Alumni support of Buy the Book helps to make this possible.
Ensuring access to resources expands the ability of faculty to craft engaging and comprehensive syllabi. “I can’t imagine having to take into account my students’ financial situation when I’m deciding what to teach,” says Professor Gail M. Newman, Harold J. Henry Professor of German. “And for that reason I am so grateful for the book grant program.”
To date, thanks to the expanded financial aid book grant and the generosity of Alumni Fund donors like you, Williams has provided over 200,000 textbooks and materials to more than 4,000 Ephs.
Prior to the spring of 2010, students would each receive the same nominal book grant amount each semester, regardless of the actual cost of their textbooks and supplies; students could also borrow books from the Class of 1914 Library (a textbook lending library), but inventory was limited and access was not guaranteed. The financial aid book grant helps to make sure that the cost of materials is not a barrier to students seeking to take courses - thank you for helping Williams make true affordability a reality!