SECTION 4.218. Notification Procedures

(a) Each institution of higher education shall provide written notice regarding the availability of textbooks:

(1) to each student of the institution during the week preceding each fall and spring semester;

(2) to each student enrolled at the institution in a semester or summer term during the first three weeks of the semester or the first week of the summer term, as applicable; and

(3) to students or prospective students of the institution attending an orientation conducted by or for the institution.

(b) The notice shall be provided in a hard-copy or electronic format in a manner that ensures that the notice is reasonably likely to come to the attention of a student receiving the notice. For current students of an institution, an e-mail sent to the student's designated e-mail address, or institutional e-mail account if another is not designated, shall be sufficient, as shall a hard copy mailed to the student's physical address. For students or prospective students attending an orientation, either an e-mail to their designated e-mail address or a hard copy provided directly to the students shall be sufficient.

(c) The notice must contain the following statement: "A student of this institution is not under any obligation to purchase a textbook from a university-affiliated bookstore. The same textbook may also be available from an independent retailer, including an online retailer."

Source Note: The provisions of this §4.218 adopted to be effective August 26, 2009, 34 TexReg 5676