The book price blame game took a new turn recently.

The Undergraduate Student Government (USG) passed a resolution about two weeks ago that is intended to enhance the buyback prices of textbooks for Penn State students.

The reasoning behind the resolution is that students' books have a greater chance of being bought back by bookstores when Penn State faculty submits booklists before the buyback period begins, according to USG. As a result, students will recoup more money when their books are sold back to stores. USG Senate would then send official "thank you" notes to the departments that comply with the deadline -- which happened to be Friday.

The problem here is that this move by USG is a quick, five-minute fix for something that has plagued students for quite some time. While passing the resolution is obviously a positive step that goes against the body's usual feet-in-the-sand approach toward student needs, USG could have delved much deeper into this matter.

Why not make this resolution a rule? Why not begin this agenda item early in the semester, so that officials could meet with Faculty Senate and Academic Assembly? Holding these meetings -- or even small, informal talks -- could have provided some foresight to create a strong, clearer path toward something.

Instead, USG passed what appears to be a haphazard resolution at the end of Penn State's spring semester. What exactly does this accomplish?

It seems that some foresight from the body was lacking once again. Perhaps if professors had more than a week or so to get these lists in (under this new resolution), groups -- such as USG -- could have lobbied the administration for a much more comprehensible plan to truly accomplish a long-term resolution to book costs.

On the surface, the move is commendable. But let's be serious; the resolution is not capable of solving the larger issue at hand. Professors are not to blame in this problem that faces students. No one entity is. High book prices and low buyback rates is a problem that is shared by administrators, professors, USG, bookstores and students. All sides are going to have to take constructive time and a serious attitude toward this issue to even come close to solving students' book blues.

Professors should provide these lists to bookstores not for a heartfelt "thank you" from our USG senators, but because the students -- their students -- will show appreciation for the gesture.