This document discusses the high costs of college textbooks and other expenses for students and proposes open educational resources (OER) as a solution. It notes that many students spend $300-500 per semester on textbooks and that costs beyond tuition, like transportation, childcare and food, also burden students. OER, which are freely accessible online materials, could help reduce costs while engaging students through open, collaborative and multimedia learning experiences. The document advocates for open pedagogy and open access in higher education to empower students, make resources more shared and collaborative, and connect learning both inside and outside the classroom.