The Daily Targum 2016-10-04

Page 1

Unrestricted reserves U. community doesn’t know where $770 million in funds go

epipen pricing Ownership of patent allows Mylan to own monopoly on lifesaving device

SEE opinions, page 6

women’s soccer Rutgers splits 2 games in Michigan against Wolverines, Spartans

SEE tech, page 8

WEATHER Overcast, slight chance of rain High: 67 Low: 51

SEE sports, back

Serving the Rutgers community since 1869. Independent since 1980.

rutgers university—new brunswick

tuesday, october 4, 2016

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Libraries launch free textbook pilot program KAYON AMOS contributing writer

It’s no secret that textbooks are expensive, but Rutgers Libraries are giving students’ wallets a break with a new open source textbook program. “Hopefully going forward we will have more students who will not have to make the difficult decision of deciding whether or not to purchase a book for their class because of the cost,” said Lily Todorinova, undergraduate experience librarian and liaison to School of Communication and Information. The Rutgers libraries are working closely with the New Jersey Public Interest Research Group to launch the Open and Affordable Textbook Project for all Rutgers campuses — New Brunswick, Camden and Newark, she said. The Open and Affordable Textbook Project encourages professors to redesign their course material to exclude private published textbooks. Instead, they are asked to assign students an open-source textbook they can download or print cheaply that has to do with course material. Professors who choose to take part in the project by putting together sections of open source textbooks are key to the project’s success, said Kaitlyn Vitez, campus organizer at NJPIRG. “The Rutgers libraries have been working on the Open and Affordable

Textbook Project since last semester and everything became finalized during the summer,” she said. “Now we need to get more students aware of the program and encourage them to encourage their professors to apply to the program.” The program is an opportunity for the faculty to rethink course materials, Todorinova said. The Office of Information and Technology are administering a $12,000 pilot grant program to allow professors to start assimilating open and affordable textbooks into their class curriculum. Each of the 12 faculties or department groups taking part in the program will be rewarded $1,000 for doing so. “Over the course of one year of implementing a similar grant base project other (universities) have shown that their students have saved around $500,000 for textbooks,” Todorinova said. To begin, professors must go online to the Rutgers libraries website and apply for the grant program. Applications will be opening for the program soon, Vitez said. Applications are currently open for the two-hour open textbook network workshop next month in New Brunswick, with teleconferencing available for other locations. During the workshop, professors will have the opportunity to learn more about open textbooks and See program on Page 5

Dance Marathon will hold its annual For the Kids Day as a final push to register dancers under their early-registration price of $35. Proceeds from the day will go toward the charity event held every April. DIMITRI RODRIGUEZ / PHOTO EDITOR / APRIL 2016

Dance Marathon pushes for dancer registration with ‘For the Kids’ Day sophie nieto-munoz associate news editor

Rutgers University Dance Marathon (RUDM) is a University-wide tradition that works toward helping children suffering from cancer and other disorders. While this event may happen only once a year, the

effort is year-long and is already well underway. On Tuesday, RUDM will be celebrating For The Kids Day, an annual fundraising event. Ever y FTK Day, the planners expand their presence on campus through various tabling and fundraising events at Rutgers-New

Brunswick. This is only one of the many fundraising events leading up to marathon weekend. FTK Day is a tradition that originally began to mark the first day that dancer registration opened, said Jennifer Noji, Marketing See day on Page 5

Political science professor weighs in on upcoming CNN debates sophie nieto-munoz associate news editor

The Open and Affordable Textbook Program aims to lower the $1,500 Rutgers students spend on average every year on textbooks. GRAPHIC BY MICHAEL MAKMUR / STAFF DESIGNER

Presidential nominees Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump are taking a break from debating as their vice presidential nominees take the stage on Oct. 4. Tim Kaine, the Democratic vice presidential nominee and a Virginia senator, will be going head-to-head with Republican vice presidential candidate and Indiana governor Mike Pence. New York Times is calling this upcoming debate “the least anticipated vice presidential debate in 40 years,” and Michael Rossi agrees. “These two people are relatively unknowns in the political field,” said Rossi, a professor in the Department of Political Science. “To augment that, they’re existing in the shadows of two extraordinarily popular individuals.”

He said the two running mates do not compare to previous candidates Dick Cheney, Sarah Palin or Joe Biden. “They don’t carry their own personality. It’s not their own baggage. Both of these guys are mostly unknown,” he said. Rossi said the general public may have heard more about Pence, as he seems to be mimicking Trump. Kaine, on the other hand, is a “yes man” and the perfect vice presidential candidate for Clinton, Rossi said. Because of their personalities, or lack thereof, Rossi expects their debate to be formal and professional, focusing more on policies than the two presidential nominees did. “It will be two politicians debating back and forth. It’s not going to be the carnival we saw between Trump and Hillary,” he said. Although the running mates are living in the shadows of the

­­VOLUME 148, ISSUE 79 • University ... 3 • opiNIons ... 6 • classifieds ... 7 • tech ... 8 • Diversions ... 9 • SPORTS ... BACK

presidential candidates, Rossi said the expectations may still be high. Whether Clinton or Trump win, Rossi said the vice president could assume the mantle in a number of “what if” scenarios. The professor said there will likely be a number of viewers who considering these vice candidates as potential chief executives of the United States, causing unconventionally high expectations. “Say Hillary’s health actually does deteriorate, all of a sudden, we’ve got Tim Kaine. In the not too far-fetched scenario that Trump does get elected, a part of me honestly believes that Trump will only last up to two years, because I think he’s going to get bored and leave ... all of a sudden, we’ve got Pence,” he said. Still, Rossi said vice presidential debates do not matter as much as See debates on Page 5


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