MARCH 23, 2012

Use of XanEdu might mean more fees for you

BY ALIX FINNEGAN
Staff Writer

The Pioneer Log News

Come next fall, the word on Lewis & Clark students lips might not be Diigo, Webadvisor or even Moodle. The new buzzword just might be XanEdu. Due to concerns about an outdated copyright policy, the college is looking to switch to this online custom publishing company to assist professors with assembling course materials for student use, with the cost being passed onto students. When the policy change was presented to students on the Watzek Library Student Advisory Committee, several concerns were raised, including the cost of course packets on top of the cost of textbooks, as well as the inability to sell course packets back to the bookstore at the end of the semester. Students of the SAC also noted that if professors chose to make the course packets electronic, students would essentially have to pay twiceonce to buy the access to the materials and again in using their print balance to make a physical copy of the document. Disparities across departments would also be a concern for students, as students in the social sciences and

humanities generally have more non-textbook readings than other majors. Julianne Zienkiewicz (14), a member of the Watzek SAC and the Student Representative for the Library Education & Technology Committee, said, Im a little unhappy that its not going to distribute evenly across the disciplines. As a history major, Im going to have a lot more readings in my course package to pay for I can see people in different majors having different reactions to this policy change. The combination of a lawsuit last year at Seattle University regarding copyright violation and the fact that the colleges copyright policy was sorely outdated led the college to form a committee to review the current policy and make the necessary changes to update it. We started talking about this over a year ago, said Director of Auxilaries Wendy Washburn. This policy has been on the books since I got here in 2004, and probably for a while before then, said Vice President, Secretary and General Counsel David Ellis. Since the bookstore shifted to self-operation in July of 2010, the

onus of checking on copyrights and compliance with the Fair Use Doctrine has fallen to individual professors. Though seemingly simple, this task is extremely difficult, as Fair Use has a myriad of interpretations for different contexts and

The college is looking to switch to [XanEdu, an] online custom publishing company to assist professors with assembling course materials for student use, with the cost being passed onto students.
usages. As a result, the committee, though originally formed to look into concerns about copyright in course packets sold through the bookstore, broadened their focus to include a review of the copyright compliance for online readings and electronic library reserves made

available by professors. The Executive Council and Watzek Library have also joined forces to look into the revision of the policy. A group, which included representatives from all three schools across LC and Ellis, was formed last fall and has since worked to research whether the college is at risk for copyright violations lawsuits and explored options to ensure copyright compliance in the future. XanEdus online process allows faculty to build an electronic or print course packet of readings they want to use. The program then runs the list through a Fair Use database to see which readings are free and what the cost of the others would be. From there, professors can select readings based on cost, and then sell the material to students through the bookstore either through a printed anthology or electronic reserve. XanEdu also provides liability insurance for their clients, which would help the college avoid copyright lawsuits. From one perspective, XanEdu may be a step up from the current online reserves. When they give you the electronic course pack, you get some kind of software

where you can highlight the text and share sections with your study mates. It has a lot of bells and whistles that a .pdf doesnt have, said Washburn. Thus far, the new policy has been presented to the Library Education & Technology Committee and the Watzek SAC, with plans to bring the policy to an upcoming faculty meeting, likely to take place in April. The policy will be implemented in the Graduate school this summer as a test run, and, if everything runs smoothly, will debut at the CAS in the fall. The policy committee, however, is optimistic about the new policys implementation and use. Washburn likened the new course packets to the anthologies currently used by several departments, including Sociology, Anthropology and History. I truly dont think there will be much impact. Theres a growing number of resources that are free that faculty can choose from. There are growing resources that our library has that are free, or already paid for by the library. And then it might take faculty a little bit of time to figure out the best combination of resources to keep the costs low.

Oregon congressman Blumenauer (CAS 70) visits campus

BY MICAH LEINBACH
Staff Writer

Oregon Congressman and Lewis & Clark double alum Earl Blumenauer visited last Monday and spoke at a lunch hosted by the Law School. Over the course of an hour with President Barry Glassner, the deans of all three schools and a range of staff and faculty from across the institution, he discussed issues ranging from campus gridlock to Portlands bike culture. Blumenhauer graduated from the College of Arts and Sciences in

1970 with a degree in political science and later earned his J.D. from the law school. His relationship to the school has remained strong, and Dean of the Law School Robert Klonoff introduced him as A very loyal alum...one of our great champions. Congressman Blumenhauer drew on the interests and concerns of the constituents hosting him, asking every attendee to introduce themselves alongside a policy issue concerning them. The business and environmental law programs

were well represented and conversation easily turned to gridlock and issues of sustainability. President Glassners own policy interest was short and to the point: support higher education. Blumenhauer never strayed far from education, not only tying it to its role in fostering citizenship but speaking on its economic and cultural value as well. Education is the citys number one business, he claimed excitedly. 3,000 full-time tourists, he said, raising his hands to indicate the

school around him. This is a convention 300 days a year! The congressman was reflective as he sat in the Law Schools Faculty reading room, under a wall of glass overlooking Tryon. I had a marvelous experience, he said of his time at LC. The connections I made continue to affect my ability to do my job...I have great pride in what the institution has done. I am under no illusions about the challenges we are in, Blumenhauer said, speaking now to LC as representative of the larger educational dilemmas affecting the college. Later, Dean of the Graduate School Scott Fletcher posed the question, What, at the federal level, can we do to really invest in a curriculum that benefits all students? In education, we have over 17,000 units of government politicians at the state and federal level who, I think, should be dealing with providing [educational]

resources, Blumenhauer responded, rather than making up for the lack of improvement with another set of rules. Education got personal when Blumenhauer spoke to his own childrens experience. All three of them together, working, could not support one of their tuitions, he said. He could pay his college tuition by working, he explained, referencing the rising price of a college education. Getting beyond education, he spoke to the political ramifications of an educated youth. We have to be smarter about how we communicate politically, he said, and more inclusive in our strategies. I think we are really at the point where we can engage younger people, he said. It is exciting to me to watch the pivot and the hot button social issues of marriage equality...your students wonder what the issue is, and because of that, it wont be an issue.

The editors would like to correct misinformation in two of the News articles from the 3/16 issue. In the article Students sickened by virus, on page 3, it was said that the health center only agreed to see a few people who exhibited symptoms. This is not to say that anybody seeking care was turned away. The health center saw all patients that came in who displayed symptoms and encouraged those who did not come in to wash their hands and take general health precautions. Furthermore, the speculation that the virus was spread via food in the Bon is only one of many possibilities for the spread of the virus. The health center is unable to ascertain how the virus was spread or the exact nature of the virus. In the article Students push for greater involvement in hiring process, on page 2, it was said that the fact that John Holzwarth was denied tenure does not mean that he is fired or is leaving. In actuality, professors who are denied tenure must leave one year after the committees ruling. Therefore, because Holzwarth was notified over the summer, this will be his final semester at Lewis & Clark.

Corrections

PHOTO BY MAGGIE MCDERMUT

Earl Blumenauer, CAS and Law School alum, discussed education policy at a lunch hosted by the Law School on Monday.