The Daily Northwestern — November 18, 2015

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OPINION Stocker We must prevent tragedy from dividing us » PAGE 6

SPORTS Men’s Swimming Schroeder passes on his love for the sport » PAGE 8

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The Daily Northwestern Wednesday, November 18, 2015

DAILYNORTHWESTERN.COM

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In Focus

As University recruits more low-income students, expensive textbooks, supplies still present a barrier for many

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By SHANE MCKEON

daily senior staffer @Shane_McKeon

Lindsey Pape was eyeing a second major. Pape, then a freshman studying Radio, Television and Film, considered expanding her studies with environmental science: After all, she wants to make documentaries about the

environment. But then she started adding up the costs of General Chemistry and Math 220, the first two classes in the environmental science sequence: the textbooks, the online program subscriptions, a clicker for class. The total climbed above $300. She decided against it. Pape, who receives financial aid and is work-study eligible, said she didn’t feel comfortable asking her parents to pay that much money so she could

explore a new field. “I had no idea what I should do about it,” the Communication sophomore said. “It just seemed like, ‘Well, I can’t afford the books, so I can’t afford the major.’” Abby Issarraras, whose financial aid covers nearly all her cost of attendance, said she walked into Blick Art Materials and learned the supplies pack for her art class would cost more than $100. She’d need to pay for the supplies out

‘Broad City’ stars to speak at NU By EMILY CHIN

daily senior staffer @emchin24

A&O Productions and NU Hillel will be bringing the stars of “Broad City” to Northwestern, A&O and Fiedler Hillel announced Tuesday. “Broad City,” a sitcom that first aired on Comedy Central, follows the characters played by Abbi Jacobson and Ilana Glazer, the creators and lead actors of the show. The duo will speak about their friendship and work relationship, as well as their Jewish backgrounds. “Their show is about two people who are young and learning and doing things as things go,” said Communication senior Eytan Boclin, director of speakers for A&O. “It’s their friendship that we can all identify with and love to see on scene.” Organizers said they hope students will also be able to connect with the speakers’ Jewish background. They chose “Broad City” because the actresses serve as role models for the Jewish community on campus, said Weinberg senior Mitchell

Source: Broad City on Facebook

Abbi Jacobson and Ilana Glazer

Caminer, Hillel co-president. “Every year when we’re planning our speaker events we brainstorm relevant Jewish artists who we think would appeal to the students at large,” said Communication senior Lauren Kandell, communications co-chair and speakers co-chair of Hillel. “When we were brainstorming, we thought it would be a really opportune time to bring ‘Broad City’ to campus.” Boclin said A&O and Hillel decided to work together because previous collaborations have been successful and Hillel wanted to work with an organization that

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has experience coordinating large-scale events. The event will be in the format of an interview, in which students will have the opportunity to submit questions through a Google form prior to the event. Communication Prof. Catherine Carrigan will moderate the event. Jacobson and Glazer will be performing on campus Thursday. Students can buy tickets from the Norris Box Office website. emilychin2018@u.northwestern.edu

of pocket, and if she did, she wouldn’t have the money to fly home for Thanksgiving. Forced to choose between seeing her family and exploring an interest, she chose the former and dropped Introduction to Painting. “I can’t afford to take a class just for fun,” the Communication junior said. “Isn’t that college? Doing things just for fun?” Expensive textbooks and supplies

CTA, Pace and Metra to launch new mobile app

Chicago transit riders will be able to access the city’s Ventra system via a new mobile app starting Thursday. Chicago Transit Authority, Metra and Pace announced Friday that the app would be available for free on Apple and Android devices later this week. The release — delayed by poor user experience and technical glitches — marks a significant step toward paperless payment. Metra passengers will be able to pay for train rides using virtual tickets on their smartphones, but Pace and CTA riders can initially only reload cards and view estimated arrival times. Later on, officials said, everyone will have the ability to pay for rides by tapping their smartphones on a Ventra reader. This technology — near-field communication — already exists in the some devices but has not yet

Jacob Swan

/Daily Seni

or Staffer

can alarm students, prompting some to forgo a class or a major if the price is too high. But costs are often beyond the University’s control: The textbook market sets the price for books, and lowcost digital alternatives aren’t always available. The issue of textbook accessibility is primed to intensify as Northwestern aims for 20 percent of freshmen in fall » See IN FOCUS, page 4 been integrated onto buses and at train stations. “The Ventra app has always been envisioned as the next step in a modern fare payment system,” CTA spokeswoman Tammy Chase told The Daily last month. “It’s the first of its kind in the United States in terms of being multi-transit agency.” Developers began working on the app in 2014, a year after the implementation of Ventra, Chicago’s $519 million fare payment system. After its initial delay in May, officials partnered with a local technology consultant to help improve the app. Since then, more than 700 individuals have provided feedback on the technology. “We get one chance to make a first impression,” Chase said last month. “We vowed to the public that (the app) would not be launched until we had tested the heck out of it — not just kicking the tires, but kicking the tires hard.” — David Fishman

INSIDE Around Town 2 | On Campus 3 | Opinion 6 | Classifieds & Puzzles 6 | Sports 8


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