Presumptive Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney announced the selection of Rep. Paul Ryan, R-Wis., as his running mate at a campaign rally Saturday morning in Norfolk, Va., The New York Times reported. Ryan, chair of the House Budget Committee, has been instrumental in developing the Republican Party's plans to cut taxes and spending and has advocated for restructuring the Medicare program. Romney and Ryan will tour the country under the campaign slogan "America's Comeback Team," The Times reported. Romney called the other finalists for the position on Friday night and thanked them for their support throughout his campaign, according to The Times. Sen. Rob Portman '78, R-Ohio, who was on Romney's short list for potential vice-presidential candidates, said Ryan's selection was a "great choice," according to The Times.
A U.S. District Court rejected a proposal on Friday by three scholarly publishers that would have created rigorous guidelines for the distribution of copyrighted course materials at Georgia State University, according to Inside Higher Ed. The decision in favor of the university follows a failed four-year lawsuit by the publishers, who have demanded claims for the unauthorized distribution of copyrighted materials through Georgia State library's "e-reserve" policy, Inside Higher Ed reported. Judge Orinda Evans, who presided over the case, ruled in favor of the university in 94 of the 99 allegations and said that Georgia State's use of the copyrighted materials qualifies as "fair use" under the relevant copyright laws. The court also ordered that the publishers to pay Georgia State's litigations fees, which will likely be expensive given the duration of the case, Inside Higher Ed said.
During a conference call on Sunday, Pennsylvania State University trustees moved not to take a vote on whether to ratify the NCAA sanctions for the university's handling of the Jerry Sandusky sexual abuse scandal because they had not been given the necessary 10-day notice required for a vote, according to The Chronicle of Higher Education. The majority of the trustees, however, praised university President Rodney Erickson for signing the consent decree for the NCAA penalties, which included $60 million in fines and a four-year ban on the football program's postseason activity. The board had initially scheduled the vote after some trustees thought the board had to ratify Erickson's decision, but Penn State's general counsel Stephen Dunham confirmed that Erickson has full discretion in handling NCAA decisions, according to The Chronicle. When addressing the trustees, Erickson said that his decision to accept the penalties "was far and away the most difficult decision I've ever made in my 40-year professional career," The Chronicle reported.
