No renewal for Schaler stirs debate

Leigh Giangreco

Tori Dalcourt

April 24, 2013

A group of students protested on April 24 against the University’s decision not to renew the contract of Assistant Professor Jeffrey Schaler.

Schaler taught in the Department of Justice, Law and Society starting in 1990, according to his university profile. During this time, he received a mix of praise and criticism from both students and faculty for his views. He taught “the myth of mental illness” in his courses and his published works include “Addiction is a Choice.”

“I saw that his name had been dropped from the class schedule,” said Skyler McKinley, a junior in the School of Public Affairs and School of Communication who tried to register for Schaler’s course, “Drugs and Society.”

Schaler is…

Anita Bonds wins at-large D.C. Council seat amid low turnout

Lindsay Sandoval

April 24, 2013

Interim At-Large Councilmember Anita Bonds will keep her seat on the D.C. Council for the next term, beating out five other challengers in a special election on April 23.

Bonds, the D.C. Democratic Party chair and former senior government official under former Mayor Marion Barry, assumed the temporary position when former at-large councilmember Phil Mendelson became city council chairman, according to her campaign website.

Matthew Frumin, head of the Advisory Neighborhood Commission of the Tenleytown and Friendship Heights area, finished fourth with 11 percent of the vote, despite a sizeable fundraising advantage.

Only 9.8 percent of eligible voters cast their ballots, almost a percentage point lower than the previous special election, according to…

RHA to hold special election after president-elect resigns

April 24, 2013

Residence Hall Association president-elect Alex McQuade resigned April 21 to accept a position as a resident assistant in Nebraska Hall, according to an RHA press release.

This resignation triggered a special election for his replacement that will be held between April 25 and 26.

The RHA constitution and RA contract state that a student cannot hold both positions, forcing McQuade to choose when an RA position opened up.

While RHA presidents have stepped down in the past, it has been after they were sworn in, according to outgoing President Fiona Erickson. Then, the vice president of administration and finance is sworn in as interim president and an RHA General Assembly votes on a new president.

The circumstances surrounding McQuade’s…

WCL alumna opens first all-local grocery store in Dupont Circle

Iulia Gheorghiu

Iulia Gheorghiu

April 24, 2013

Prompted by her passion for the environment and frustrated by the lack of legislative action, a Washington College of Law alumna opened a new grocery store in Dupont Circle featuring all-local produce and goods.

As a fourth generation grocer, Danielle Vogel used her genetic legacy to put her passion for environmentalism in action by opening Glen’s Garden Market.

After graduating from WCL in 2007, Vogel entered the Department of Justice to be an environmental litigator. Working on the Hill for more than 10 years, she lost faith in the passing of a global climate change bill, she said.

She continued pursuing environmental sustainability by turning to the “family business.”

Vogel’s grandfathers and her own father, after whom the venue…

Campus status as arboretum earns higher award for green efforts

Jordan-Marie Smith

April 24, 2013

Campus Beautification Day, the annual planting of trees and flowers and laying of mulch around the campus, had a record turnout of 392 staff, faculty and students volunteers April 16, according to Assistant Grounds Director Mark Feist.

In his 15 years at the University, Feist said he has never seen so many students and faculty work together to beautify AU’s campus.

During this year’s celebration, AU partnered with the Potomac, Md., public school system, whose students planted trees next to the Katzen Arts Museum.

The University plans to expand the areas behind Katzen Arts Museum into a forest in the future, Feist said. 

President Neil Kerwin announced AU’s elevated status as an arboretum from a Level One arboretum…

Transparency, lack of communication discussed during SG town hall

Chloe Johnson

April 24, 2013

SG representatives suggest a stronger presence on social media as a way to communicate goals and accomplishments to students.

Board of Trustees creates new student position

Tori Dalcourt

April 24, 2013

Board of Trustees Chairman Jeffrey Sine announced the creation of a new position for a Student Trustee-elect, during an open forum on April 4. This position will be in addition to the current job of Student Trustee.

The trustee-elect will serve a year shadowing the student trustee at Board meetings before he or she becomes the student trustee, which will make the transition process for the student representative on the board easier, Sine said.

The student trustee is a non-voting member of the Board, who is responsible for attending and participating in Board meetings, according to the AU Board of Trustees, Student Trustee & Student Trustee-Elect Application.

The Board proposed the creation of the position at the beginning of the…

Maddow decries constant U.S. war

MSNBC speaks in Bender Arena in 'Drift' book tour

Suzanne Gaber

April 24, 2013

MSNBC host Rachel Maddow discussed activism and war in the United States with AU students as part of her book tour on April 21 in Bender Arena.