Just several days after the first members of the AU Class of 2020 received their early decision acceptance letters, The Eagle reflects on the events that shaped the fall semester for the current campus community. 2015 proved to be a big year for the school, full of both controversy and progress. With lots of events lined up for 2016, here’s a look back at the headlines that shaped the first half of the school year.
In early August, President Barack Obama addressed the AU community to discuss a nuclear accord with Iran. One month later, Daily Show Correspondent Jessica Williams inspired women and minorities to speak out for their beliefs. Over the course of the semester, Student Government helped pilot a sexual assault prevention program for Welcome Week, an alum discovered a new species, police arrested a former faculty member in TDR and the Tenleytown community moved forward with plans to open a District Taco, Beefsteak and Chick-fil-a. AU also earned recognition as a top college for queer women and a highly ranked journalism institution. It’s been a busy semester, but The Eagle has been there to report on it all. Here’s a recap of the top stories from the 2015 fall academic semester:
AUGUST
- Obama offers a deal or a war in speech at SIS (August 5)
- Try Burger, Tap & Shake’s mouth-watering menu items (August 24)
- Gold Standard: AU field hockey coach leads U.S. women's national team to victory (August 24)
- Sexual assault prevention program ‘Empower AU’ piloted during Welcome Week (August 31)
- Concert Review: The White Panda performs at SUB Welcome Week show in Tavern (August 31)
SEPTEMBER
- Students celebrate AU Night at Nationals Park (September 1)
- “Popemobile” equals restaurant deals (September 21)
- Faculty Senate passes resolution supporting free speech in wake of trigger warnings debate (September 22)
- AU PhD student helps discover new species (September 22)
- Op-ed: Protest Madeleine Albright’s October visit to AU (September 24)
OCTOBER
- Campus Security Report shows an increase in reported sex offenses, liquor law violations in 2014 (October 1)
- Former professor arrested in TDR while protesting worker benefits (October 14)
- On the rebound: The transformative power of sports in education (October 18)
- University proposal suggests allowing alcohol in residence halls (October 27)
- Rae Sremmurd showed AU students what “SremmLife” is really about at AU concert (October 30)
NOVEMBER
- AU worker’s rights activists announce TDR worker’s hours restored after cuts earlier this semester (November 2)
- In pursuit of a more inclusive university (November 4)
- Islamophobic posters found on campus made Muslim students feel unsafe (November 11)
- University to trade 8:55 a.m. start time for 8:10 a.m. (November 16)
- Volleyball wins 13th Patriot League title (November 22)
DECEMBER
- My Day in an ROTC Lab (December 1
- Renovation to MGC first floor to be completed fall 2016 (December 1
- Boyle finals at Cliff Keen Las Vegas Wrestling Invitational (December 11
- AU’s summer and fall graduates celebrated at December commencement (December 16)
- AU takes months to pay students for canceling housing (December 26)
The Eagle also published two print editions, which can be found on stands around campus and accessed online.
The Eagle would also like to honor the memory of the following individuals: Milton Greenberg, Julian Bond, Kevin Sutherland, Matthew Shlonsky, Mark Bevilacqua, Annette Normand and Tijuana Saunders who lost their lives over the summer and fall semester.
