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News

The hit list

October 24

1. District Spooktacular Halloween's a-comin', kids. Pay your respects to the District's haunts before donning a ridiculous costume and trying to blend in with the local trick-or-treating crowd (ages 4-12) by attending one of these Halloween-appropriate walking tours.

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News

Ladner accepts $3.7 million settlement from board

By Megan Slack | October 24

Former AU President Benjamin Ladner accepted a $950,000 settlement payment from the university today, along with a deferred compensation package, which includes a life insurance policy of close to $1 million and about $1.75 million dollars from retirement accounts.

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Opinion

Letters to the editor

October 24

Dear Editor, I'd like to make some clarifications in the debate over the banning of military recruiters from American University.ÿ Firstly, there is a distinct difference between active-duty recruiters dispatched by the various branches of the military who promote enlistment in the military and student-organized recruitment for ROTC programs.

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News

Czeching in with Nohavica's folk

By Andrew Yonki | October 24

Known more for hockey pucks and beer, the Czech Republic is not the world's leading exporter of folk music to the United States. Perhaps it can be attributed to the fact that Czechs, as an ethnic group in America, are not as large or as united or as vocal, as, say, the Irish or Germans.

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News

AU students attend Howard homecoming

By Noelle Harmon | October 24

Despite rainy weather, Howard University's homecoming on Saturday drew alumni, celebrities, fans and crowds of students, including a significant number of people from the AU community. The football game between Howard and North Carolina A&T and the post-game celebrations ended nine days of homecoming festivities held on the campus of the predominantly black 7,500-student university in Northwest D.

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Sports

For field hockey, going south a good thing

By Jesse Epstein | October 24

Somewhere far away from here, on a city street in Santiago, Chile, a young girl walks with a field hockey stick, thinking about the sport she loves, and her future in it. In all likelihood, she doesn't see leaving the Santiago streets as part of that future.

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News

Hundreds attend Katzen official opening

By Katherine Stump | October 24

Amid tuxedos, live piano music, brilliant lights and displays of both the performing and visual arts, the Cyrus and Myrtle Katzen Arts Center was officially opened on Thursday night at the President's Circle Dinner. An estimated 900 benefactors, alumni, artists and friends and family of the Katzens attended the center's first big gala.

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News

Board elects Abramson as new chair

By Kate Oczypok and Megan Slack | October 24

The AU board of trustees reached an agreement late in the week which would give former President Benjamin Ladner the choice to accept a severance package worth between $3 million and $4 million, or be fired "for cause" and jeopardize the severance offer, a source close to the board told The Washington Post.

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News

Bewitching woods'

By Kelly Johnson | October 24

Witches and bakers and beanstalks ... oh my! Stephen Sondheim's "Into the Woods" tells the story of the struggle of a baker and his wife to reverse a curse placed on them by the witch next door, which prevents them from having a child. They must go into the woods to get the materials the witch needs to end the spell, and while on their journey they come in contact with various fairy tale characters.

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Sports

Men's soccer drops 1st-place Raiders

By Katie Munroe | October 24

With the battle for a Patriot League playoff spot tightening, the AU men's soccer team delivered under pressure, defeating Colgate, 3-1, on Saturday at Reeves Field. The win over the then-first-place Raiders may have only complicated the standings, pushing the Eagles into a four-way tie for the PL top spot.

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News

AU health center ready for flu season

By Katherine Stump | October 24

AU's Health Center has prepared for this year's flu season by ordering more flu shots than ever before, as the companies who make the vaccine plan to avoid last year's shortage, said Kathy Haldeman, director of the Wellness Center. Last year, the Chiron Corporation, a British company, was expected to provide 50 million flu shots, about half the U.

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News

Family weekend centers on life at AU

By Josh Goodman | October 24

This year's annual Family and Alumni Weekend chose to center on life as an AU student, according to Dr. Faith Leonard, dean of students at AU. The weekend began on Friday with open classes and an invitation for parents to eat in TDR for a discounted rate.

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News

Music notes

October 24

The Audition "Controversy Loves Company" (Victory Records) Sounds Like: Fall Out Boy, The Academy Is B It seems as though the pop/punk sensibility of Blink 182 has faded away into mere memories of our teenage pasts. However, a new batch of so called punksters has emerged from the ashes of the post-teenybopper movement and has bombarded the music scene with images of young kids rocking out in tight, high-collared Lacoste shirts and ripped jeans.

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News

Sukkot celebrated by AU Jewish groups

By John Riley | October 24

Students and members of the AU community participated in Sukkot, the Jewish festival of the harvest by living in a temporary shelter and bonding together through events sponsored by AU Hillel. In keeping with the traditions of Sukkot, where Jewish people are supposed to live in temporary huts, Hillel set up a sukkah, or hut with openings in the roof, on the main Quad.

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News

Blackboard network plans to merge with WebCT company

By Steve Dorsey | October 24

AU's Internet-based course networking system, Blackboard, and another similar leading e-learning company, WebCT, began planning last week for their merger, a move that will join two of the largest higher education learning networks in the world. Blackboard operates AU's student and faculty communication system, allowing professors to post assignments and grades and students to virtually interact with teachers and classmates.

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Opinion

Staff editorial: Katzen opens in style

October 24

This past Thursday evening the Katzen Arts Center was officially opened during a black-tie, invitation-only party. While it was nice to see the complex lauded by the board, donors and others, it is disappointing that students were not welcome to attend the opening event.

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Opinion

Raising Hell for Harriet

By Robert Idlett | October 24

The Harriet Miers nomination is a joke. The American people should be insulted that President Bush saw her fit for duty the Supreme Court. In the minds of most people who have at least a clue as to how the judicial system works, Miers is a kindergartner on a playing field for grown-ups.

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