Legal News

Jazz royalty grace Lisner

It was supposed to be a concert, but it unfolded like a character study. The first: a fiery black sheep who embraced her upbringing with every note, who lamented her tragedies as if she were performing a grandiose opera. When she looked out and said, "Hi, I'm Martha Wainwright", it had the same tone as a elementary school art teacher, not knowing if kindness and apology were to be extended in equal measure.

National briefs

New Orleans police superintendent retires The police superintendent of New Orleans announced his retirement Tuesday in the aftermath of the devastation from Hurricane Katrina. Eddie Compass chose to retire after several hundred of his officers deserted the force during the hurricane and two officers committed suicide.

'No faith' in Ladner, board tells students

Dozens of students rallying for President Benjamin Ladner's resignation surrounded both doors of the room where members of the board of trustees were meeting yesterday, about 20 were invited in to discuss Ladner's poor spending discretion and the board's lack of oversight and transparency.

Sports briefs

Volleyball overcomes hitting woes to win third PL contest The AU women's volleyball team overcame a hard-hitting Navy team and a rare game loss to overtake the Midshipmen in Annapolis Tuesday, 3-1 (30-22, 29-31, 30-23, 30-25). The Eagles (9-7. 3-0 Patriot League) lost the hitting battle, 64-58, for the first time this season.

Campus calendar

Thursday, Sept. 29 Table Talk Lunch Series 12:00 p.m., Kay Spiritual Life Center. "Hurricane Katrina: The Politics of the Disaster." Free to students; a donation of $5 from faculty and staff is requested. Reservations required. Contact x3320. Training Opportunity: Exploring Intercultural Communication 1-5 p.

Lichtman officially announces U.S. Senate run

American University history professor Allan Lichtman officially announced yesterday he is seeking the Democratic nomination for the U.S. Senate seat to be vacated by Sen. Paul Sarbannes (D-Md.) in 2006. Amid a crowd of middle school and college students, AU professors, and Bethesda residents at North Bethesda Middle School, Lichtman pledged to fight and be an advocate for ordinary Maryland residents and for the country at large if elected.

AU promotes student safety

Following the case of the missing Virginia Commonwealth University freshman, AU Public Safety warns that students should be aware of threats both on and off-campus to protect themselves. "Make sure someone, a roommate or another classmate, is aware of one's whereabouts at all times," said Capt.

Let's move AU forward

The fact that about half the Board of Trustees (as cited in the September 28, 2005 Washington Post) wants to retain Ladner, and even raise his salary to $800,000 with an additional $80,000 for his wife, reveals just how critical the current situation is and the scale of the challenge confronting us.

David Lynch extolls value of transcendental meditation

American University will soon be one of the first colleges to participate in a two-year research project on transcendental meditation and its effects on college students, said Bob Roth, vice President of the David Lynch Foundation. On Tuesday, David Lynch, the award-winning film director of "Mulholland Drive," "Twin Peaks" and "Blue Velvet," was joined in Bender Arena by quantum physicist Dr.

Five AU schools vote no confidence in Ladner

The following are the statements released by the respective faculties from the Kogod School of Business, the School of Communication, the College of Arts and Sciences, the School of International Service and the Washington College of Law.

Working OT can't solve women's soccer's problems

If AU's women's soccer team had one weakness Monday, it was set-play defense. Against Towson, that problem came to agonizing light. Towson scored two goals, one off a corner kick and one off a free kick, to beat AU in overtime, 2-1, at Reeves Field. Towson scored the game-winner off an Alison Reinhart free kick that got through the box and AU's 'keeper in the 106th minute.

On the surface, AU teams are divided

In 1965, baseball's Houston Astros got a quick horticultural lesson: Grass grows best outside. After their first season in the Astrodome, their natural-grass field withered away. So they replaced it with the growing technology of synthetic turf, and thus began turf wars, which have divided athletes, fans and sports medicine experts.

President Ladner's 1997 contract

Metro brief: Student shot after high school sports game

Students at three Montgomery County high schools are struggling to piece their lives back together after last week's football game that left a 15-year-old girl dead. "It's terrible," said Evan Levine, 18, a senior at James Hubert Blake High School, where Kanisha Neal was stabbed Friday night.

Jessica Alba goes 'Into the Blue'

"Jessica Alba plus Paul Walker equals cinema gold!" This must have been the premise from which "Into the Blue" was born. Granted, Jessica Alba certainly knows how to hold the attention of an audience, and Paul Walker is no slouch in the looks department, either.

Faculty Senate unanimously calls for Ladner's resignation

Posted Sept. 29 at 5:39 p.m. The Faculty Senate voted unanimously this afternoon to call for President Benjamin Ladner's resignation or removal, and to examine the university's governance structure. "Benjamin Ladner no longer has the moral authority to lead this university," said senator Philip Jacoby, a business professor who presented the motion to ask the president to step down.

Police blotter

Thursday, Sept. 23 A fire alarm was activated in Anderson Hall. After finding no signs of fire, Public Safety determined malicious intent to be the cause of the alarm. Students were observed with open alcohol containers in a car in the Centennial garage. The students were reprimanded, the alcohol was confiscated and a report was filed.