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News

Study abroad, but step lightly on historic sites

By Lindsey Marburger | February 19

When I was little, I knew what old was. My grandparents were ancient and my parents were pretty darn old. Once I entered elementary school, I learned all about U.S. history, and those founding fathers from the 18th century seemed incomprehensibly remote. How did humans even exist then? Did they talk like us? Did they breathe oxygen and like "The Boxcar Children" like me? Yesterday, I was confronted with one of the founding fathers' contemporaries, the minute general Napoleon.

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News

Vermont college bans Wikipedia as primary source

By Kaylor Garcia | February 19

The history department of Vermont's Middlebury College decided to ban students from citing Wikipedia as a primary source in their papers for this spring semester. While AU advises students to take advantage of the library's resources for papers as alternatives to Wikipedia, many AU students use Wikipedia as a start-off point.

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News

SG divides account funds between four student organizations

By Cassie Passinault | February 19

The Undergraduate Senate passed two new bills Sunday, one establishing a bike-lending program and another approving the transfer of restricted funds for spring programming. The restricted Student Government account holds over $17,000, which was split up between the Kennedy Political Union ($13,500), the Student Union Board ($1,000), the Kogod Undergraduate Business Association ($500) and the Class of 2009 ($1,000).

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News

Young artists stage Mozart classic

By Vanessa C. Mueller | February 19

Last week, the Washington National Opera's Domingo-Cafritz Young Artists Program staged Mozart's "Cos Fan Tutte" at the Opera Studio in Takoma Park. All of the major roles, including singers, musicians, conductor and director, were played by members of the program.

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News

Preferred lender list may not be best for students

By Tony Romm | February 19

One of the largest contributors to students' financial stresses comes right from the schools' financial aid offices, Vice President of Media Relations at My Rich Uncle, a student loan company, Karin Pellmann said. According to Pellmann, the enemy is the preferred lender list.

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Sports

Eagle Sports brief: Track competes at PL Championships

February 19

On the final day of the Patriot League Championships on Sunday, the American University men's track team won league titles in the 800, 1,000 meters and mile, placing fourth in the team standings. AU swept the top four spots in the mile, led by junior Brendan Fennell, who took first with a final time of 4:06.

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Sports

Wrestlers snap 4-match losing streak

By Dave Stone | February 19

The AU wrestlers faced off against the East Stroudsburg Warriors in their last dual meet of the season on Saturday, and came away with a win to bring their record to 9-10 for the season. Wrestling by Pennsylvania rules, the match started at the 197-lb weight class with redshirt junior Evan Murtaugh, who took a forfeit.

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Sports

Lax takes first season opener since 2002

By Erin Keaveney | February 19

In their first season-opening victory since 2002, the AU women's lacrosse team defeated Davidson on Saturday, 9-5, at Maryland's Women's Lacrosse Complex. The Eagles began the first game of the 2007 season in an early hole, when Davidson's Cheli Bleda scored just under two minutes into the first half.

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News

'Rider' goes down in shameful flames

By Christopher Patriquin | February 19

"Ghost Rider" is one of the worst films in recent history. It's difficult to know where to begin with this review, as "Ghost Rider" cannot be explained easily. The failure of this film cannot be ascribed to any single flaw, but rather a whole mess of them coming together into one giant cinematic fecal explosion.

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News

Article says online sources diminish need for library

By Patricio Chile | February 19

Students prefer online resources and databases to traditional print sources in libraries, according to an article in Educause Review. This switch to online sources has led libraries to change the services they offer to meet students' more high-tech needs.

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Opinion

Perfunctory Primary Pondering

By Jacob Shelly | February 19

Political columnists regularly find two temptations irresistible: D.C. silliness being one and relentless horse race "analysis" being the other. These are frequently substitutes for substance. This week, in the spirit of the David Broders and Maureen Dowds of the world, I will succumb to both temptations in the same column.

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News

'Crusade' keeps addiction alive

By Eric Ford | February 19

Eight million people paying $15 a month evidently wasn't enough for the creators of "World of Warcraft." "Burning Crusade," the new expansion to the hit massively multiplayer online role playing game (MMORPG) will ensure that any players thinking about quitting will never get the chance to do so.

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News

First female prez elected at Harvard

By Kaitlyn Houston | February 19

The Harvard Corporation elected Drew Gilpin Faust as the first woman to serve as Harvard University's president in its 371-year history on Feb. 11. "This is a great day, and a historic day, for Harvard," James R. Houghton, the senior member of the Harvard Corporation and chair of the presidential search committee, said in a press release.

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Sports

Recent turnaround has men's basketball seniors thinking about one last run at Patriot League title

By Patrick Ambrosio | February 19

With the most experienced roster in the Patriot League and confidence after a successful offseason trip to Europe, the AU men's basketball team began the season with dreams of winning the school's first Patriot League championship. After starting out the season with a 9-2 record, the Eagles appeared to be ready to make some noise in conference play, but a 3-7 start left the team looking for answers.

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Sports

Swim teams make splash to start PLs

By Anna Tuman | February 19

It was a big weekend for AU swimming as both the men's and women's teams traveled to Bucknell University in Lewisburg, Pa., to compete in the Patriot League Championships, their biggest meet of the season. On Friday, junior Meghan Thiel defended her title in the 500 free, keeping a steady pace of 29 seconds per a lap for a 4:49.

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News

Quirky pop outfit delights with sweet sounds

By Caitlin Servilio | February 19

When Rob Schneider, the lead singer of the Apples in Stereo, joyfully sang, "The whole world is made of energy," at the Black Cat last Tuesday night, the crowd had no choice but to believe him. After all, the Apples were already halfway through its infectiously catchy set and were generating enough energy to power U Street for weeks.

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News

National brief: Vote on Iraq War troop increase blocked in Senate

By Jimm Phillips | February 19

Supporters of a nonbinding resolution criticizing President Bush's decision to deploy an additional 21,500 troops to Iraq were not able to get the number of votes needed to advance the Senate version of the measure on Saturday, according to The Associated Press.

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