News - The Eagle

News

MacCracken wins presidency

By Ethan Klapper | April 2

Andrew MacCracken was elected Student Government president Wednesday night, garnering 43.8 percent of the vote. MacCracken, a sophomore in the School of Public Affairs, will take office at the end of the month. He'll be joined by Vice President-elect Alex Prescott, a junior in the Kogod School of Business, Secretary-elect Colin Meiselman, a junior in SPA and Comptroller-elect Matthew Handverger, a sophomore in SPA.

News

Campus brief

April 2

Kyrie Bannar, a junior in the School of Public Affairs and the College of Arts and Sciences, received the prestigious Harry S. Truman Scholarship, according to an AU press release. Bannar will be the 16th AU student to receive the award and the ninth in nine years.

News

National brief

April 2

A 13-year-old boy allegedly bit 11 students at a Des Moines, Iowa, middle school between Feb. 10 and Mar. 13, the Des Moines Register reported. The boy's father told police that his son was biting people because he had seen the movie "Twilight," according to the Register.

News

Campus calendar

April 2

Thursday, April 2 Concert: The Atrium Series 1 p.m. WHERE: Battelle-Tompkins Atrium INFO: Students can attend a free performance of "Two by Two: The Duos of Bela Bartok" during this Department of Performing Arts-sponsored event. CONTACT: For more information, visit american.

News

Journos emphasize peace

By Lindsey Anderson | April 2

Soon after the start of the Iraq War in 2003, many Americans turned to artists like Bob Dylan and John Lennon as a way of condemning the invasion's waste and corruption, according to Henry Schwarz, director of the 2009 "Cry Havoc! Poetry of War and Remembrance 1968-2008" symposium at Georgetown University.

News

Police blotter

April 2

March 25 A community member ingested a possible poisonous substance in Letts Hall. Public Safety officers responded and made contact with the community member. D.C. Fire Department, Emergency Medical Services and the Metropolitan Police Department responded.

News

New Web site unveiled

By Julia Ryan | April 2

Members of the AU community gathered on Monday in the Katzen Arts Center to celebrate the unveiling of AU's newly redesigned Web site, which combines new technologies with user feedback to create a dynamic site that brings out the best aspects of AU. President Neil Kerwin made the opening remarks, in which he thanked the AU community for coming together and making the site a collaborative effort.

FLYING HIGH - A banner advertising the Mike Mayer Show hangs off the side of the Bender Arena parking garage.

News

Campaign sign banned

By Tamar Hallerman | April 2

The Board of Elections told former Student Government presidential candidate Mike Mayer to take down a campaign banner hanging from the side of the parking garage next to Bender Arena Monday. The 15-foot canvas drop-cloth, which Mayer and a few of his friends hung up late Sunday night, had "Mike Mayer for President: Vote Tuesday" written in paint.

News

Metro brief

April 2

Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority officials plan to send the broken rail that caused Friday's derailments to a laboratory for testing, Assistant General Manager for Rail Dave Kubicek told The Washington Post Monday. The broken track, which caused two derailments between the Bethesda and Friendship Heights stations, will be sent to a laboratory that examines airplanes after crashes, Kubicek told the Post.

GETTING ACTIVE - The School of Communication's Distinguished Journalist-In-Residence Nick Clooney opened up to students, faculty and others about his experiences with his son (actor George Clooney) battling the genocide in Darfur.

News

Clooney urges action

By Olivia Stitilis | April 2

AU's Distinguished Journalist-in-Residence Nick Clooney Monday night shared his thoughts on his and his son's (actor George Clooney) efforts in Sudan and how they plan to continue their efforts despite the many obstacles they have encountered. The School of Communication Undergraduate Council, SOC Graduate School Council and STAND, a student-led initiative of the Genocide Intervention Network, kicked off SOC Week March 30 with the event, "Journey to Darfur with Nick Clooney.

News

Feds issue Jan. 20 apology

By Jack Weingart | April 2

Federal law enforcement officials provided answers and apologized March 25 to the thousands of ticket-holders who were excluded from President Obama's inauguration ceremony on Jan. 20 despite waiting in line for hours. U.S. Secret Service Director Mark Sullivan and U.

News

Internet provokes debate

By Lindsey Anderson | April 2

Forty percent of the U.S. populace believes that people and dinosaurs existed together, School of Communication professor Danna Walker said during an American Forum event Monday night. The event's panelists debated whether or not the media are making the public dumber and harming relationships.

News

Student Government brief

March 30

AU's Undergraduate Senate voted unanimously Sunday to not reinstate Class of 2012 Sen. Josh Roll. Roll was suspended for a poor attendance record after he missed three senate meetings and multiple committee meetings this semester. "He hasn't been active, he hasn't attended meetings and I think that reflects poorly on the office that he holds," said Class of 2010 Sen.

News

Essay writing service sneaks below radar

By Meg Fowler | March 30

AU faculty members currently combine manpower and computer power to detect violations of academic integrity amongst their students, but online paper mills may put a wrinkle in that system. Essay Writers is an online paper mill that is unique because its custom papers are "invisible" to search engines designed to catch plagiarism in student papers, according to The Chronicle of Higher Education.

News

National brief

March 30

Police in South Beach, Fla., arrested ShowWow spokesman Vince Shlomi last month on charges of felony battery after he allegedly hit a suspected prostitute, United Press International reported Saturday. Shlomi allegedly confessed to hitting Sasha Harris after she bit his tongue while kissing, according to UPI.

News

International brief

March 30

Millions of homes, businesses and buildings went dark Saturday night during a global initiative to conserve electricity, CNN.com reported. The initiative, called Earth Hour, took place at 8:30 p.m. local time around the world. Participants turned their lights off for one hour to symbolically show support for the movement against global climate change, according to CNN.

News

Popularity of life skill courses grows

By Carol Cummings | March 30

While some colleges are altering their general education policies, AU's current program effectively serves the interests of its students, said Senior Vice Provost and Dean of Academic Affairs Haig Mardirosian. Students at AU, like at many other colleges, must complete a disciplined general education program in order to graduate.