News

News

International brief

February 23

A hippopotamus that weighs nearly 1,800 pounds has moved into a sewage treatment facility in Cape Town, South Africa, officials told the Associated Press Thursday. The four-year-old hippo, named Zorro because of a zigzag scar on his back, found his way into the facility after a portion of the surrounding fence was stolen, the AP reported.

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News

International brief

February 19

Storstockholms Lokaltrafik, the transit authority in Stockholm, Sweden, has demanded an arts university pay more than $10,000 after a student allegedly painted graffiti in a train and smashed a window, the BBC reported. Magnugs Nugstafsson submitted a video of the vandalism, titled "Territorial Pissing" as his art thesis at the University College of Arts, Craft and Design, according to the BBC.

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News

Privacy laws changed

By Lindsey Anderson | February 19

Recent changes in the Family Rights and Privacy Act clarify what information a college can disclose and under what circumstances, according to AU Dean of Students Robert Hradsky. The new regulations were announced by the Department of Education in December after more than a year of debate regarding the act, known as FERPA, and the shootings at Virginia Tech in 2007, according to the Chronicle of Higher Education.

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News

Campus brief

February 19

AU Provost Scott Bass signed a five-year agreement with the National Archives, AU announced in a press release this week. The agreement will allow for collaborative work between teachers, students and the Archives. AU faculty will be able to work with members of the archive staff on projects; they will also be able to consult archive staff with questions.

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News

National brief

February 19

A Bellevue, Wash., man turned the tables on two burglars who had broken into his house by driving off in their getaway van Feb. 10, The Seattle Times reported. Patrick Rosario said he was at home because he had recently been laid off from his job at Washington Mutual.

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News

AU looks for new Napster

By Marisa Kendall | February 19

With funding issues shutting down many online music services, the AU administration has had no luck in finding a provider that could replace Napster as students' source of free music. Ruckus Network closed down on Feb. 6, ending its service that provided free and legal music to students at more than 200 colleges, according to the Chronicle of Higher Education.

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News

D.C. may impose bag tax

By Jade-Yasmin Taenzler | February 19

D.C. Councilman Tommy Wells introduced a bill Tuesday that may place a 5-cent fee on all single-use plastic and paper carryout bags from grocery stores, food vendors, convenience stores and many other vendors - such as AU's Eagle's Nest. In addition, the legislation will require these plastic and paper carryout bags be recyclable.

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News

Quad Times creators call AU 'test ground'

By Katie Litvin | February 19

Quad Times, an online forum for AU students created in January, was not created with AU in mind and may expand its coverage to other universities in the future, the site's creators told The Eagle last Thursday. Two college students - David Hocheiser and Matt Webster - run the site.

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News

AU Audio Tech seeks makeover

By Clare Shepherd | February 19

With only elbow grease, a Lowe's account and a dearth of funds, College of Arts and Sciences professor Robert Fair and his audio students have delivered vast improvements to the Audio Technology department's mixing and mastering suite over the last few weeks.

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News

Forum assesses gov't reporting

By Tamar Hallerman | February 19

The number of newspapers with D.C. bureaus has declined by half since 1985, School of Communication professor Wendell Cochran said during an American Forum Tuesday night. Cochran and the forum's panelists discussed how this decline in Washington reporting for localized media has affected average Americans.

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News

Metro brief

February 19

A D.C. man filed a class-action lawsuit Tuesday against the D.C. Water and Sewer Authority on claims his children were harmed by elevated amounts of lead in the water between 2001 and 2004, The Washington Post reported. John Parkhurst claims his two children, who were toddlers at the time, have suffered learning and behavior problems as a result of the contamination, according to the Post.

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Students prepare to paint murals on Anderson 5

By Jade-Yasmin Taenzler | February 19

Abby Wihl takes a step forward, focuses her eyes on the 4-by-6-foot surface, and steps back again. She tries to figure out how to best transfer the paper draft of a wall painting in her hand to the wall. Wihl stands in the middle of the fifth floor lounge in Anderson Hall.

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News

Police blotter

February 19

Feb. 11 Graffiti was found on a wall in Katzen Arts Center, written in black ink. Officials contacted Aramark to have it removed. A student was stuck in a Hughes Hall elevator. A resident director, Facilities Management personnel and the D.C. Fire Department responded.

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News

Campus calendar

February 19

Thursday, Feb. 19 Workshop: "Job Searching in an Economic Downturn" 9:30-10:30 a.m. WHERE: Kogod School of Business, Harris Lounge INFO: Learn some career tips and tricks to give you an edge during struggling economic times at this event hosted by the Kogod Center for Career Development.

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News

Dorm security may change

By Tamar Hallerman | February 16

Despite mixed reactions from residents about the double-barrier security system installed in Letts Hall over winter break, Director of Housing and Dining Programs Chris Moody said his team wants to expand the security system to the rest of the residence halls within the next few years. Until this semester, Letts residents only had to use swipe access once when they entered the building - at the front door, with an AU identification card. That is the same system used in all other dorms on campus, except Nebraska Hall. Moody said the double-barrier system adds another layer of security to Letts, where students must swipe their IDs again to get through the doors that lead to the residential part of the building.

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News

Author expresses hope for Iraq

By Lindsey Anderson | February 16

For the first time, the situation in Iraq does not feel like utter chaos, according to Anthony Shadid, a Pulitzer-Prize winning journalist and author. He said he noticed the difference when he recently visited the country and found it to be quite different from how it was between 2003 and 2006.

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What restaurants do you want at AU?

February 16

"I want something that will take a meal swipe. I think that that's more important because if you look at on the weekends, there's nothing besides TDR, and TDR is not always the best option, depending on what food you're looking for. I don't care what kind of food it is as long as I can use a meal swipe.

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