News

News

AU reacts as Gustav prompts Gulf evacuation

By Kaylor Garcia | September 4

AU students have mixed reactions about the impact of Hurricane Gustav. Gustav made landfall Monday near Cocodrie, La. as a Category 2 hurricane. The storm was a tropical depression as of Wednesday evening. The hurricane displaced 1.9 million people in Louisiana alone, stopped about 15 percent of oil refining in the Gulf Coast and left millions of dollars in damage, The Washington Post reported.

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Chancellor reforms D.C. public schools

By Elizabeth Royall | September 4

AU students and faculty are getting more involved in the debate over whether District of Columbia Public Schools Chancellor Michelle Rhee's shakeup of procedures and personnel in the D.C. public school system is doing more harm or good. The system is currently failing, said David Teslicko, a senior in the School of International Service.

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Public Safety teams with police

By Marisa Kendall | September 4

AU will continue to monitor students' off-campus behavior as the university increases its contact with local police departments, according to Public Safety Chief Michael McNair. The AU Student Conduct Code allows the university and local police to prosecute students for illegal activities that occur off campus.

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National brief

September 4

Hurricane Gustav proved to be weaker than expected, only narrowly brushing New Orleans and leaving 80,000 residents without power, according to The Washington Post. The National Weather Service downgraded the once-Category 4 hurricane to a tropical storm, The Post reported.

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International Brief

September 4

American military investigation revealed that an Aug. 22 air strike in Azizabad, Afghanistan, killed five to seven civilians and 30 to 35 Taliban, as opposed to the 90 civilian deaths the United Nations and Afghanistan's government reported during preliminary investigations, according to The New York Times.

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New movie sharing service receives mixed reviews

By Anna Tuman | September 4

The AU community now has access to PenguinShare, a movie sharing service created by two college students. Daniel Turcza, a student at Yale University, and Mark Rosenberg, a student at Grinnell University, created PenguinShare, Inc., as a free service that allows college students to borrow and share DVDs from their own movie collections through an online database.

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AU insurance lacks transgender coverage

By Tony Romm | September 4

In part two of this series, The Eagle examines transgender exclusion in AU's student health care plan, and the ways students are fighting to get those benefits covered. Atop Diversity Advocacy Director Jillian Rubino's desk rests a document that means the world to her and to countless other AU students.

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Campus housing overbooked

By Ethan Klapper | August 28

Demand for on-campus housing is currently at its highest level in five years, causing AU to place more than half of the freshman class in temporary triples and to offer upperclassmen alternative living arrangements in a hotel and apartment complex. Enrollment has spiked in a number of programs, mainly because of the prospect of being in the nation's capital for the 2008 presidential election, said Chris Moody, executive director of Housing and Dining Programs.

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AU plan committee seeks input

By Jen Calantone | August 28

The Strategic Planning Committee is allowing two weeks for the campus community's suggestions, following the release of its first draft of the university's strategic plan on Monday. The committee will revise the 40 points of the strategic plan based on input of the campus community, committee Chairman Bill DeLone said.

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Colleges use Facebook to send emergency alerts

By Rebecca Kern | August 28

AU, the University of Maryland at College Park, and other colleges across the country have begun the new academic year by debuting the use of new technologies, including social networking sites like Facebook and text messaging alerts, to notify students of emergencies on campus.

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Health insurance fails checkup

By Tony Romm | August 28

In this two part series, The Eagle examines two exclusions in student health care - the HPV vaccine and transgender health treatments - and the many ways students are fighting to get those benefits covered. To the almost 1,100 AU undergraduates who subscribe to university health insurance, the Student Health Center's announcement earlier this summer that it was changing health care providers probably seemed routine.

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Campus brief

August 28

The AU community remembered Lucinda Peach, an associate professor in the School of International Service and College of Arts and Sciences, during a Buddhist-inspired memorial service in Kay Spiritual Center Wednesday. Peach, 52, died July 25 due to complications from breast cancer treatments, The Eagle previously reported.

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D.C. public schools to use cash incentives to boost grades in middle schools

By Marisa Kendall | August 28

Several AU students see flaws in the D.C. public schools plan to begin providing cash incentives to high-achieving students. Starting in October, 14 middle schools in the D.C. area will reward high academic achievement by paying 3,000 students in grades six through eight up to $100 per month, D.

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National brief

August 28

Federal official raided a factory in Laurel, Miss., Monday and detained 350 alleged illegal immigrants, The New York Times reported. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents surrounded the Howard Industries Inc. factory as part of larger crackdown on immigration across the country, according to The Times.

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SIS opens doors for 50th year

By Tamar Hallerman | August 28

The School of International Service celebrated its 50th anniversary on Friday by welcoming new students and professors at the school's opening ceremony. Students stood at the front steps of Kay Spiritual Life Center, while others crowded the aisles and doorways as Professor and former SIS president Paul Wapner greeted the group.

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Universities give freshmen free Apple products

By Maureen McCarty | August 28

The University of Maryland at College Park provided free iPod Touch mobile devices and iPhone 3Gs to select incoming freshman during their welcome week this year. While AU is not offering the products to freshmen, the university has incorporated new distance learning tools and multimedia safety procedures.

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International brief

August 28

Sudanese government forces attacked one of Darfur's largest refugee camps Monday, killing 12, according to The Washington Post's Express. The government contends forces were searching for smuggled weaponry when refugees opened fire, according to the Christian Science Monitor.

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