News

News

AU students react to Kosovo's breakaway

By Amanda Hamedany | March 3

The declaration of independence by what was the Kosovo region of Serbia Feb. 17 has prompted some students to see it as a necessary move, albeit one with questionable methods. The move for independence follows centuries of tension between Serbia and its southern province of Kosovo, which has a population that is 90 percent ethnic Albanian.

---

News

Bill proposes tax forms should substitute for portions of FAFSA

By Kristen Boghosian | March 3

College students may soon get a break on their financial aid applications if a new bill intended to simplify the Free Application for Federal Student Aid passes in Congress. Frankie Solomon, a sophomore in the School of Communication, said he dreads applying for financial aid this time of year.

---

News

Students could lose Pell Grants due to fund cuts

By Laraine Weschler | March 3

Some students who received Pell Grants this year may not be eligible for them next year, according to Mark Kantrowitz, publisher of FinAid, a Web site offering free student financial aid information. The Federal Pell Grant Program provides need-based grants to low-income students.

---

News

Speaker talks about advocacy outside gov't

By MOLLY WILKIN | March 3

Students can become advocates outside the usual structure of government, according to former D.C. Planned Parenthood President Karen Mulhouse. Mulhouse spoke Thursday evening during a School of Public Affairs and Women's Initiative-sponsored event about the politics of advocacy and women's reproductive rights.

---

News

Abroad students witness Cuba's transition

By Patricio Chile | February 28

The transition of Cuban leadership last week made headlines around the world, but AU students participating in the spring 2008 Cuba enclave witnessed Cuban citizens' reactions firsthand. Raúl Castro, 76, became president of Cuba Sunday. He succeeded his older brother Fidel, 81, who resigned Feb.

---

News

Vidulich vows veto of smoking legislation

By Rebecca Kern | February 28

Members of the Undergraduate Senate said they intend to override Student Government President Joe Vidulich's expected veto of the smoking bill at their next meeting. Vidulich told senators about his decision to veto the bill in an e-mail Tuesday night. The senate passed the bill during its meeting Sunday.

---

News

Campus Calendar

February 28

Thursday, February 28 "From the Streets to the Gallery: How Contemporary Art Is Being Influenced by the Urban Experience" 6:30-8:30 p.m. WHERE: Katzen Arts Center, room 151 INFO: New York curators Marc and Sara Schiller present a visual lecture on graffiti art and the role it plays in the contemporary art scene.

---

News

Viral videos focus on environment

By Jen Calantone | February 28

Social change is possible through a method known as viral marketing, which uses the means of online video and social networking to promote a product or idea, McArthur, the one-named vice president of Free Range Studios, said during a forum on environmental activism and new media Tuesday.

---

News

Security breaches on rise at colleges

By Christopher Cottrell | February 28

Human error and theft of property were the primary causes of information security breaches at universities worldwide last year, The Chronicle of Higher Education reported earlier this month. The Educational Security Incidents Year in Review, a Web site that tracked news coverage of the incidents, found that of the 139 incidents reported in 2007, 53 were due to "unauthorized disclosure of sensitive material" or mistakes made by university personnel.

---

News

Police blotter

February 28

Thursday, Feb. 14 A staff member reported someone had written an obscene message in the men's restroom on the second floor of Bender Library. Public Safety officers responded and contacted Aramark to remove the graffiti. A resident assistant reported graffiti on a wall on the sixth floor north stairwell in Letts Hall.

---

News

Open Library to be source for readers

By Lauren Cater | February 28

Open Library, a free Internet book database, will open its pages to the public in March, providing libraries and people worldwide with easy access to information on millions of books. The Open Library, which currently contains the texts of 20 million books, aims to create a comprehensive Web page about every book ever published.

---

News

Briefs

February 28

CAMPUS Former Planned Parenthood President to speak in Ward Karen Mulhaufer, former president of Planned Parenthood and founder of the Women's Information Network, an organization that assists young women in networking in the D.C. area, will speak about having a career in politics from a noncandidate point of view today at 6 p.

---

News

LeoGrande: Cuba to see slow change

By Patricio Chile | February 25

Newly appointed Cuban President Raúl Castro may bring only gradual change to Cuba's economic and political structures if his administration and the United States do not make a stronger effort to improve relations, School of Public Affairs Dean William LeoGrande said yesterday evening at a "Cuba and Castro" lecture.

---

News

SG brief

February 25

The Undergraduate Senate passed the smoking bill during its meeting Sunday. The bill will create smoke-free courtesy zones across campus, at all building entrances, bus stops and during densely populated outdoor events and emergency evacuations. The bill calls for the university to create a campus-wide awareness campaign and to construct smoking shelters, cigarette receptacles and courtesy-zone signs across campus.

---

News

Prospective SG candidates begin campaigning

By SANDRA FLORES | February 25

The Student Government's spring election campaign officially began at 10 p.m. last night after they held a nominating convention for candidates. "Active" campaigning, which includes any campaign-promoting activity in which the candidate is directly involved, will last until March 3.

---

News

Briefs

February 25

Campus brief Package hours changed to suit students' needs AU's Housing and Dining Programs amended the package hours in Anderson and Centennial halls to suit students' needs, according to Bonnie Crouch, guest and public relations coordinator for Housing and Dining.

---

News

Saudi's Georgetown donation questioned

By JAE CHOI | February 25

Rep. Frank Wolf, R-Va., questioned the integrity of Saudi Arabian Prince Alwaleed Bin Talal's $20 million donation for the Prince Alwaleed Center for Muslim-Christian Understanding at Georgetown University in a publicly released letter to Georgetown Feb. 14, according to The Washington Post.

---