News - The Eagle

News

Students at AU, nationwide differ on priorities in choosing colleges

By Kristen Boghosian | February 11

While a University of California, Los Angeles survey indicates students nationwide say academic reputation and financial aid affect the colleges they choose, students who choose to attend AU indicate they have other priorities in mind. The UCLA survey's results were released last month from the Cooperative Institutional Research Program Freshman Survey, a survey conducted by UCLA's Higher Education Research Institute.

News

National brief

February 11

The Writer's Guild of America has reached a preliminary deal with the television networks and movie producers that could finally end the 14-week writer's strike, the Los Angeles Times reported yesterday. The Guild's 10,000 members still need to ratify the pact, but writers can expect to be at their desks again as early as Wednesday once votes are counted, according to the Times.

LEARNING TOGETHER - Centennial Hall Resident Director Leah Kreimer discusses the Residential Community Clusters program during a presentation yesterday.

News

Housing and Dining to pilot cluster program

By Ethan Klapper | February 7

Housing and Dining Programs will pilot a new living and learning community program called Residential Community Clusters, which will start during the fall 2008 semester. The clusters will be student-led groups of at least six students who share a common interest, such as community service or environment sustainability, and will create programming based on a central theme.

News

Inauguration Week

February 7

Thursday, February 7, 2008 Panel: "Coaching 101" 11 a.m. WHERE: Kettler-Palmer Lounge INFO: Men's basketball coach Jeff Jones, women's basketball coach Melissa McFerrin, field hockey coach Steve Jennings and volleyball coach Barry Goldberg will discuss coaching strategies, player motivation and the challenges and rewards of coaching.

News

National brief

February 7

The results of 24 state-held primaries or caucuses failed to give any of the leading presidential candidates a significant edge over his or her rivals. While Illinois Sen. Barack Obama and New York Sen. Hillary Clinton traded victories across the country, neither one emerged the clear winner in the Democratic primaries.

COOLING COSTS - Students at AU and other colleges nationwide could benefit from new legislation that would lower the costs of textbooks by unbundling materials like CDs and other extra materials.

News

Congress to review textbook legislation

By Christopher Cottrell | February 7

The House of Representatives will vote today on legislation that aims to curtail the rising costs of textbooks at colleges nationwide, according to Rachel Racusen, a spokeswoman for the House Education and Labor Committee. The legislation may have a positive impact on students and college bookstores, Cliff Ewert, vice president of media relations at Follett Corporation, the AU Campus Store's supplier, said in an e-mail.

News

Metro brief

February 7

Presidential campaign finance reports filed last week revealed that D.C.-area donors contributed nearly three times as much to the Democratic presidential candidates as to their Republican counterparts, The Washington Post reported Sunday. Overall, the Democrats received $21.

News

Taxi drivers strike on rotating schedule to protest meter switch

By Maureen McCarty | February 7

Private car companies stepped in Monday to compensate for D.C. taxi drivers' absence during the 12-hour strike against a planned switch from a zone to meter system. Cab drivers are prepared to strike one day a week on a rotating schedule until April, when the switch is supposed to go into effect, Taxicab Industry Group President William Wright said in a press release.

News

Some AU facilities unavailable during inauguration event

February 7

AU President Neil Kerwin's inauguration ceremony and a subsequent reception will affect the university's class schedule and the availability of certain venues on campus Feb. 8. The inauguration will begin 11 a.m. in Bender Arena, while the reception begins 2 p.

News

Campus brief

February 7

Edgar Meza last week resigned as executive chair of the Graduate Leadership Council, according to Kimberly Herrera, Student Activities adviser for the council. Meza, a graduate student in the Kogod School of Business, became head of the GLC over the summer break and was one of the people who met with finalists for the university's presidential search.

News

Super Tuesday

By Laraine Weschler | February 7

While Tuesday's presidential primaries produced a clear front-runner for the Republican Party, they left the choice in the Democratic race more muddled, said Dotty Lynch, executive-in-residence in the School of Communication and political consultant for CBS News, during a panel discussion Wednesday.

News

Police blotter

February 7

Thursday, Jan. 31 The McDowell Hall front desk reported that a person fainted inside the building. The D.C. Fire Department checked on the individual, who refused a medical transport. The Letts Hall front desk reported a female student was stuck in an elevator car on the north side of the building's fifth floor.

News

Campus calendar

February 7

Thursday, Feb. 7 "Mission Improv-able's Super Thursday" 11 p.m. WHERE: Battelle-Tompkins Atrium INFO: AU's only campus comedy troupe will perform in honor of the month of February after all of the Super Tuesday excitement has ended. CONTACT: For more information, e-mail Grant Helms at grant.

News

Colleges respond to pressure from federal lawmakers on standards

By Patricio Chile | February 7

Colleges and the agencies that accredit them are re-evaluating how they publicly disclose their educational achievements over fears of stricter federal regulations on colleges' academic standards. College and accrediting representatives at the Council of Higher Education Accrediting's annual meeting last week in D.

News

New budget service available to AU clubs and organizations

By Christopher Cottrell | February 7

The AU Club Council recently introduced a new budget service called Program Assistance, which clubs can use to apply for additional funding on an event-by-event basis, AUCC Chair Kristen Lyon said at a budget workshop Monday. Each club is only eligible, however, for $500 per semester through the service, she said.

News

International brief

February 7

Police in northern England allowed a burglar to continue his crime spree after he called their station and asked to be picked up, the Daily Mail reported Monday. Liam Tomlinson, 21, allegedly told police in a phone call Dec. 8 that he had broken into the clubhouse of Rossendale United FC, an English soccer team, and stolen three bottles of alcohol, according to the Daily Mail.

News

AU to enforce D.C. seat belt laws

By Allie Feras | February 7

Public Safety will begin referring students to Judicial Affairs and Mediation Services for packing too many passengers into their cars, according to Public Safety Crime Prevention Coordinator Lt. Rima Sifri. "We haven't always counted people in the cars because it's never been a big problem," Sifri said.