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INAUGURATION WEEK: Calendar of events

February 4

Monday, Feb. 4 Scholarship, Creativity and Professional Contributions Day Panel Presentation - "Ideas into Action: Faculty Share Their Professional Experiences" 1 p.m. WHERE: MGC 5 INFO: Washington College of Law Dean Claudio Grossman, College of Arts and Sciences professor Caleen Jennings, CAS professor Robert Jernigan, WCL professor Jamin Raskin and AU President Neil Kerwin will discuss academia as public intellectuals.

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Panelists: U.S. not prepared for vote

By Jen Calantone | February 4

Shortcomings in election administration have left many eligible voters disenfranchised, said Dr. Robert Pastor, co-director of the Center for Democracy and Election Management, during a panel discussion Thursday. The panelists, who spoke in the Butler Board Room, discussed whether the nation is ready for the 2008 presidential election.

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Global warming and politics meet

By Rachel Trainer | February 4

People need to look at global warming from both an economic and political view, according to Bracken Hendricks, co-author of "Apollo's Fire," a book about creating a clean-energy economy. "Things that weren't political are becoming political," he said at a panel discussion Thursday night as part of a three-day teach-in on climate change called "Focus the Nation.

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SETH to warn about info breach

By Jimm Phillips | February 4

Officials in the School of Education, Teaching and Health will notify students whose personal information may have been compromised after three boxes of student records ended up in a McKinley Building hallway. A total of six SETH-owned boxes were among those removed in late January after being found in a second floor hallway inside the building.

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Universities called to invest responsibly

By Michael Ono | February 4

AU should invest its endowment in socially responsible companies that respect human rights, Cheyenna Weber, organizing director of the Responsibility Endowment Coalition, said to a group of students during a teach-in Thursday in the McDowell Formal Lounge.

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Briefs

February 4

CAMPUS BRIEF Unknown person ignites Leonard Hall bulletin board Public Safety is still looking for the person that set fire to a bulletin board in Leonard Hall Saturday night, according to Michaela McGill, a resident assistant for the building. Area Director Chris Fiorello told students that an unknown person set fire to the board on the fourth floor, leaving a large scorch mark, according to McGill.

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AU ranks 7th on Peace Corps listing

By Lauren Cater | February 4

AU jumped one spot in 2007 on the Peace Corps' list of the top 25 mid-size universities with the highest number of volunteers getting involved in the program. The rankings, released Jan. 1, show AU ranked seventh on the list. The university ranked eighth last year and 12th in 2006.

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Sallie Mae cuts student aid

By Kim Selman | February 4

Sallie Mae's decision to cut loans to students at colleges with low graduation rates will affect only a small number of AU students, according to Martha Holler, managing director of corporate communications for the company. "A small number of AU students with low credit scores and no cosigner may see a decline in their approval rates and may need to work with another lender to secure a private loan," Holler said in an e-mail.

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AUSG to sign students up to vote for 2008

By Lauren Cater | January 31

For 2008, AU's Student Government plans to increase student voter registration by starting a program similar to one already implemented by the George Washington University Student Association. GW Votes, a new nonpartisan initiative developed by the GW Student Association, aims to register all GW students who are eligible to vote in the 2008 presidential election.

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Police blotter

January 31

Wednesday, Jan. 16 A student reported that the tire on her vehicle had been slashed while it was parked in the Nebraska Parking Lot. A McDowell Hall resident reported her laptop stolen. She had shipped it to the residence hall but found it was not in the box when she received it.

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Students petition Housing and Dining to end long package lines

By Jen Calantone | January 31

Some residents of Anderson and Centennial halls who are frustrated by waiting in long lines to receive packages from the mailroom have tried to remedy the situation by submitting a petition. The petition was signed by 59 students and submitted to Housing and Dining Programs Jan.

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Former Bush economist Carroll joins SPA faculty

By Christopher Cottrell | January 31

Dr. Robert Carroll, former senior economist for the Bush administration, will be the new executive in residence in the School of Public Affairs' department of public administration and policy. Carroll was a member of the Council of Economic Advisers and former deputy assistant secretary for tax analysis at the U.

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Campus calendar

January 31

Thursday, Jan. 31 AU Abroad General Information Session 3:30-4 p.m. WHERE: MGC 247 INFO: At this information session, find out how to select a program. Learn about the costs and the application process for studying abroad before you meet with an AU Abroad adviser.

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Private records found in public area

By Jimm Phillips | January 31

A student's tip led an AU official to remove multiple boxes, including an open box containing forms with students' Social Security numbers on them, from a hallway on the second floor of the McKinley Building Friday. Huyen Nguyen, a junior in the College of Arts and Sciences, said he was walking in the inner hallway of the building Monday or Tuesday of last week when he first noticed the boxes, which were stacked against the wall.

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Springer mocks, comments on own show

By Bobby Allyn | January 31

Jerry Springer poked fun at his own show during a Kennedy Political Union-sponsored event last night at the University Club in Mary Graydon Center. "First, I'm sorry for the show," he said. "I can't explain it. I really can't justify the show." The event began with a performance by Mission: Improvable, AU's student-run improvisation group.

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Campus brief

January 31

Students struggling with alcoholism can turn to the new student-only Alcoholics Anonymous meetings starting in February. Though AA was on campus before, Wellness Center health educator Laura Kovach said they sought to create a place where students feel comfortable.

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Kennedy endorses Obama

By Bobby Allyn | January 31

Barack Obama has the inspirational power and capacity to change America, Sen. Edward Kennedy, D-Mass., said in front of thousands of supporters at a campaign rally for the Illinois senator held in Bender Arena Monday. "In Barack Obama, I see not just the audacity, but the possibility of hope for the America that is yet to be," he said.

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