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News

Campus brief

November 15

More than 120 AU students joined Tuesday a national effort with thousands of others by taking part in the College Veg Pledge 2007. Participants who took the pledge became vegetarian for the day to show their concern with the possible consequences behind the consumption of meat, according to a press release from the AU Animal Rights Effort and Students for Animal Rights.

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Metro brief

November 15

Pope Benedict XVI will pay Washington a three-day visit in April and plans to hold a Mass in the new Nationals baseball stadium, a Vatican spokesperson announced Monday. The visit, following a planned speech at the United Nations in New York, includes a trip to the White House and Catholic University, according to The Washington Post.

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Library trades fines for food

By Rachel Trainer | November 15

Bender Library will be partnering with the Capital Area Food Bank for this year's Food for Fines program, according to Kendra Rowe, director of the food bank's Children and Nutrition Programs. Students will be able to donate specified nonperishable food items from Nov.

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A new home for SIS

By Brian Kalish | November 15

AU President Neil Kerwin and Sen. Daniel K. Inouye, D-Hawaii, Wednesday broke ground for the new School of International Service building with the same shovel President Dwight D. Eisenhower used 50 years ago in the groundbreaking of the current SIS building.

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National brief

November 15

A 20-year-old Georgia man was caught last week allegedly selling hallucinogenic mushrooms concealed within chocolate bunnies and ducks, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported. After receiving a tip, police caught Matthew Jackson allegedly selling a sheet of LSD and chocolate containing psilocybin mushrooms in the metropolitan Atlanta area, where Jackson was arrested.

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Committee begins selection process for new provost

By Jimm Phillips | November 15

The Provost Search Committee officially began its work earlier this month and is now in the process of selecting an executive search firm to assist it. The 11-member committee and President Neil Kerwin officially began the search when they held their first meeting Nov.

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Pedestrian fatalities highest since 2002

By Christopher Cottrell | November 15

An extra 10 mph could mean beating the next red light to some drivers, but to a pedestrian it could mean life or death. This year has brought the most pedestrian fatalities to the District since 2002, according to Jim Sebastian, the manager of the Pedestrian and Bicycle Programs at the District Department of Transportation.

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Experts discuss Internet role in politics

By Kate Naseef | November 15

Media and political experts at a panel discussed Wednesday night whether Web sites like YouTube have added to the democratic process or have made politicians more scripted. "This has put a lot of pressure on all of the candidates to become more on message, more robotic, less spontaneous," said Jeanne Cummings, a political reporter for Politico.

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Siren not audible inside dorms

By Olga Ivshina | November 15

The Army Corps of Engineers siren test Nov. 7 was marked as a success because it could be heard in the required shelter-in-place zone, which ends a few feet short of Centennial Hall close to Jacobs Field. While it is not required for students be able to hear the siren in their dorm rooms, one student said it would be helpful to hear it from there, as some students said they could not hear the warning well or at all in the South side dorms.

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News

International brief

November 15

Spanish King Juan Carlos asked Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, "Why don't you shut up?" in a heated discussion between leaders at the Ibero-American Summit in Santiago, Chile, Saturday, according to BBC News. The King's scolding came after Chavez called former Spanish Prime Minister José María Aznar "a fascist" and then tried to interrupt José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero, the current Spanish prime minister, as he defended Aznar, BBC News reported.

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Panelists: Laws don't prevent war crimes

By Jeanette Lenoir | November 15

Despite international laws like the Geneva Convention, war crimes are still being committed, said Anthony Dworkin, executive director of the Crimes of War project during an event yesterday at the Washington College of Law. "It should be recognized as such and called by its name," he said.

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Impromptu concerts given new regulations

By Kim Selman | November 15

The creation of new protocol to better accommodate the scheduling of spontaneous performances on campus is underway less than a week after two a cappella groups were asked on different occasions to not spontaneously sing on the first floor of the Mary Graydon Center.

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Campus calendar

November 15

Thursday, Nov. 15 The Great American Smokeout 11 a.m.-3 p.m. WHERE: MGC lobby INFO: Participants will make a commitment to quit smoking for the day or for the rest of their lives. Stop by the Great American Smokeout table to pick up your "survival kit" and helpful smoking cessation information.

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Locals voice fare hike opposition

By Patricio Chile | November 15

Members of the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority Board of Directors Wednesday evening faced infuriated citizens at a public hearing to discuss a proposed raising of fares. The base fare for Metrorail may increase 30 cents from $1.35 to $1.65, while the base fare for Metrobus will jump 10 cents from $1.

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Police blotter

November 15

Wednesday, Oct. 31 A student was sexually assaulted in her Anderson Hall dorm room. She was transported to Howard University Hospital. Wednesday, Nov. 7 A student in Hughes Hall was transported to Sibley Hospital for a sharp pain in her abdomen. An unknown individual flooded the Bender Library's third floor men's bathroom.

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Council disputes proposal

By Jen Calantone | November 12

AU's Interfraternity Council formally opposes a proposed Office of Greek Life requirement that all of the university's fraternities and sororities list the addresses of members living off-campus. Interfraternity Council delegates present at a meeting Oct.

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Campus calendar

November 12

Monday, Nov. 12 Play: "Adopt-A-Candidate" 7:30 p.m. WHERE: Wooly Mammoth Theatre, 641 D St. N.W. METRO: Archives-Navy Memorial (green and yellow lines) INFO: A collection of short plays by local playwrights inspired by the 2008 presidential candidates. Pay what you can.

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