News

News

Students canvass S.C. for Obama

By Amanda Hamedany | October 4

On Saturday, approximately 20 members of AU's Students for Barack Obama traveled to Florence, S.C., to lend their support to the senator's campaign. More students from AU traveled to South Carolina than any other school in the District, according to Dave Simnick, co-director of AU's chapter of Students for Barack Obama.

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Breastival raises $2,000 for cancer research

By Allie Feras | October 4

The Breastival raised more than $2,000 for breast-cancer research, said Vanessa Mueller, director of Women's Initiative. "I'm really, really proud of our volunteers and what the campus community has done," Mueller said. The Breastival promoted breast cancer awareness, said Sarah Brown, a sophomore in the College of Arts and Sciences and member of Women's Initiative.

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Copyright mix-ups limit profs, students

By Jen Calantone | October 4

Confusion about copyright laws negatively impacts teachers' and students' classroom experiences, according to a report recently released by AU's Center for Social Media. The study, "The Cost of Copyright Confusion for Media Literacy," was released Sept. 25.

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Speech ends Breastival

By Brian Kalish | October 4

Cancer affects many Americans: 50 percent of men and one in three women will at one point have some form of cancer, said Elizabeth Edwards, presidential candidate John Edwards' wife, at the closing event of the Breastival Tuesday. "Cancer is an equal-opportunity disease," Edwards said to a crowd of a few hundred students.

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Students say AU not immune to racial conflicts

By Kaylor Garcia | October 4

Incidents of racial intolerance, like hanging nooses on a tree outside the black cultural center at the University of Maryland, are on the rise at U.S. colleges campuses. Some students said they have also noticed racially motivated incidents at AU. Sometimes acts of racism are not as blatant as nooses hanging in front of buildings.

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News

Last known pit of WWl weapons to be excavated

By Carolyn Phenicie | October 4

World War I-era weapons buried on university property and in the surrounding neighborhood is scheduled to begin Oct. 29, Army Corps of Engineers officials said at a public meeting at Sibley Hospital Auditorium Tuesday night. The area, known as "Pit 3," is located at 4825 Glenbrook Road, a university-owned property.

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National brief

October 4

A volunteer firefighter in South Carolina is facing arson charges after confessing to igniting three fires in an effort to improve his reputation among fellow firefighters, a local news station in Greenville, S.C., reported. Samuel Thomas Moss was attempting to override his status as a registered sex offender by setting fires and responding to them to "show he was a good firefighter and hard worker," Greenwood County sheriff's investigator Jeff Graham told WYFF4.

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News

Douglas gets bid for SG secretary

By Jimm Phillips | October 4

Acting Student Government Secretary Cait Douglas is now the nominee to take over the position permanently and will be up for confirmation at one of the Undergraduate Senate's next two meetings, according to SG President Joe Vidulich. Vidulich decided to nominate Douglas for the position after a selection committee favorably evaluated her and Seth Cutter, Undergraduate Senate clerk.

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King: U.S. must stay ready

By Jeanette Lenoir | October 4

The United States has been lucky it has not experienced another incident similar to the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, said Rep. Peter King, R-N.Y., in a speech to AU students on Monday. "This enemy - Islamic terrorism - is an adaptable enemy that can strike anywhere and everywhere," he said.

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News

Board approves Kerwin's contract

By Jimm Phillips | October 1

President Neil Kerwin will receive approximately $475,000 per year in salary under a contract the AU board of trustees approved on Friday, according to Board Chairman Gary Abramson. The board approved the contract, which is effective for the next five years, as part of its regularly scheduled fall meeting on Thursday and Friday, he said.

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No charges in dorm incident

By Jimm Phillips | October 1

The U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Columbia will not file any charges against Jared R. Islas, the man who had been accused of attempting to rob an AU student in a residence hall elevator earlier this month. The office had not "papered" the case against Islas - meaning it was not going to file any charges - and no attorney had been assigned to the case.

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Drivers successfully unionize

By Allie Feras | October 1

AU will bargain with the shuttle bus drivers' union, according to a statement President Neil Kerwin released Friday. Kerwin released the statement after the board of trustees discussed the issue during its meeting Friday, according to Board Chairman Gary Abramson.

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News

Thousands attend book fair on National Mall

By Caitlin Hillyard | October 1

Thousands of people, including AU students, flooded the National Mall Saturday to share one common passion: reading. Favorite books in hand, festival-goers peered into the world behind the words by hearing writers such as novelist Joyce Carol Oates, poet Francisco Hernandez and filmmaker Ken Burns explain their lives and their works.

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News

Metro calendar

October 1

Monday, Oct. 1 Panel Discussion: Congressional Black Caucus Noon-2 p.m. WHERE: Library of Congress, Thomas Jefferson Building, 101 Independence Ave. S.E. METRO: Capitol South (blue and orange lines) INFO: Rep. Major Owens, D-N.Y., hosts a panel of congressmen and political scientists for a discussion of his book, "The Peacock Elite: A Subjective Study of the Congressional Black Caucus and Its Impact on National Politics.

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5K walk begins Domestic Violence Awareness Month

By Kaylor Garcia | October 1

A mix-up with the East Potomac Park security did not dampen the spirits of the participants of the Women of Freedom Foundation 5K Walk Sunday to kick off Domestic Violence Awareness Month. AU's Women's Initiative has a department devoted to domestic violence awareness but did not participate in the walk because the group is focused on the upcoming AIDS Walk Washington, said Vanessa Mueller, director of Women's Initiative.

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Speech initiates 1st Amendment debate

By Amanda Hawkes | October 1

Monday marked one of the most public displays of First Amendment rights in this generation. Columbia University hosted Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, the president of the Iran, in an open forum with an audience of 700 people, 80 percent of whom were students, according to news reports from CNN and NBC.

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News briefs

October 1

CAMPUS Greek organizations raise money for cancer society Members of Alpha Chi Omega sorority and Delta Chi fraternity helped raise about $10,000 for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society during their annual "Play for Life" event on Saturday. The event was held at the Outdoor Adventures: Paintball Sports facility in Bowie, Md.

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