News

News

Drinking to get drunk

By Andrew Gardner | April 26

Excessive alcohol consumption is a problem that continues to plague college campuses today, despite attempts to curtail it through broad-level restrictions. At AU, where a no-tolerance alcohol ban in residence halls has been in effect since the mid-1980s, ongoing debate about the effectiveness of such a restriction persists.

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Campus brief: AU professor surveys best federal jobs

By Kyra Smerkanich | April 26

According to AU's Robert Tobias, director of the Institute for the Study of Public Policy Implementation and the Partnership for Public Service, the best places to work in the federal government are the Nuclear Regulatory Commission and the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service, according to American Weekly.

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Library reference desk adjusts to new technology

By Chris Cottrell | April 26

"IM Reference - Get Comfy," an advertisement for American University Bender Library's online help desk, accurately reflects how the Internet has impacted library research. Reference desks, referred to by The Chronicle of Higher Education as "the heart of the institution," are simply being revamped to accommodate an influx in new technology.

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Student conduct code to undergo language changes

By Cassie Passinault | April 26

The Student Advocacy Center and the Judicial Affairs and Mediation Services helped create revisions to the Student Conduct Code for the 2007-2008 school year, according to a Student Government press release from Tuesday. The new SCC will be in effect beginning this summer.

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Finals, stress cause some students to use Adderall, prescription drugs

By Kelly Barrett | April 26

As AU students face upcoming final exams and a seemingly endless pile of work, some said they turn to using prescription stimulants to stay awake and focus. Prescription drugs, such as Ritalin, Adderall and Concerta, are typically prescribed to young children diagnosed with attention-deficit disorder and attention-deficit hyperactive disorder, but are now are being widely abused by adults, according to Dr.

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Campus calendar

By Brian Kalish | April 26

Thursday, April 26 Town Hall Meeting with the Board of Trustees 5-6 p.m. School of International Service Lounge The AU community is invited to attend a question-and-answer session with the board of trustees. Visit www.american.edu/trustees for more information about the trustees.

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Bottoms up

By Stephen Tringali | April 23

A group of American University students had something to hide from their resident assistants the first weekend of the fall '06 semester. And it wasn't their alcohol stash. One member of the group, a freshman who wished to remain anonymous, had just passed out after having played a drinking game and consuming a large volume of hard liquor.

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Metro brief: House approves D.C. representation bill

By Jimm Phillips | April 23

The House of Representatives approved a bill Friday that would give the District its first full-voting representative in Congress by a vote of 241-177, The Washington Post reported. The vote came nearly a month after the bill's supporters had to temporarily withdraw it from consideration.

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Study says age gap difficult for adult college students

By Elena Isela | April 23

Adult students, which are undergraduate students over the age of 25, are often misunderstood at colleges, according to a recent study conducted by Lumina Foundation for Education. However, support services are offered to all AU students, including "returning students," the term the university uses to distinguish students over the age of 25 because all students are considered to be adults in college, according to Dean of Students Faith Leonard.

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Fulton selected KPU director

By Kyra Smerkanich | April 23

The use of publicity that will reach students will be one of the goals for the Kennedy Political Union this upcoming academic year, according to Amanda Fulton, the KPU director for the 2007-2008 academic year and a sophomore in the School of Public Affairs.

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Class protests conditions in D.C. public schools

By Rebecca Kern | April 23

AU's Community Development class protested over the last two weeks throughout D.C. to tell the D.C. Board of Education and Mayor Adrian Fenty, D, to repair the poor physical conditions of the city's public schools. The protests occurred as Fenty won final approval from the D.

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University taking steps to improve emergency preparedness

By Courtney Albon | April 23

Last week's shooting at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University has led AU and campuses around the nation to review their current emergency evacuation procedures. "It's unfortunate, but it takes an incident such as this for people to hyperfocus on what needs to change," said David Taylor, AU presidential chief of staff.

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SG passes 2008 budget ins special session

By Cassie Passinault | April 23

The Undergraduate Senate passed the 2008 Student Government budget on April 18. The $558,000 budget, which passed on a vote of 15 yea, 2 nay and one absentention, was distributed between the many executive based departments and class and school councils.

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AU policy requires bike rack use

By McKayle Davison | April 23

As the weather in the District improves, more American University students are riding bicycles to school and finding it more difficult to find safe places to store them. As spring arrives, the racks are becoming overcrowded and some students resort to locking their bikes to railings or benches.

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Student government brief: SG elects new speaker

By Cassie Passinault | April 23

On April 22, the Undergraduate Senate passed a resolution on campus safety and also elected a new Speaker of the Senate. Current Parliamentarian, Caitlin Hodgkins, a sophomore in the School of Public Affairs, was elected the new speaker of the Senate. Hodgkins is also currently the Judicial Board chair, a post she since resigned from after her election.

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Metro calendar

By Rebecca Kern | April 23

Now through April 29 Filmfest DC Times vary Wisconsin Avenue Cinemas - 4000 Wisconsin Ave. N.W. Metro: Tenleytown/AU (red line) Come see the 21st annual Filmfest DC, the city's independent international film festival. The festival features films from more than 30 countries, including some of the newest films in international cinema today.

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National brief: Tainted pet food found in hog farm feed

By Jimm Phillips | April 23

Food and Drug Administration officials announced Friday they had determined a California hog farm's feed was tainted by the same chemical found in more than 100 recently-recalled brands of pet food, reported Reuters. Officials said they had found the chemical melamine in the feed, which they had earlier determined had caused liver failure in some cats and dogs who consumed pet food tainted by the chemical.

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