News

News

Sexual assault underreported in D.C., at AU

By Patricio Chile | March 5

The majority of students who are victims of sexual assault at AU do not report it, according to JoAnna Smith, director of Women's Initiative. Smith pointed to the most recent version of the Annual Security Report provided by the AU Department of Public Safety, which shows only one case of a forcible sex offense on the main campus in 2005.

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NYU Republican stunt draws negative reactions

By Jen Calantone | March 5

A New York University College Republican event titled "Find the Illegal Immigrant" created controversy and elicited negative responses from AU students. The event was announced on the NYU College Republicans Web site and was scheduled to occur Feb. 22.

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Metro brief: Teen shot in Union Station

By Jimm Phillips | March 5

Two people have been arrested in connection with a Sunday night shooting outside Union Station that left a teenager seriously wounded, The Washington Post reported. Police said the incident began around 5:35 p.m., when an altercation began between a group of youths, an adult man and an adult woman.

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SG strengthens academic integrity

By Howard Perlman | March 5

The Undergraduate Senate met Sunday to discuss its recommendations on revisions to the Academic Integrity Code and to vote on two resolutions and an unrelated bill supporting federal funding for AU. The Senate was joined by an Academic Integrity Code working group that has met regularly over the past few years to evaluate the AIC and improve AIC procedures that are problematic or not formally addressed.

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Club educates about organ donation

By Emily Blanck | March 5

AU's new chapter of Students for Organ Donation's main objective as a student-run nonprofit is promoting awareness of organ donation, which the founders of the club say is an underdiscussed topic. The club was co-founded by AU undergraduate students Bridget Burke and Courtney Jones with Anastasia Snelling as faculty advisor, and was officially recognized as a university organization in January.

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Multitasking impedes schoolwork

By Kelly Barrett | March 5

While multitasking has become a way of life for young people today, it can also be a distraction when it comes to schoolwork, according to several AU students. Multitasking affects the brain's learning systems, which results in people being unable to learn when distracted, according to University of California Los Angeles psychologists on the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences' Web site.

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National brief: Associated Press bans Paris Hilton news for one week

By Jimm Phillips | March 5

The Associated Press reported Friday that it instituted a week-long ban on news relating to celebrity hotel heiress Paris Hilton beginning Feb. 19. While the news agency admitted nothing "too out-of-the-ordinary happened in the Hilton universe" during the self-imposed blackout, it did not report on the ejection of one of Hilton's friends from a birthday party held at a Beverly Hills, Calif.

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Many students unaware of how AUCC funding process works

By Michael Lucibella , Laura Schuetz and Aurora Matthews | March 5

Despite two recent, highly publicized controversies about student club funding, many students and student representatives still have little knowledge about how their student activity fees are allocated to AU clubs, leading to confusion over who is responsible for overseeing club activities and how much funding groups are allocated.

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Campus brief: AU honored for environmental projects

By Kyra Smerkanich | March 5

The National Wildlife Federation honored AU for innovative conservation projects that achieve "especially ambitious conservation goals," according to a university press release. The honor came in the 17th annual edition of the National Wildlife Federation's "Campus Ecology Yearbook" and highlighted 48 campus projects that focus on conservation and sustainability, with nine receiving special recognition, the press release said.

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Metro calendar

By Rebecca Kern | March 5

Monday, March 5 D.C. Independent Film Festival Through March 11; times vary University of the District of Columbia, 4200 Connecticut Ave. N.W. Metro: Van Ness-UDC (red line) The D.C. Independent Film Festival is an award-winning festival that showcases world-premiere films, award-winning features, shorts, animation and documentaries by local, national and international filmmakers.

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Va. law prevents expulsion for suicide attempts

By Harry Spencer | March 5

The Virginia state legislature passed an amendment that would prevent colleges and universities in Virginia from expelling students who attempt to commit suicide. AU has no policy on suicide and reviews each case of attempted suicide or self-inflicted harm individually, according to AU's Dean of Students Faith Leonard,.

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SG Vote: Your guide to Student Government elections

By Kendra Garstka and Cassie Passinault | March 5

Today and tomorrow, AU students will able to elect Student Government executives electronically through their my.american.edu portals. This election, there are only two contested executive races: secretary and president. The executive hopefuls made appearances before various campus groups over the weekend to try and win their endorsements.

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N.C. students fined for sleeping through alarms

By Jennifer Bennett Hanson | March 1

Two students at Saint Augustine's College in Raleigh, N.C., were recently fined $150 each for sleeping through a fire alarm, causing students to complain about many other fines they feel are excessive. However, AU differs from Saint Augustine in that it AU does not fine students for not leaving the residence halls during a fire alarm, but instead files charges with the Judicial Affairs and Mediation Services Offices, said AU's South Campus Area Director Amber Lange in an e-mail.

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AU Abroad moves into Morocco

By Rachel Wood | March 1

American University students can study in Morocco in a new enclave program starting in fall 2007, AU Study Abroad representatives announced on the AU Abroad Web site. This will be the first AU program to take place in Morocco. Centered in Rabat, Morocco's capital, the program will offer courses in anthropology and art history, as well as the economics and politics courses traditionally offered by AU abroad programs.

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Campaigns use Facebook for grassroots efforts

By Patricio Chile | March 1

A new movement in politics is coming from an unexpected medium - the social networking Web site Facebook has emerged as a way for AU students to show their support for the 2008 presidential candidates. James Lynch, a sophomore in the School of Public Affairs, started a Facebook group supporting John McCain.

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Gallaudet taking preemptive action to retain accreditation

By Howard Perlman | March 1

Gallaudet University worked to retain its accreditation last month after the Middle States Commission on Higher Education postponed its decision on reaccrediting the university. AU students said they think Gallaudet's preemptive actions will help the school retain its accreditation.

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SG waives exec credit requirement

By Cassie Passinault | March 1

The Undergraduate Senate decided Monday to waive the credit requirement for Alex Manzanares, a freshman in the School of Communication and the College of Arts and Sciences, to allow him to run for Student Government secretary in a last-minute decision. According to current SG bylaws, any student wishing to run for an executive office must have at least 45 credits, not including credits from classes a student is currently taking.

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