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Muslim panel explores different sects, Islam in America

By Ali Goldstein | February 26

A Sunni and a Shi'a speaker called for dialogue between the two Islamic sects during the panel discussion, "Sunni-Shi'a Differences: Realities, Myths, and Challenges" in the McDowell formal lounge Feb. 22. Imam Abo Fazel Nahidian from the Manassas Mosque, a Shi'a mosque in Virginia, and Sunni professor Sulayman Nyang from Howard University were the featured speakers of the event, which was sponsored by the Minaret of Freedom Institute and the American University Muslim Student Association.

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National brief: 'Kentucky Fried' rats overrun NYC restaurant

By Jimm Phillips | February 26

About a dozen rats were seen scampering around the eating area of a Kentucky Fried Chicken and Taco Bell restaurant in New York City's Greenwich Village neighborhood Friday, according to the Associated Press. Onlookers began to amass outside the restaurant's windows after a television crew began filming the rat onslaught.

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Mass. prof allowed to grow research marijuana

By Dyane Jean Francois Fils | February 26

A judge at the Drug Enforcement Administration ruled that a University of Massachusetts professor should be permitted to grow research-grade marijuana, a press release by the Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies reported last week, according to The Washington Post.

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Lounge access divides residents

By Jewel Edwards | February 26

Some residents on the first floor of Anderson Hall say they dislike the newly refurbished lounge because it does not have couches and is often locked or unavailable when residents want to use it. "It's nice, but it's not special," Anderson first floor resident Joseph Clark, a sophomore in the Kogod School of Business said.

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U of Illinois ordered to retire controversial mascot

By Dyane Jean Francois Fils | February 26

The National Collegiate Athletic Association ruled that the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign should retire its mascot, Chief Illiniwek, last week. Although the university said in a report on their Web site that students have been protesting the mascot since 1989, AU students had mixed reactions about the use of Native American mascots for athletic teams.

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Forum opens a discussion about campus diversity

By KEOSHA JOHNSON | February 26

Controversial, racially motivated postings on the Daily Jolt and Facebook were the reason for Thursday's University Diversity forum, that examined race relations on campus. About 150 students from American, Howard, Georgetown and George Washington University attended the two-and-a-half hour forum in the Tavern.

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Gannett purchases second Fla. college newspaper

By Howard Perlman | February 26

Gannett Company, Inc., announced Feb. 13 its purchase of its second student newspaper in Florida, reviving debate about whether it is advantageous for students to have private companies controlling their campus papers. An article printed in the Central Florida Future, the student newspaper at the University of Central Florida, said Gannett purchased the Future through Florida Today, a daily newspaper.

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Week raises awareness about eating disorders

By Deandra Morse | February 26

Different programs marked Eating Disorder Awareness Week at AU, which is meant to inform students about various types of eating disorders and how they can get help through informative workshops dealing with nutrition, fitness and body image. The objectives of National Eating Disorder Awareness Week are to promote understanding of illnesses such as anorexia, bulimia and binge eating, to make treatment more accessible to those who suffer from them and to prevent people from developing such disorders in the future, according to the National Eating Disorders Association's Web site.

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Metro brief: Fenty uses flashing lights and sirens to stay on schedule

By Jimm Phillips | February 26

D.C. Mayor Adrian Fenty frequently uses the sirens and flashing lights on the cars of his police security detail to keep his entourage's path clear on city streets, The Washington Post reports. Fenty, who took office Jan. 2, wants to be on time to events so he can attend as many community meetings as possible.

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Housing and Dining to streamline room draw

By Brian Kalish | February 26

Room Draw began this past week with applications for Nebraska Hall due last Friday and will continue through March 19 when the draw occurs. The room draw process this year will be very similar to what occurred last year with some minor changes, according to Paul Lynch, assistant director of Housing and Dining Programs, who is responsible for room assignments and billing.

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Metro calendar

By Rebecca Kern | February 26

Monday, Feb. 26 Hot Chocolate and German Movies 6 p.m. Goethe-Institut, 814 Seventh St. N.W. Metro: Gallery Place/Chinatown (red, green and yellow lines) Enjoy a creamy cup of German-style hot chocolate and films by some of today's award-winning German directors.

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MIT professor ends hunger strike over tenure

By Kaylor Garcia | February 26

A Massachusetts Institute of Technology biology professor ended his hunger strike Feb. 16 protesting the MIT biology department's decision to deny him tenure. James Sherley claimed he was denied tenure because of racial discrimination, but decided to cease his 12-day hunger strike.

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Class drafts possible student bill of rights

By Courtney Albon | February 22

AU students are drafting a Student's Bill of Rights to fill what they see as a void in the campus community. While studying human rights in a class recently, Sergio Garciduenas-Seas, a senior in the School of International Service, and his classmates were asked by SIS professor Mubarak Awad whether AU has a bill of rights for students.

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Metro brief: Attendance declining at Smithsonian museums

By Jimm Phillips | February 22

The number of visitors to the Smithsonian's museums and the National Zoo have declined 27 percent since 2001, according to NBC4.com. Since 2001, overall attendance at the Smithsonian Institution's 18 museums in the District and New York City, as well as the National Zoo, has declined from 31.

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Community colleges help some students

By Robyn Slagle | February 22

Students often think of community college as the "13th grade," according to Mike Davis, a writer for Chronicle Careers Web site. However, several AU students who went to community college before attending AU found their experiences at community college to be extremely beneficial.

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Panel says racism still prevalent in U.S. society

By Kelly Barrett | February 22

One thing young people often do not acknowledge is that institutionalized racism is still alive in this country, Lucenia Williams-Dunn, the first female mayor of Tuskegee, Ala., said. In honor of Black History Month, Williams-Dunn spoke along with other "children" and "grandchildren" of Alabama Monday night to recount their experiences growing up in the South during the civil rights movement.

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Campus brief: Eagle Endowment grant funds high school conference

By Kyra Smerkanich | February 22

Students from 16 area high schools gathered at AU Feb. 3 for a peace and conflict resolution workshop co-sponsored by the Career Center and the School of International Service's Peace and Conflict Resolution program, according to American Weekly. "This provided a great opportunity to plant some important seeds in young leaders directly, as opposed to giving teachers ideas about how to plant those seeds," Rebecca Davis, an SIS graduate student who helped organize the event, told American Weekly.

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