News

News

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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U.S. media under-covers Latin America

By Rebecca Kern | February 22

U.S. mainstream media coverage is "hit or miss" in terms of introducing recent political movements in Latin America to the U.S. public, according to Jose Carreno Figueras, a Washington, D.C., correspondent for the El Universal, a Mexican newspaper, and a speaker at Tuesday evening's American Forum.

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News

Free to Speak

By Erin Wildermuth | February 22

Last Thursday I found myself very cold. Need you ask why? I was fighting for freedom, protesting the arrest and confinement of an Egyptian blogger. What can I say, it's what I do. Generally, I was fighting for freedom of speech. Specifically, it was to free Kareem.

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Campus calendar

By Brian Kalish | February 22

Thursday, Feb. 22 "U.S. Education Law and Its Human Rights Impact" 9 a.m.-4 p.m. Washington College of Law, room 603 This one-day conference will address mandatory education in the U.S. public education system, which does not guarantee equal education but equal access for all.

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BOE extends dates to run for SG office

By Kim Selman | February 22

The AU Board of Elections held an additional mandatory information session last night after extending the deadline to run for Student Government executive positions because fewer than 30 people had shown up for previous sessions, according to BOE Chair Joe Pavel.

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Eating disorders in athletes not typical

By Ali Goldstein | February 22

Coaches must pay attention to the warning signs of eating disorders in their athletes, according to a recent article in The Chronicle of Higher Education. While the AU athletic community agreed coaches are key in the fight against eating disorders, many said the issue isn't very prevalent here.

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Showerheads prompt focus on student feedback

By Kyra Smerkanich and Elizabeth Royall | February 22

The recent installation of new low-flow showerheads and faucets in AU's dorms has provoked controversy and upset many students, leading the director of Facilities Management to admit making a mistake in not consulting with students before the decision was made.

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International brief: Blair announces gradual British troop withdrawal from Iraq

By Jimm Phillips | February 22

British Prime Minister Tony Blair announced yesterday he would begin pulling out some of his country's 7,100 troops stationed in Iraq in the coming months, according to The Associated Press. Under the plan, which Blair announced during his weekly appearance before the House of Commons, 1,600 British troops would withdraw from Iraq during the next few months.

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Tech-savy professor promoted

By Lindsey Marburger | February 22

AU announced this past week that they promoted Professor Patrick Thaddeus Jackson to director of the General Education program. The role of the director is to oversee the General Education program at AU, including course development and interconnectedness.

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Sold-out Founder's Day a 'success'

By Andrew Gardner | February 19

The annual AU Student Government Founder's Day Ball proved a "great success," as more than 500 students packed into the historic Willard Intercontinental Hotel ballroom Saturday night in downtown D.C., according to Derek Torrey, deputy programmer for the SG and a sophomore in the School of Public Affairs.

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E-package system shortens wait time

By Kyra Smerkanich | February 19

AU's new electronic package system is up and running successfully, according to Catherine Gannon, guest and public relations coordinator for Housing and Dining. Gannon described the system as a collaboration between the Office of Information and Technology, Mail Services and Housing and Dining.

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Metro calendar

By Rebecca Kern | February 19

Monday, Feb. 19 George Washington's 275th Birthday 9 a.m.-4 p.m. George Washington's Mount Vernon Estates and Gardens, 3200 George Washington Memorial Parkway, Mount Vernon, Va. The event will be held 16 miles south of Washington, D.C., and eight miles south of Old Town Alexandria at the southern end of the George Washington Memorial Parkway at Mount Vernon Estate.

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Article says online sources diminish need for library

By Patricio Chile | February 19

Students prefer online resources and databases to traditional print sources in libraries, according to an article in Educause Review. This switch to online sources has led libraries to change the services they offer to meet students' more high-tech needs.

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