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News

Nebraska parking lot security cameras repaired

By Brian Kalish | November 30

Some cameras that currently watch over the Nebraska Avenue parking lot are being replaced and upgraded, allowing Public Safety officers in the future to see and record all activities taking place in the lot. There were previously cameras located in the parking lot, but some of the current cameras used outdated technology that malfunctioned frequently, Public Safety Chief Michael McNair said in an e-mail.

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Arab feminist forms cross-cultural relations

By Elizabeth Royall | November 30

Hadia Mubarak has been driven for years to make a difference by building understanding between Americans and the Muslim world and by working toward greater rights for Muslim women. In January 2006, Mubarak joined Akbar Ahmed, a professor and scholar at AU, and AU students Frankie Martin, who graduated last year from the School of International Service and Hailey Woldt, a sophomore who was in SIS but transferred to Georgetown's School of Foreign Service, as the chief research assistant for a trip to the Middle East and South Asia.

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PSC to announce nominee by spring

By Jimm Phillips | November 30

The Presidential Search Committee hopes to have a presidential nominee by the time commencement occurs by May 2007, said Mark Huey, secretary to the board of trustees, at the second undergraduate presidential search forum yesterday. While AU's presidential search process should have ideally started in mid-August or early September, it is still possible that the committee could choose one or more nominees by this spring, Huey said.

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AU alumna continues service despite obstacles

By Carolyn Phenicie | November 30

Beth Hess is a big believer in fate. Hess, like many college students, had changed career plans several times during college before she graduated from AU in 2004. Spurred in part by her participation in Alpha Phi Omega, AU's co-ed community service fraternity, she gave serious consideration to a job in community service.

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Colombian native derided military abuses, murders

By Kyra Smerkanich | November 30

Close ties between the Colombian military and paramilitary forces have led to mass human rights violations, said Debora Barros Fince, a human rights lawyer and native of the Way£u community, a indigenous population located in northern Colombia near Venezuela that was hurt by the paramilitary's actions.

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National brief: Girl lights mother's bed on fire in faked abduction attempt

By Jimm Phillips | November 30

A 12-year-old girl in Miami County, Ind., reportedly attempted to fake her own abduction by setting her mother's bed on fire and driving away with two younger siblings in the family's car, according to the Associated Press. Police said the girl was sick of doing chores, according to the AP.

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Mental recovery poses challenges after Katrina

By Robin Bravender | November 30

When social worker Julie Guyot waited for clients in her crisis-counseling tent in Pass Christian, Miss., in November 2005, no one came to her because no one was sick and no one thought they had a problem, she said. Guyot, a doctoral scholar at Howard University, spoke to students at AU on Tuesday at a discussion titled "Psychological Healing from Hurricane Katrina: Where Do We Go from Here?" The event was sponsored by Psychology Students for Social Responsibility and the College of Arts and Sciences' Graduate Student Council.

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College debt increasing

By Elyse Franko | November 30

College alumni who owe more than $20,000 in student loans make up the fastest-growing group of indebted "20-something" Americans, according to credit-reporting agency Experian. Between 2001 and 2006, average student loan debt rose 16 percent to $14,379, according to the Experian report.

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Campus calendar

By Kendra Garstka | November 30

Thursday, Nov. 30 Discussion with feminist artist Harmony Hammond 7-8:15 p.m., Katzen Arts Center, room 112 Harmony Hammond, considered a pioneer of the feminist art movement, is the author of the award-winning "Lesbian Art in America: A Contemporary History.

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Metro briefs

By Jimm Phillips | November 30

Lincoln Memorial briefly closed over suspicious liquids Authorities determined that the "suspicious liquids" that closed the Lincoln Memorial for several hours Monday afternoon were not a threat, according to NBC4.com. The situation began when a visitor found a threatening note next to a traveler's coffee mug near the memorial's steps.

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U.S. youth lack geographic knowledge

By Lina M. Lindahl | November 30

A National Geographic survey conducted in 2005 found that 37 percent of young Americans cannot find Iraq on a map, although U.S. troops have been stationed there since 2003. "These are sad results," said Helane Miller, Assistant Principal at Woodrow Wilson High School in D.

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Campus briefs

By Brian Kalish | November 30

Academy elects SPA professor to help improve government efficiency Roger Durant, professor of public administration and policy in the School of Public Affairs, was recently elected to the National Academy of Public Administration's 2006 fellowship class, according to an AU press release.

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Ladner among highest-paid college heads

By Jimm Phillips | November 30

AU's presidential compensation package was one of the highest among private U.S. colleges and universities in the 2004-2005 school year, according to The Chronicle of Higher Education. According to a database of 832 private American colleges and universities on The Chronicle's Web site, AU gave former President Ben Ladner $881,696 in pay and compensation during the 2004-2005 school year.

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Speakers examine nuclear disarmament options

By Emma Kerr | November 30

Real action needs to be taken on nuclear disarmament, which has become an "empty slogan," said George Perkovish, the keynote speaker at a research symposium titled "Deconstructing Nuclear Weapons." AU students were able to engage in a discussion with several of the area's experts on the future of nuclear weapons and nuclear disarmament.

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Students speak up on prez search

By Jimm Phillips | November 20

The leaders of the Graduate Leadership Council and Student Government held forums this week where students discussed how they wanted AU presented to prospective presidential candidates as well as what qualities they wanted to see in a new president. GLC Executive Chair Wade Murphy, a member of the Presidential Search Committee, ran two open forums for the graduate population, one Tuesday evening and one Thursday morning.

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'Believe' essays show self-discovery

By Kaylor Garcia | November 20

Adults and students gathered in the Kay Spiritual Life Center for three essay readings and a book signing of "This I Believe," an anthology of essays read on the eponymous radio show broadcasted on WAMU 88.5, American University's affiliate to NPR. The radio program is a remake of a 1950s version produced by Edward Murrow.

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Michigan votes down affirmative action

By Andrea Chong | November 20

Michigan voters banned affirmative action on Nov. 7, but AU continues to use affirmative action to diversify its campus. With a 58 percent majority in favor of the proposal, called Michigan's Civil Rights Initiative, Michigan now does not consider the affirmative action policy for admission in state institutions, according to The Chronicle for Higher Education.

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