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News

International brief: Iran blocks access to YouTube.com, other English language sites

By Jimm Phillips | December 7

Iran's government recently blocked access to video-sharing Web site YouTube.com along with several other Web sites, according to the Associated Press. The group Reporters Without Borders claimed the Iranian government blocked the site since around the beginning of December.

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SG passes legislation to improve Health Center

By Elyse Franko | December 7

The AU Student Government passed legislation Sunday that aims to promote student awareness of Student Health Center patient rights, according to SG Senator Julie Mills, a co-sponsor of the legislation. The bill would allow students to request specific doctors when they make appointments, speak with the Health Center Director and make suggestions about Health Center practices, according to Mill.

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Metro brief: Former Johns Hopkins University provost chosen as next president of George Washington U

By Jimm Phillips | December 7

The George Washington University board of trustees chose Steven Knapp, the provost at Johns Hopkins University, as the institution's new president, according to The Washington Post. Knapp, 55, will replace outgoing President Stephen Trachtenberg, 68, on Aug.

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Bond encourages student activism

By Bill Debaun | December 7

Julian Bond, chairman of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, encouraged students to become involved in their worlds in a lecture on Monday co-sponsored by the Kennedy Political Union and the Eagle Endowment. "Engage yourself in the world around you, whether it's in your backyard, in your city, in your neighborhood, in your county, in your state, in your country or in the larger world because the world is crying out for people like you to lend a hand," Bond said while addressing students in the McDowell Formal Lounge.

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Fraternity fires prompt safety measures

By Amanda Glensky | December 7

Recent fraternity house fires at the University of Missouri in Columbia and Nebraska Wesleyan University emphasize the importance of fire safety on and around college campuses, and members of three AU fraternities said they realize the need for more fire awareness in their off-campus housing.

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Campus briefs

By Brian Kalish | December 7

Swartz named new chief tech officer David G. Swartz was recently named the new chief information technology officer at AU, according to an AU press release. Swartz, who will fill this previously vacant position, will begin work Jan. 3. He previously worked at George Washington University, where he was vice president and chief information officer.

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National brief: Senate overwhelmingly approves Gates' nomination for defense secretary

By Jimm Phillips | December 7

The U.S. Senate approved former CIA Director Robert Gates' nomination to be defense secretary yesterday by a 95-2 vote, according to the Associated Press. The vote came one day after the Armed Services Committee voted unanimously to send Gates' nomination to the Senate floor.

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Council says environment, religion related

By Bill Debaun | December 7

Panelists from four different faiths agreed Monday that the status of the global environment is one of humanity's most pressing concerns. Ambassador Akbar Ahmed moderated the interfaith panel, which was hosted by the Kennedy Political Union in conjunction with Greater Washington Interfaith Power and Light.

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University to select firm to update Web site in effort to attract more prospective students, moderni

By Peggy Wu | December 7

The effort to revamp AU's Web site to improve the school's Web presence is progressing, according to David Taylor, AU's presidential chief of staff. According to a recent campus e-mail message from interim President Neil Kerwin, an investment in AU's Web presence comparable to other institutions will be made.

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Economic competition between Japan, China likely, panel says

By Courtney Albon | December 7

Growth in the Chinese economy could lead to future competition with Japan, but because of common interests and histories, both countries should approach trade as a triangular relationship with the United States, panelists said at a conference on Japanese foreign policy Tuesday night.

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Belly dancing promotes body image

By Kaylor Garcia | December 7

The Tavern thumped with excitement Tuesday night to the exotic sounds of Middle Eastern music during the Arabic Club's Belly Dancing event, designed to share Arab culture and reinforce the positive body image associated with belly dancing. Students in the Tavern for their regular meal were taken off guard by Mary Pappin, Arabic Club President and a junior in the School of International Service, welcoming everyone in Arabic.

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Universities strive to constantly improve technology

By Jimm Phillips | December 7

AU is continuing to improve its network and Internet connections in step with a recent statement from National Science Foundation that U.S. colleges and universities must improve their digital infrastructure in order to remain leaders in the fields of technology and higher education.

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Campus calendar

By Kendra Garstka | December 7

Thursday, Dec. 7 Training Opportunity: Understanding Your Work Style 1:30-4:30 p.m. Location TBA This workshop for full-time staff focuses on work and personal styles and how these styles affect communication, work relationships and the ways teams work together.

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German sues over CIA prison

By Marija Stajic | December 4

The American Civil Liberties Union's legal case on behalf of Khaled Al-Masri, a German citizen who was detained in Afghanistan at a CIA-run prison for five months in 2004, currently has an appeal pending in the Richmond, Va.-based Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals.

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Filmmaker alleges government violence against Mexican natives

By Kelly Barrett | December 4

Simon Sedillo, filmmaker at the Austin Independent Media Center, said that as an American citizen he feels an obligation to unveil the atrocities caused by the U.S. government in foreign countries. Sedillo presented his film "El Enemigo Comun," a documentary focusing on the resistance movement in Oaxaca, Mexico, on Thursday in the McDowell Formal Lounge.

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Colleges discuss AIDS campaigns

By Courtney Albon | December 4

A recent video conference held to commemorate World AIDS Day, which occurred on Dec. 1, focused specifically on the effect that AIDS has on youth and the significant role they can play in changing it. AU students joined college students from around the world via satellite to discuss issues surrounding the AIDS epidemic.

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National brief: Yellow line Metrorail train strikes two, kills one

By Jimm Phillips | December 4

A Metrorail train traveling on the Virginia portion of the yellow line struck two Metro workers Thursday, leaving one dead and the other critically injured, according to The Washington Post and NBC4.com. Leslie A. Cherry Jr., 52, and Matthew Brooks, 36, were conducting a routine inspection of the tracks between the Huntington and Eisenhower Avenue stations when the train hit them.

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