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Students, speaker explore effects of oil in Ecuador

By Emma Kerr | October 30

While getting a taste of Ecuadorian food and music Thursday, AU students and staff heard the story of how a small indigenous group of Ecuadorians armed only with canoes and determination stood up to a large oil company armed with guns and explosives. The event, titled "Indigenous Resistance in the Ecuadorian Amazon," was presented from two perspectives - one from the AU students who traveled there as part of an Alternative Break trip, and the other from a member of that community, Elvis Paul Toala.

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International briefs

By Kyra Smerkanich | October 26

New machines could create voting problems New voting machines, long lines and large numbers of people to count could prove troublesome in the upcoming midterm elections, according to Reuters. "In close elections, it may be days and weeks before a winner is known in a particular race," Paul DeGregorio, chairman of the U.

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AU wins community service award

By Allie Feras and Kaylor Garcia | October 26

In recognition of its efforts to serve its community, AU was named to the President's Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll for General Community Service Oct. 17, the 20th anniversary of the Campus Compact. The Campus Compact is "a national coalition of more than 1,000 college and university presidents - representing some 5 million students - dedicated to promoting community service, civic engagement, and service-learning in higher education," according to the Campus Compact Web site.

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Father-son duo debate opposite political sides

By Kendra Garstka | October 26

Religion is necessary in this country, according to Maury Litwick, the Republican son in the "Relatively Political" father-son debate Tuesday night hosted by the College Republicans. "The only reason Americans feel a sense of right and wrong is because of religion," he said.

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Graduate students provide business consulting services

By Rebecca Kern | October 26

The Kogod School of Business is one of a limited number of graduate business schools in the country to offer a course where companies pay for consulting services from students, according to The New York Times. Robert Sicina, an executive-in-residence and a Kogod international business professor, is the director of Kogod's MBA programs and has been integral in creating the consulting course for Kogod graduate students.

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Forum tackles gay issues

By Peggy Wu | October 26

AU hosted a forum on Monday filled with panels, presentations and film screenings on gay rights and issues to emphasize public awareness of those issues, according to Nicholas Shigeru Sakurai, program coordinator of the GLBTA Resource Center, which sponsored the event.

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MGC to be renovated over summer

By Brian Kalish | October 26

Over the summer of 2007, the first floor of Mary Graydon Center will be renovated to make it more "student friendly," according to Mike Elmore, senior director of the University Center. The current plans, still being evaluated, include a plan to move the bathrooms currently located near the Tavern and to knock down that wall to create an open space into the Tavern, Elmore said.

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Campus calendar

By Kendra Garstka | October 26

Thursday, Oct. 26 Fidelity Investments Representative on Campus All day A representative from Fidelity Investments, one of the AU retirement plan providers, will be on campus to meet one-on-one with faculty and staff about their retirement savings plans. To schedule an appointment, call 800-642-7131.

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Students recruited to work polls

By Kendra Garstka | October 26

Continuing to prove its title as most politically active school in the nation, AU is the only university in D.C. that has recruited students to work at polls for the Nov. 7 midterm elections, and its 104 student workers is the largest number from all universities, said Robert Pastor, director of the Center for Democracy and Election Management and a professor in the School of International Service.

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DOH simulates flu pandemic response

By Tracy Kania | October 26

The D.C. Department of Health practiced medical emergency responsiveness yesterday in Bender Arena by simulating a medical distribution clinic to treat an outbreak of pandemic influenza. In the simulation, student volunteers, AU faculty and staff members acted as patients who could have potentially come in contact with an infected person.

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Popularity of 'Jolt' grows

By Kyra Smerkanich | October 26

For students looking to hitch a ride back to campus, learn the latest off-beat campus news or post their opinions about a variety of topics, The Daily Jolt, a multi-faceted Web site intended to give students practical information about campus life, provides these and other services designed to inform students of the AU campus vibe.

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Metro brief: Actor appears on stem cell campaign ad

By Kyra Smerkanich | October 26

Actor Michael J. Fox, who has been fighting Parkinson's disease since 1991, has weighed in on the Maryland senate race by recording a TV ad about the importance of stem cell research for Democratic Senatorial candidate Ben Cardin, according to The Washington Post.

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Students practice interview skills virtually

By Kelly Barrett | October 26

Students can now better prepare themselves for job interviews with the implementation of the virtual mock interviewing program InterviewStream this fall at the AU Career Center. InterviewStream allows students to undergo a mock interview in front of their own computer at any time, provided they have a computer with a webcam, by logging on to http://www.

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Campus brief: Katzen Arts Center opens new caf?

By Brian Kalish | October 26

The Katzen Caf? opened Monday outside the American University Museum in the Katzen Arts Center. The caf? menu includes sandwiches, espresso drinks, sodas, snacks, muffins and croissants, said caf? employee Chaunta Edmond. It is open Monday through Thursday from 8 a.

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International briefs

By Kyra Smerkanich | October 23

Palestinian Prime Minister unharmed following gunfire attack Palestinian Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh was not harmed after unidentified gunmen opened fire on his convoy while traveling through Gaza Friday, according to Reuters. Officials said they did not believe the attack was an assassination attempt, Reuters reported.

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Race raises funds for 'Habitat'

By Ali Goldstein | October 23

Over 500 runners and walkers competed in the annual American Classic 5K Saturday to raise funds for Habitat for Humanity and encourage physical fitness on campus. The event was organized by Jason Eisen, Erin Bumgarner, Greg Rosenberg, Mark Stern and Chad Woodworth and assisted by the community service fraternity Alpha Phi Omega.

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UVM death elicits safety concerns

By Kyra Smerkanich | October 23

The disappearance of Michelle Gardner-Quinn, a senior at the University of Vermont who was found dead six days after she went missing, has led many to question the safety of students around college campuses, including AU. Gardner-Quinn disappeared from the downtown area near the University of Vermont Burlington and was reported missing after she missed a dinner she had previously planned with her parents, according to The Post.

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