News

News

Midterm forum predicts Republican seat losses

By Stephen Tringali | October 2

Republicans are likely to give up seats in both the House and Senate this election, but the change should not surprise anyone despite the image painted by the press, said Thomas Mann, a senior fellow in governance studies at the Brookings Institute, at a Table Talk Forum Tuesday.

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Campus brief: Delta Tau Delta works to improve D.C. school

By Brian Kalish | October 2

On Sept. 17, 25 brothers of AU's Delta Tau Delta fraternity worked on the school grounds of Amidon Elementary School in Southwest D.C. to "make it a more pleasant place to learn," according to a press release. The grounds improvement is part of an on-going project with Amidon Elementary through the Adopt-A-School Program, a national organization Delta Tau Delta has partnered with for their philanthropy work.

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AU community unsure of young voters' impact

By Tracy Kania | October 2

The youth vote may have a greater impact on this year's midterm elections than in past years, according to a recent report by the Center for Information and Research on Civic Learning and Engagement, but some members of the AU community have reservations about the findings.

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Homeland Security cuts will not affect AU

By Allie Feras | October 2

Research and education cuts in the Department of Homeland Security's budget for the 2007 fiscal year will not affect AU scholarships or financial aid, said Violetta Ettle, associate provost for the administration. The department's budget, which Congress passed Friday, will cut $12 million from the department's Office of University Programs, which, according to The Chronicle of Higher Education, would be a 20 percent loss from the office's 2006 budget.

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'Dorm diet' advice from visiting writer

By Emily Blanck | October 2

The college student author of "The Dorm Room Diet," a guide to healthy college eating and exercising, spoke about her book at a Thursday night book signing in the SIS Lounge. Daphne Oz, a junior at Princeton University, said she has struggled with weight all her life.

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News

Changes allow full access to networks

By Kaylor Garcia | October 2

Just as the buzz from Facebook's new News Feed feature seemed to be dying down, site creator Mark Zuckerberg added a new twist for the site's users. After a week of posts and polls, Facebook opened its regional networks, where people would no longer need to be a part of an authenticated network to view profiles of users.

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Metro brief: Developers announced for waterfront revamp

By Kyra Smerkanich | October 2

District officials chose developers Thursday to transform the waterfront area from the 12th Street Bridge to Fort McNair into a vibrant area full of housing, restaurants and nightclubs, according to The Washington Post. The developers, PN Hoffman and Struever Bros.

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Festival draws reading enthusiasts to National Mall

By Arielle Burlett | October 2

Tents featuring best-selling authors, poets and illustrators lined the National Mall Saturday for the annual National Book Festival. The event, organized by the Library of Congress and hosted by First Lady Laura Bush, celebrates the importance of reading and creativity by providing the public an opportunity to meet some of their favorite authors, according to a press release about the event.

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National briefs

By Kyra Smerkanich | October 2

U.S. Senate approves $70 billion in military spending The U.S. Senate unanimously approved $70 billion on Friday that will finance military operations in Afghanistan and Iraq, according to the Associated Press. The allocation is part of a $447.6 billion defense budget now awaiting President Bush's signature after passing in the Senate unanimously, the AP reported.

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News

SG presents time sheets

By Cait Douglas | October 2

Student Government Comptroller Robert Donigian and Chief of Staff Kristian Hoysradt presented a binder with all the time sheets filled out by paid members of the SG for the summer to the Undergraduate Senate Sunday. Donigian and Hoysradt presented the time sheets in response to a letter written by Speaker of the Undergraduate Senate Ben Murray and Class of 2008 Senator Charlie Biscotto Sept.

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Republicans network at annual event

By Brian Kalish | October 2

The AU College Republicans held their annual Republicalooza Thursday night at Chef Geoff's to encourage networking between AU's Republican community and potential employers. "[The College Republicans] wanted an opportunity for fellow Republicans to get together in a formal environment to network and get to know campaign workers," said Christopher Malagisi, a 2003 graduate of the School of Public Affairs and volunteer for the Sen.

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Student shares Beirut war stories

By Kendra Garstka | October 2

Sarah Johnson, an undergraduate who studied at the American University of Beirut this summer, shared her experience of being in Lebanon when the war started and her evacuation as part of a panel Thursday that discussed the two conflicts Israel has been involved with since the summer.

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AU female enrollment up

By Erik Jacobsen and Peggy Wu | October 2

Female enrollment in colleges is up nationwide, including at AU, which has affected dorm life, classroom dynamics and the campus dating scene, according to students. According to the College Board's Web site, in 2005, AU's female to male ratio was 64 percent to 36 percent, with a freshmen class of 1,223 students and an overall total of 5,788 undergraduate students.

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Spring Valley property scheduled for clean-up

By Kyra Smerkanich | September 28

The Army Corps of Engineers plans to pause cleanup of Lot 18 to focus on investigating an AU-owned house site for munitions, said David Taylor, chief of staff to Interim President Neil Kerwin, noting that there are no current plans for demolition of the property.

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Campus brief: Search continues for GLBTA Center director

By Brian Kalish | September 28

The Office of Campus Life continues to search for a director of the Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender and Ally Resource Center, according to a memo from Gail Hanson, vice president of Campus Life. The previous director, Mindy Michels, left the office in February.

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Distance learning expands on- and off-campus options

By Rebecca Kern | September 28

Yale University will offer free digital videos of some courses on the Internet, as well as transcripts in several languages, to make their school more accessible to the public, according to CNN.com. The 18-month pilot phase of the Open Educational Resources Video Lecture Project is funded by a $755,000 grant from The William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, according to a Yale press release.

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Metro brief: Mayor allocates millions for D.C. health needs

By Kyra Smerkanich | September 28

D.C. Mayor Anthony Williams announced Tuesday he will use $245 million in tobacco settlement funds to pay for various District-wide health initiatives, according to The Washington Post. The money will be used for new medical facilities and the expansion of health services in an effort to make health care more accessible for poor residents and to reduce D.

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