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News

Town hall examines budget

By Kaylor Garcia | October 9

The University Budget Committee held its first town hall meeting Tuesday for the formulation of the budget for the 2008-2009 fiscal year. Ivy Broder, interim provost, and Don Myers, treasurer and vice president of finance, said the open forum would be crucial in deciding the priorities of the university budget.

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National briefs

By Kyra Smerkanich | October 5

Fifth girl dies after Amish school shooting A 7-year-old girl died Tuesday following the deadly shooting at an Amish schoolhouse. This brings the death toll from the attack to six, with five other girls still in critical condition, according to CNN. CNN reported that several incidents, including the death of his daughter in 1997 and trauma he suffered as a child, could have motivated Charles Carl Roberts IV, 32, to go on a shooting spree Monday before killing himself.

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News

Event to aid kids' hospital

By Tracy Kania | October 5

AU's Panhellenic Association hosted a kick-off meeting for the Up 'til Dawn campaign last Thursday to raise money for St. Jude Children's Research Hospital. Allie Avishai, director of the fundraiser at AU and a junior in both the School of Communication and School of International Service, said St.

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Board probes records scandal

By Cait Douglas | October 5

The Judicial Board launched an investigation Tuesday into the incomplete time sheets submitted by Student Government executives and the Executive Cabinet. The official investigation will look into the "alleged financial misconduct and wrongdoing by the Executive Branch," according to a judicial order authored by board Chairman Joe Vidulich.

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Colleges seek home-schooled

By Allison Young | October 5

With an estimate of between 1.1 million and 2 million home-schooled students in the United States, college officials now realize that catering to these students is in their best interest, said Barmak Nissirian, associate executive director of the American Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers.

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Web program targets plagiarism, concerns students

By Courtney Albon | October 5

AU is currently piloting a program that will observe how the implementation of a Web-based product called Turnitin could affect the academic culture on campus. The multipurpose resource, one of several on the market, offers tools including plagiarism prevention, peer review and an online paperless grading system.

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Metro brief: Majority of D.C.-area blacks, Hispanics own homes

By Kyra Smerkanich | October 5

A new report released by the U.S. Census Bureau shows black and Hispanic families in the D.C. region are more likely to own their homes when compared to national figures, according to The Washington Post. Most notably, about 63 percent of all immigrants own their own homes, according to The Post, especially Asian and Hispanic immigrants.

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Bringing Their 'A' Game: Leonardo DiCaprio and Matt Damon on "The Departed"

By Todd Matthy | October 5

"Cops or criminals, when you're facing a loaded gun, what's the difference?" That's the tagline for Martin Scorsese's latest crime drama "The Departed," starring Leonardo DiCaprio, Matt Damon, Jack Nicholson and Mark Wahlberg. In this drama, an undercover cop (DiCaprio) infiltrates a Boston mob syndicate run by a man named Costello (Nicholson) while a criminal (Damon) infiltrates the state police.

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Campus brief: SG begins fall campaign season

By Cait Douglas | October 5

The Student Government kicked off fall elections Tuesday night with a "Candidates and Coffee" meet-and-greet in the Mud Box. "We were pleased by the turnout; obviously we would always want more people," Board of Elections Chair Joe Pavel said. The Undergraduate Senate and Class of 2010 council campaigns began this week and will continue until polls open on Monday.

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Fire safety impacts students in, out of dorms

By Kyra Smerkanich | October 5

Fire safety continues to be a major concern for students living in on- and off-campus housing, but AU is unable to regulate off-campus housing. Since January 2000, there have been 89 student fatalities that have occurred nationwide as a result of fire, according to the Center for Campus Fire Safety, The Center said approximately 80 percent of these fires occurred on off-campus housing.

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Campus calendar

By Kendra Garstka | October 5

Thursday, Oct. 5 Human Rights Film Series: "Amandla!" 6 p.m., Wechsler Theatre The screening is part of the seventh annual Human Rights Film Series that explores the ways film and media can be used to promote and protect human rights. Light refreshments will be served and the screening will be followed by a discussion.

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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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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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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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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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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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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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