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News

Religious conflict cancels KU class

By Dave Colon | December 5

A controversial new course at the University of Kansas has been canceled after it was revealed its instructor sent disparaging e-mails about Christian fundamentalists and creationists, according to The Washington Post. The course, "Special Topics in Religion: Intelligent Design, Creationism and Other Religious Mythologies," was to be taught by Professor Paul Mirecki until e-mails surfaced in which he called religious conservatives "fundies" and said his course would be a "nice slap in their big fat face," according to The Washington Post.

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D.C. kicks off holiday season with tree lighting

By Kyra Smerkanich | December 5

President Bush urged spectators to remember the displaced Gulf Coast residents and the servicemen and women abroad before lighting the National Christmas Tree at the Pageant of Peace Thursday night. "The lighting of the National Christmas Tree is one of the great traditions in our nation's capital," President Bush said as he addressed the spectators gathered on the Ellipse.

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Displaced students to return to La.

By Lauren Gardner | December 5

Based on current registration numbers, 86 percent of Tulane students displaced by Hurricane Katrina will return to the university next semester, 4 percent below what would be expected during a normal year, according to insidehighered.com. The American Council on Education and seven other higher education institutions issued guidelines shortly after the hurricane urging colleges that admitted displaced students to welcome them as guests, not permanent students, according to insidehighered.

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University librarian will leave AU to work in UAE

By Brian Kalish | December 5

Few AU students are familiar with Patricia Wand, but as the university's librarian for the past 16 years, she has changed the library's operations by implementing new programs and fostering a spirit of teamwork. Working behind the scenes on the library's first floor, Wand has overseen the day-to-day operations of the library.

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Students don thrift store finest for dance

By Kendra Garstka | December 5

Students sifted through the racks at area thrift stores for the perfect outfit to wear for a thrift store prom held in the McDowell Formal Lounge on Saturday. The prom, which was sponsored by the Leonard Hall Residence Hall Association, fulfilled the service in IDEAS, which stands for Internationalism, Diversity, Ethics, Action and Service, a new programming model for AU Housing and Dining Services and the university at large.

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AU hands over financial documents to U.S. Senate

By Mary Specht | December 1

AU will hand over dozens of documents to the U.S. Senate Finance Committee today, including information on how the trustees decided ousted President Benjamin Ladner's salary, as part of the committee's ongoing probe into mismanagement among nonprofit organizations.

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Police blotter

By Josh Goodman | December 1

Wednesday, Nov. 16 A crowd gathered around two fighting students in Anderson Hall. Public Safety arrived on the scene, and one of the students, who may have been intoxicated, fled campus. The Metro Police Department was called in, but the student could not be located.

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Student loans get more expensive

By Steve Dorsey | December 1

The U.S. House of Representatives approved a bill Nov. 18 that would make borrowing money from the federal government more costly for students, according to The Chronicle of Higher Education. The legislation would make consolidating federal student loans more expensive.

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National briefs

By Kate Oczypok | December 1

Post article criticized by FBI A Washington Post article about the FBI's expanded power to collect the private records of ordinary Americans in the name of conducting terrorism and espionage investigations has been criticized by Justice Department officials.

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Metro brief: Howard students shot, robbed near their campus

By Lauren Gardner | December 1

Two Howard University students were attacked Sunday night while walking near the school's engineering building, according to Howard's student newspaper The Hilltop. One student was shot and the other was robbed during the attack, which took place around 9:30 p.

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Campus calendar

By Kate Oczypok | December 1

Thursday, Dec. 1 Screening: The Peacekeepers 7:30-9 p.m., Ward 1. The Peacekeepers is a powerful new documentary about the United Nations Peacekeeping mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. It documents the struggle to save "a failed state," taking the viewer back and forth between the United Nations headquarters in New York and events on the ground in the Democratic Republic of the Congo from summer 2002 until spring 2004.

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Student advocacy group launches loan debt site

By Lauren Gardner | December 1

A student advocacy group launched its Web site last Monday to raise public awareness about the number of students who are in debt because of college loans, according to the Chronicle of Higher Education. Student Debt Alert, a project of the Student Public Interest Research Groups, features a Student Debt Yearbook on its site that resembles facebook.

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Fire alarm dodgers risk steep fines

By Tiffany Heimbuch-Maybee | December 1

Many of the 800+ students living on the south side of campus are no longer leaving their dorm rooms during prank fire alarms that occur almost nightly, presenting a dangerous problem that AU Housing and Dining staff is beginning to address. Rick Treter, director of residence life sent out a memo explaining that the Office of Housing and Dining and the university plan to take serious steps to enforce the existing punishments for those who pull the alarms without reason as well as students who stay inside during alarms.

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'Be' week sparks campus unity

By Kyra Smerkanich | December 1

This week AU's Student Government is sponsoring "Be Week" in order to unite the campus. "The campaign has really taken off ... the ultimate goal of the campaign is to bring the campus closer," said Leah Kreimer, vice president of the Student Government who also planned most of the "Be Week" activities.

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Commercial written by SOC seniors to make theatrical debut

By Brian Kalish | December 1

What began four years ago as a contest entry for the Will Rogers Foundation, AU seniors Ben Connors and Chris Kosek will soon have a public service announcement they produced featured in movie theaters across the country. As a teaching assistant in Professor Sarah Menke-Fish's Understanding Mass Media Class, Connors learned about the contest offered by the Will Rogers Foundation to write a public service announcement to be shown before theatrical trailers.

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Finals, holiday season overwhelm already stressed students

By Kate Oczypok | December 1

As students returned to campus this week following the Thanksgiving holiday, many were welcomed back by thoughts of finals and the upcoming holiday season, which both have the potential to cause stress. "I feel like in the weeks between fall break and Thanksgiving, we're working really hard and just waiting for Thanksgiving break," said Melanie Mitzman, a senior in the School of Communication.

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Metro briefs

By Kate Oczypok | November 21

Cell phone bandit and boyfriend arrested Federal and state officials are wrangling over who will prosecute the woman accused of robbing four Northern Virginia banks while chatting on her phone and the boyfriend who allegedly helped her do it, according to www.

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