News

News

Minimum meal plan to be required for on-campus sophomores

By Kendra Garstka | January 26

The Class of 2009 will be required to buy at least a 150-block meal plan next year and sophomores living on campus will be required to purchase at least a 75-block meal plan. In February 2005, Housing and Dining Programs decided to make meal plans mandatory for the Class of 2009's first two years at AU, however there was no minimum meal block requirement This year, only 82 sophomores live on campus and do not have a meal plan, said Julie Weber, executive director of housing and dining.

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Excessive iPod use damaging to ears

By Kelly Moynihan | January 26

AU students are not concerned about a recent study that showed excessive use of the Apple iPod's ear bud headphones might be related to the increase of hearing loss among the younger generation. "I'm not worried at all," said Jacqueline Christy, a sophomore in the College of Arts and Sciences.

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National briefs

January 26

U. Texas study shows exercise helps fight depression One 30-minute exercise session - which could be as simple as a walk on the treadmill - boosts mood and elevates well-being, according to a recent study conducted by a University of Texas professor and two UT graduate students.

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Reporter captured in Iraq, held hostage

By Sean Miller | January 26

Although there is still no word from the captors of an American reporter being held hostage in Iraq, today's scheduled release of five Iraqi women in U.S. custody has been widely seen as a move towards securing the freedom of missing reporter Jill Carroll, Reuters reported yesterday.

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Campus brief: SG AUTO commissioner steps down

By Cait Douglas | January 26

Student Government AUTO Commissioner Mohammed Khan stepped down earlier this week to pursue other opportunities outside AU. Last semester, AUTO helped to alleviate some of the problems students experienced with transportation between Main Campus, Park Bethesda and the Washington College of Law.

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NY Times editor fatally mugged in Friendship Heights

By Kelly Kerr | January 26

AU students are concerned about the recent fatal mugging of New York Times editor David Rosenbaum earlier this month. Students who walk to neighborhood jobs are particularly concerned about the attack, which occurred a few blocks from campus. Katie Maxwell, a sophomore in the School of International Service who teaches piano for a family in Friendship Heights, said she has someone drive her back to campus from her job in the winter because it already dark.

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AU board will have seats for students

By Mary Specht | January 26

Students will serve as non-voting members on many of the AU board of trustees' committees, but not on the pivotal Trusteeship or Compensation committees, which decide who will join the board and how much the president will be paid, student leaders said last night.

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Campus calendar

By Kate Oczypok | January 26

Thursday, Jan. 26 Fidelity Investments Representative on Campus All day. A representative from Fidelity Investments will be on campus to meet one-on-one with faculty and staff about their retirement savings plans. To schedule an appointment, call 1-800-642-7131.

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Defense classifies college protests 'suspicious incidents'

By Jimm Phillips | January 26

Eight protests against military recruitment on college campuses were included among more than 1,500 "suspicious incidents" listed in the Department of Defense's Threat and Local Observations Notice database, according to The Chronicle of Higher Education.

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AU remembers grad student Kianda Bell

By Kyra Smerkanich | January 23

Friends and family of Kianda Bell, an AU graduate student and community activist who was killed last month after being electrocuted, gathered at Kay Spiritual Life Center to honor and remember Bell's life. "We never know how much a man will impact someone's life," said Shaconna Haley, a Ph.

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Summit aims to resolve Ugandan conflict

By Rebecca Kern | January 23

In order to develop an action plan for conflict resolution among American and African youth in Uganda, AU grad students Charmagne Campbell-Patton and Jaime Alvis participated in the Global Youth Summit in Kampala with students from around the world. Campbell-Patton and Alvis traveled with 23 other American students from 20 different universities to Makerere University in Kampala, where they met up with 25 students from ten different universities in Uganda.

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Campus briefs

January 23

Blogs update classroom experience for UCLA students (U-WIRE) LOS ANGELES - When one thinks about a university math class, several thoughts come to mind - finals, midterms, problem sets - but blogging is usually not one of them. For mathematics Professor Chad Topaz, however, blogs are an important tool for learning math.

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Recent controversies question Wikipedia's reliability

By Lauren Gardner | January 23

Many AU students use Wikipedia, a Web-based free-content encyclopedia, as a source for papers and other class assignments despite recent controversy surrounding the Web site. Wikipedia uses wiki software on the site so users can add and edit content. The name is based on the Hawaiian word "wiki," which means "quick," "fast," or "to hasten," according to the Web site.

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SG Senate discusses financial allocations

By Caitlin Douglas | January 23

The Undergraduate Senate passed two pieces of legislation reallocating a total of $18,500 to the Student Government executives to fund programming for the spring semester. The first piece of legislation, Bill 05-06-013, transferred $7,500 to the SG General account to continue funding the "Be" Campaign.

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Metro calendar

By Kelly Kerr | January 23

Tuesday-Saturday, Jan. 24-28 Beauty and the Beast Additional performances: Friday, Jan. 27, 2 p.m and Saturday, Jan. 28, 1:30 p.m 140 W. Mount Royal Ave. Baltimore, MD (Lyric Opera House) This classic tale is brought to life on stage through music and acting.

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Resident assistants tackle student transition, floor themes

By Tiffany Heimbuch-Maybee | January 23

The job of resident assistant comes with much more than just a complimentary spacious room and a monthly stipend. Although these are obvious perks that come with the job, RAs have plenty of additional duties from dealing with serious issues like ill students and alcohol violations to being responsible for floor programming and decoration themes.

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National brief: Pirates pursued by Navy vessels

January 23

U.S. Navy vessels pursued a pirate ship in the Indian Ocean Somalia's coast and fired warning shots to its crew on Saturday, U.S. Navy Forces Central Command said. The guided missile destroyer Winston S. Churchill and other U.S. naval forces located the vessel after receiving a report of an attempted act of piracy, but it failed to respond to orders to stop, according to and article from www.

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