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News

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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News

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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SG passes bill for cage-free hen eggs

By Jess Reamy | November 21

The Undergraduate Senate passed a bill yesterday encouraging Bon Appetit, AU's on-campus food service, to stop using eggs from hens confined in battery-cages and completely switch to cage-free eggs by Feb. 1, 2006. The sponsor of the bill, Zo Tobi, along with representatives from AU Animal Rights Effort, told the Senate that battery-cages are inhumane.

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Catholic students raise $150 walking for homeless

By Kendra Garstka | November 21

The Catholic Student Association raised about $150 in the annual Help the Homeless 5K Walk Saturday morning on the National Mall. An estimated 1,500 people gathered on the National Mall Saturday morning for the walk sponsored by the Fannie May Foundation in 1988.

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National briefs

November 21

Tropical storm Gamma threatens Florida Tropical Storm Gamma could threaten South Florida this coming week, but is not expected to gain much strength, according to www.washingtonpost.com. The storm drifted north along the coasts of Belize and Honduras on Saturday, and was likely to turn onto a path that could threaten Florida, according to www.

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Concert benefits child abuse prevention

By Brian Kalish | November 21

The Catholic Student Association held its "Strike Back" concert Tuesday night in the Tavern to raise money for ChildHelp USA, a group that works on the treatment and prevention of child abuse. CSA President Danielle Giusto came up with the idea to raise money for the organization because her best friend from home was physically abused as a child by her parents.

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Hundreds attend RHA American Formal

By Kendra Garstka | November 21

Nearly 200 students attended the Residence Hall Association's American Formal at the National Press Club Friday night, a classier, revamped version of the annual Winter Ball. "We wanted to make the event more classy," said Will Mount, president of the RHA.

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