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News

Educators called to seek evaluation, national certification

By Ebonie Branch | November 21

Challenging educators to turn a critical lens on themselves, review their teaching style and strive for the highest accreditation in their field, members of the D.C. public school system, AU faculty members and local educators gathered at the Kay Spiritual Life Center Thursday to discuss the importance of receiving National Board certification, an honor bestowed upon exemplary educators by the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards.

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NYU graduate assistants strike, disrupt 400 classes

By Kelly Kerr | November 21

Graduate assistants at New York University went on strike Nov. 9 after the university refused to renegotiate the GAs' union contract, according to The Chronicle of Higher Education. In 2004 the National Labor Relations Board ruled that federal labor laws did not cover graduate assistants.

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Salazar memorial service packs Kay to capacity

By Kate Oczypok | November 21

The 280-seat Kay Spiritual Life Center was packed to standing room only capacity for a memorial service honoring the life of Class of 2005 President Chris Salazar Thursday evening. Salazar died last week after falling from a fourth-floor balcony at his apartment in NW D.

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Metro briefs

By Kate Oczypok | November 17

Giant panda cub debuts for public The National Zoo's giant panda cub Tai Shan will make his official public debut Dec. 8, the zoo announced Tuesday. Free, timed-entry tickets to the Panda House will be distributed via the zoo's web site beginning Nov. 21, according to www.

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Woodward testifies in CIA leak case, complicates investigation

By Sean Miller | November 17

The Valerie Plame CIA leak scandal continues to unfold as yet another renowned journalist has become ensnared in the controversy. The Washington Post reported yesterday that Bob Woodward, assistant managing editor at the paper, testified under oath that a senior administration official told him about CIA operative Valerie Plame and her position at the agency nearly a month before her identity was disclosed in a column by Robert Novak.

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National brief: PA teen arrested in murders

By Kate Oczypok | November 17

A Pennsylvania teen was arrested in Indiana after a police chase that ended in a car crash. David Ludwig, 18, is facing murder charges after allegedly shooting his 14-year-old girlfriend's parents, according to USAToday.com. Richard F. Garipoli Jr., police chief in Pennsylvania's Warwick Township, where the shootings happened, said Tuesday that he is treating the girl as a victim in the case at this time.

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Spring break program gives students vacation options

By Ebonie Branch | November 17

The Alternative Spring Break program is "a learning process for everyone," according to Shoshanna Sumka, the global and community-based learning coordinator. The programs send students to both domestic and international destinations and allow students to diverge from traditional winter and spring break paths and to instead experience a personal transformation that is just as humbling as it is fulfilling, according to Sumka.

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Campus calendar

By Kate Oczypok | November 17

Thursday, Nov. 17 Alliance for Quality Urban Education Symposium 10-11:30 a.m. , Kay Spiritual Life Center The School of Education will host the symposium "Transforming Teaching and Learning: National Board for Professional Teaching Standards as a Basis for Reform in Urban Schools.

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Police blotter

By Josh Goodman | November 17

Thursday, Nov. 10 Drug paraphernalia was confiscated from a male student in Anderson Hall. The item tested positive for marijuana. Employees of one of the shops in the Tunnel contacted Public Safety, asking that a university employee be removed from the shop.

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AU happy with Bon App?tit as food service provider

By Kelly Moynihan | November 17

AU students are generally happy with Bon App?tit, the school's food service provider, and its socially responsible practices despite students at more than 200 colleges protesting their campus food providers. Schools such as University of Portland and University of California are protesting their campus food providers, specifically Aramark and Sysco, for buying food overseas to save money instead of supporting local farmers and artisans, according to Time magazine.

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Salazar remembered as dynamic leader, passionate activist

By Kate Oczypok | November 17

The death of Class of 2005 president Chris Salazar has left many AU students celebrating the life of an individual who left his mark on the school as a community leader and activist.

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Financial aid falling behind for minorities

By Debbie Kang | November 17

States must focus on the affordability of higher education at a time when tuition is rapidly increasing, but financial aid is falling behind for minority students, according to a recent report by the National Center for Public Policy and Higher Education The education and income levels of American workers will decrease in the next decade if states do not do more to improve the number of college graduates from minority groups, according to the report.

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Problems with online registration stresses students

By Kate Oczypok | November 17

Spring 2006 registration began on Oct. 31, which is often a frustrating and stressful experience for some students. The Office of the Registrar has added new features to AU's course registration page, according to its web site http://american.edu/registrar, including changes to its online list of classes that identify the class as a general education, distance learning, topics or university college courses.

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Ex-trustees' open letter blasts remaining board members

By Kyra Smerkanich | November 17

Four former members of the AU board of trustees who resigned following the investigation into ex-President Benjamin Ladner's finances released a statement in response to last week's town hall forum that said trustees purposefully adjusted the total value of Ladner's severance package to offset the amount he would have to pay back to the university and to the IRS.

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First gender studies doctorate program created

By Malorie Sellers | November 17

Indiana University announced plans earlier this month to offer the first doctorate degree in the nation specifically in gender studies beginning in fall 2006. The difference between women's studies and gender studies has become a significant issue with the creation of the school's new gender studies doctoral program.

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Feminist champions womens' fight for equality

By Kendra Garstka | November 17

As the second half of a feminist debate sponsored by the Kennedy Political Union, feminist Patricia Ireland spoke about the current state of feminism to an audience of about 70. Ireland stressed the importance of student involvement in an always-changing movement that is about "choices.

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National brief: University pres. paid millions

By Ryan Grannan-Doll | November 17

Five university presidents were paid more than $1 million dollars in the 2003-2004 fiscal year, according to the Chronicle Of Higher Education. Topping the salary chart with $4.5 million in deferred compensation was Donald E. Ross of Lynn University in Boca Raton, Fla.

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