News

News

Metro brief: Former D.C. mayor faces possible jail time

By Lauren Gardner | October 31

D.C. Council Member and former mayor Marion Barry, Jr. faces possible jail time after pleading guilty Friday to two misdemeanor charges of failing to file tax returns, according to the Washington Examiner. Barry acknowledged he did not file or pay taxes to the Internal Revenue Service or the District on roughly $534,000 in salary between 1999 and 2004.

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New SG Senate elects speaker

By Jess Reamy | October 31

The year-long transition from the old Student Confederation to the new Student Government is now complete after the General Assembly was gaveled into extinction last night by now-former Speaker Richard Bradbury, and the Undergraduate Senate took off running with the election of a new speaker, Chris Sgro, a senior in the School of Public Affairs.

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U.S. Senate investigates board of trustees

By Megan Slack | October 31

The U.S. Senate has requested all documents related to the investigation into former President Benjamin Ladner's expenses, as well as information about the $3.75 million severance package the AU board of trustees awarded Ladner following his resignation. Chair of the Senate Finance Committee Charles E.

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AU celebrates Halloween with creative costume choices

By Kate Oczypok | October 31

On Monday many AU students will dress up for Halloween while others have chosen to celebrate the unofficial holiday in other ways. "I am planning on dressing up," said Courtney Haran, a junior in the School of Communication. "I have koala ears that I bought.

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Campus calendar

By Kelly Kerr | October 31

Monday, Oct. 31, 2005 Capital Hauntings Walking Tour 7:30 p.m. McPherson Square Metro stop, 1400 I St. NW Metro: McPherson Square 202-637-7000 Admission: $10 Come join the Washington Walks guides for a tour of Lafayette Square and hear of its many ghosts and mysteries.

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National briefs

By Kelly Kerr | October 27

Rosa Parks dies at age 92 Rosa Parks, the civil rights activist who helped ignite the fight against segregation laws died at age 92 Monday of natural causes, according to The Washington Post. In 1955, when Parks was 42 years old, she refused to give up her seat to a white man in the whites-only section of a Montgomery, Ala.

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News

Board of trustees under Senate investigation

By Megan Slack | October 27

The U.S. Senate is requesting all documents related to the investigation into former President Benjamin Ladner's expenses, as well as information about the $3.75 million severance package the board awarded Ladner following his resignation.

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Universities nationwide face presidential scandals

By Brian Kalish | October 27

Following the removal of Benjamin Ladner as AU's president, students, faculty and administrators have been wrapped up in news reports and student protests, but AU isn't the only school that's faced a change in leadership after a presidential scandal in recent years.

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Drag queens race to reign Dupont

By Kyra Smerkanich and Alexis Fabbri | October 27

The rain and cold did not stop hundreds of people from watching the 19th annual High Heel Race, a D.C. Halloween tradition where men dressed in elaborate drag costumes run down 17th Street near Dupont Circle. Volunteers remarked that numbers were down for the event due to the rainy weather, but the streets were filled nonetheless.

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Ladner takes $3.7 million to sever all ties with AU

By Sean Miller | October 27

Former AU president Benjamin Ladner accepted a severance deal this week that will cost the university almost $3.8 million but will avoid a potential legal battle, university officials said. On Oct. 24, Ladner accepted an offer from the board of trustees that gives him a $950,000 severance payment, $1.

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Campus calendar

By Kate Oczypok | October 27

Thursday, Oct. 27 Third Annual Practitioner's Perspective on Trafficking in Persons 9:00 a.m.- 8:00 p.m., WCL room 603. During this conference, sponsored by the Immigrant Rights Coalition and the Women and International Law Program, panelists will discuss legal remedies available to trafficked persons in the U.

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Metro brief: Rapper shot after leaving D.C. nightclub

By Kelly Kerr | October 27

Rapper Cameron "Cam'ron" Giles was shot in both arms shortly after midnight on Sunday in Northwest D.C as his car waited at a traffic light, according to The Washington Post. Giles was treated at Howard University Hospital and released on Sunday. He was in the city for Howard University's Homecoming over the weekend and had just left H20, a Southwest D.

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Georgetown students on alert after four neighborhood robberies

By Steve Dorsey | October 27

Georgetown University students are being warned to stay alert after a series of robberies occurred near their campus over the past three weeks. School officials sent out a campus-wide e-mail last week informing students of of four robberies that took place in and around west Georgetown.

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SG lobbies Congress to protect higher education

By Kendra Garstka | October 27

Student Government President Kyle Taylor is encouraging students to send letters to their Congressmen and women to protest former President Benjamin Ladner's settlement package. Taylor sent out a letter urging Congress to take action to appropriately deal with issues concerning Ladner.

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Pests seen crawling campus, dorms

By Tiffany Heimbuch-Maybee | October 27

Students at American University have reported seeing rats, cockroaches or other vermin around campus, but are divided on whether the issue is a major problem facing AU. "Western Pest Services is on campus every Tuesday and Friday to perform routine inspections of common areas on campus both on the grounds and inside buildings," said Stephanie DeStefano, Grounds Operations coordinator for AU.

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Sukkot celebrated by AU Jewish groups

By John Riley | October 24

Students and members of the AU community participated in Sukkot, the Jewish festival of the harvest by living in a temporary shelter and bonding together through events sponsored by AU Hillel. In keeping with the traditions of Sukkot, where Jewish people are supposed to live in temporary huts, Hillel set up a sukkah, or hut with openings in the roof, on the main Quad.

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Ladner accepts $3.7 million settlement from board

By Megan Slack | October 24

Former AU President Benjamin Ladner accepted a $950,000 settlement payment from the university today, along with a deferred compensation package, which includes a life insurance policy of close to $1 million and about $1.75 million dollars from retirement accounts.

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