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Residence halls open for business, ready for new students

August 22

Minivans rolled in by the hundreds as new and returning students alike moved into their new homes. Residence halls opened on Friday, Aug. 19 for freshmen participating in the Freshmen Service Experience. Cars will line the Letts-Anderson quad, as well as the roads in front of the North Side dorms until classes begin Monday, Aug.

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Ladner optimistic about investigation

August 22

AU has suspended President Benjamin Ladner in the midst of the Board of Trustees' investigation into allegations he spent university money on personal expenses, including presents for his children, European vacations and a French chef. Provost Neil Kerwin will serve as president while Ladner is on administrative leave, according to a statement by Bains, chair of the board.

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University chooses Napster for downloading

By Mary Specht | August 22

As part of this year's housing rates, AU will include Napster, a program for legally downloading music, after last spring's failed trial of Ruckus, a similar but more expensive software. Pricing details have not been worked out, but the cost could be around $12.

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Campus Briefs: China: A new AU

By Kate Oczypok | August 22

AU is leading a team to design an American-style university in China, the first ever of its kind, in collaboration with the Coordinating Council for International Universities. "By having an American-style university on their own soil, Chinese education officials hope to provide the benefits of an American education to more students at far less cost than it would take to send them abroad for training," said Dr.

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AU to examine Ladner's alleged misuse of funds

By Mary Specht | August 6

The SG released a statement Friday saying it "eagerly awaits the findings of this investigation" by the Board of Trustees into President Benjamin Ladner's alleged use of university money to fund European vacations, a personal French chef, presents for his children and other personal expenses.

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Katzen Arts Center open for business, ready for students

August 6

A variety of work from 22 different artists displayed in the newly opened Katzen Arts Center showcases the type of talent and vision that will be featured in the museum in the coming season. The inaugural exhibit, titled "Soft Openings" opened to the public July 16 and will run through September 17.

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field hockey preview

By Jesse Epstein | August 6

Dorothy may have said it best in the "Wizard of Oz" when she said, "There's no place like home." The American University Field Hockey team will finally be able to utter those words on a consistent basis this year, as one of AU's most successful team plays its first season on its new home turf at Reeves Field.

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AU to examine Ladner's alleged misuse of funds

By Mary Specht | June 27

Updated 2:30 p.m. Tuesday, Aug. 9 The SG released a statement Friday saying it "eagerly awaits the findings of this investigation" by the Board of Trustees into President Benjamin Ladner's alleged use of university money to fund European vacations, a personal French chef, presents for his children and other personal expenses. "The Student Government wholeheartedly supports the Board of Trustees investigation into this matter and will cooperate in any way possible," according to today's announcement.

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Campus brief: SG rolls out new Web site for fall

By Mary Specht | June 27

The Student Government's new Web site will include opinion forums and regularly updated content when it is completed in time for the beginning of Welcome Week. The new system will make it easier to get news, events and pictures on the site. SG directors will be able to add content themselves, instead of filing an update request with the webmaster, according to Ben Murray, the SG's director of information technology.

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Campus brief: School of Communication class examines social change

By Mary Specht | June 27

Students in a new School of Communication class covered the impact a new baseball stadium will have on Southeast D.C. through an array of techniques, from a documentary to public service announcements. The goal of the class, Communication and Social Change, was to explore the effect of the proposed $585 million stadium on all residents using a variety of media, according to the course's professor, Charlene Gilbert.

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Library coffee kiosk coming soon

By Kate Oczypok | June 27

Bender Library's new coffee kiosk will be finished by the beginning of July, according to Diana Vogelsong, associate university librarian at AU. The Mud Box, given its quirky moniker by a student who won a naming contest last spring, is one of many projects the library has been working on for the next academic year.

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New security aims to keep viruses off network

By Mary Specht | June 27

A new virus protection system is being implemented to prevent infected computers from logging onto AU's network, EagleNet, and to remind users to regularly update their virus protection software. The introduction of the software is a response to high rates of infection among computers on the AU network, which have mostly affected students.

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Campus brief: No summer break for campus construction

By Mary Specht | June 27

As the Katzen Arts Center nears completion, AU prepares to tackle other major campus projects, including a new School of International Service building and the School of Communication's move from Mary Graydon Center to the McKinley building. While Katzen will open this fall, the SIS building is still only a concept.

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Ruckus downloading program rejected after trial semester

By Mary Specht | June 27

AU will discontinue Ruckus, a music and movie downloading program offered last spring, after a survey of 398 students conducted in April revealed many didn't support the service during its free trial period. The university is still considering several other legal file sharing programs with input from students, including the Residence Hall Association, which announced on Sunday it will recommend Napster.

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Laptops continue to disappear from unlocked dorm rooms

By Chris Nye | June 27

Seven laptop computers have been stolen from residence halls this summer, prompting Public Safety to discuss security with new students and present a proposal to the university that would make an anti-theft tracking system available for purchase at the campus bookstore.

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Metro brief: Police search for missing UMd. student

By Kate Oczypok | April 25

Arvin Sharma, a 22-year-old University of Maryland student, has not been seen since he left to spend a night out with a group of old friends. Now police are asking for the public's help with any information leading to Sharma, who was last seen at Club Lime, a popular nightspot in Southwest D.

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Ladner chooses Pura Vida for new coffee shop

By John Riley | April 25

A Pura Vida coffee shop will move into Mary Graydon Center, AU President Benjamin Ladner announced last Wednesday, because he said the company's socially responsible fair trade product suits AU's values. The choice represents "American University's institutional values and another opportunity to translate those values into a demonstrated public responsibility," Ladner said in a campus-wide e-mail.

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