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News

Commission to develop strategy on education

By Casey Piper Coes | September 26

The U.S. Department of Education has assembled a new commission to develop "a comprehensive national strategy" on the future of the United States' post-secondary education system. In a speech from the University of North Carolina in Charlotte, Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings said that the commission will focus on the issues of steadily rising enrollment, declining affordability of higher education and the role of universities in America's global intellectual competitiveness, according to the New York Times.

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Metro brief: Ray Charles' memorabilia on display

By Lauren Gardner | September 26

Ray Charles' manager donated several items of memorabilia from the soul music pioneer Wednesday to the permanent collection the Smithsonian Institute. Joe Adams, Charles' manager for more than 45 years and president of Ray Charles Enterprises, donated a pair of the singer's Ray-Ban sunglasses, a Braille Yamaha keyboard, a specially designed chess set and a gold-sequined jacket, among other things.

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Protesters rally for troops to come home

By Steve Dorsey | September 26

Thousands of protesters clogged the streets of downtown Washington Saturday as they rallied against the war in Iraq with a message to "bring the troops home now." The events, organized by a group called United for Peace and Justice, featured speeches by the Rev.

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Sheehan featured in war forum

By Kyra Smerkanich | September 22

Cindy Sheehan and other speakers compared the war in Iraq to the Vietnam War last night in the Kay Spiritual Center. A sign in front of the podium greeted students, proclaiming the message of the night, "Bring Them Home Now." The event, "Vietnam and Iraq: The Lessons Ignored and Forgotten," was sponsored by the Coalition for Action and Social Justice and organized by history professor Peter Kuznick.

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Experts speak about U.S.-Mexico gap

By Sean Miller | September 22

A massive development fund aimed at closing the wage-gap between Mexico and the United States is the only way to decrease the flow of illegal-immigrants crossing the border, according to a panel of experts convened yesterday at AU. "The biggest reason [for crossing into the U.

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Political site intrigues students

By Kate Oczypok | September 22

Members of AU's political student groups have expressed both interest and concern over a new web site that aims to give students more ideas from the political right. According to the Chronicle of Higher Education, intellectualtakeout.com hopes to increase conservative students' presence in campus debates.

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National brief: College freshman investigated for terrorism ties

By Lauren Gardner | September 22

A freshman at the University of Memphis is being investigated on suspected ties to terrorism after federal agents found a pilot's uniform, a map of Memphis International Airport and pilot-training materials in his off-campus apartment last week, according to the Chronicle of Higher Education.

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Campus Calender

By John Riley | September 22

Thursday, Sept. 22 "Civility in the Classroom" (CIVITAS week event) 12:00 p.m., Hurst Hall, room 210 The Center for Teaching Excellence is sponsoring this event for faculty looking to explore how civility can foster intellectual discourse, cooperation and learning.

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Jimmy Carter hosts town hall meeting

By Brian Kalish | September 22

Former President Jimmy Carter took students' questions on everything from the youth vote to the Iran hostage situation on Monday, the day he was in D.C. to present his commission's findings on election reform to President Bush and Congress. "It's hard to say, but we have problems with this greatest democracy on earth," said Carter, whose Commission on Federal Election Reform made 87 recommendations to improve the electoral process, including photo IDs for all voters, an impartial election administration and a paper trail for electronic voting machines.

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Pres. Bush's approval rating plummets

By Kate Naseef | September 22

President Bush's job approval rating sank to an all-time low of 42 percent in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, but many other factors could also be adding to the lack of approval, according to a Washington Post/ABC News poll from Sept. 11. Leonard Steinhorn, associate professor of communication, cited Iraq, Katrina, the deficit and debts as major reasons.

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Report questions over $500,000 spent by Ladner

By Mary Specht | September 22

An investigative report questioned President Benjamin Ladner's spending of more than a half-million dollars on vacations, parties and food, the Washington Post reported. Ladner was also operating under a second contract negotiated a few years after he arrived at AU in 1994, unknown to many board members.

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Skin cancer on the rise for youths

By Lauren Gardner | September 22

A recent study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association showed an increase of nonmelanoma skin cancer among men and women under 40, and found a disproportionate increase in basal cell carcinoma in young women. The increased likelihood of cancer in that age group emphasizes the need to focus on skin cancer prevention in young adults, the study said.

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Police blotter

By Josh Goodman | September 22

Friday, Sept. 16 A staff member reported that another staff member was refusing to leave an office in Mary Graydon Center and was being combative. A Washington Semester student reported that her wallet had been stolen from her room in Capital Hall. Jacobs Fitness Center staff reported that there was a suspicious person in the area.

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Confidential sources spark debate at American Forum

By Kate Naseef | September 22

Last night's American Forum on the role of confidential sources fueled a heated disagreement between Mike Isikoff of Newsweek and Matt Cooper of Time Magazine over whether or not sources should be pressured to go on the record. "We're in a little bit of a danger of making a fetish of confidential sources," said Mike Isikoff.

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Metro brief: Metro train splits at Silver Spring station

By Lauren Gardner | September 22

The first two cars of a red line train broke away from the rest while leaving the Silver Spring station Tuesday morning, abandoning the rest of the train on tracks south of the station, according to the Washington Post. The incident occurred at 9:07 a.m.

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Number of international students falls from last year

By Sarah Alsgaard | September 22

The number of undergraduate international students studying at AU has decreased from 369 last year to 331 this year, according to AU's Office of Institutional Research and Assessment. "I think it's a combination of factors," said Fanta Aw, director of International Student Services at AU, of why the numbers are decreasing.

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Students ponder Judge Roberts' views

By Kelly Kerr | September 19

John Roberts, chief justice nominee, left both sides of the aisle guessing as to his position on Roe V. Wade during his Senate confirmation hearings on Tuesday, according to the Washington Post. Roberts' position on abortion has concerned Democrats and abortion rights supporters because of his 1981 memo that referred to the "so-called" right to privacy that supports legalized abortions.

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