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News

National Brief: Buddhists also celebrate holiday season

By Rochelle Chounet | December 9

In the winter, Christmas and Hanukkah are not the only religious holidays celebrated. Buddhism, a religion with more than 1 million American followers, will celebrate Lama Tsongkhapa Day on Dec. 7, which celebrates the founder of the Gelugpa order of Tibetan Buddhism.

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Baseball in D.C. spans the century

By Jordan Beane | December 9

Major League Baseball owners on Friday officially announced approval for the Montreal Expos to move to D.C., and the team was renamed the Washington Nationals. While some are excited about the District's new baseball team, others are not. Regardless, many baseball fans are using this time to reflect on the history and future of the nation's pastime in the nation's capital.

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AU keeps donors satisfied

By Brittney Galloway | December 9

Some people who donate money to universities are displeased because the schools do not use the money the way the donors wish, The New York Times reported Nov. 27. However, this is not a problem at AU, school officials said. AU has a high level of donor satisfaction because it is "very donor-centered" and takes into account what donors want to have done with their money, said Scott VanDeusen, director of annual campaigns in the Office of University Relations.

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SC constitution passes

By Mary Specht | December 9

Students passed the proposed SC constitution, with 148 votes in favor, 40 against and six abstaining, in a special election yesterday in Mary Graydon Center. The new constitution will change the name of the SC to Student Government and the GA to Undergraduate Senate. The composition of the US will include five senators from each class, four at-large, two from the College of Arts and Sciences and one from each of the other schools.

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Youth can fight abuse

By Kate Oczypok | December 9

Women between the ages of 16 and 24 represent the group most likely to be abused, according to a program on teen dating and domestic abuse held at AU yesterday. Kisan Patterson, a staff attorney for Break the Cycle, a nonprofit organization that aims to help youth end domestic violence, spoke at the program.

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Campus Brief: Library open longer, AUTO goes to airports

By Mary Specht | December 9

The library will stay open from 8 a.m. on Tuesday to midnight on Dec. 17 to offer students more time to study there for finals. The Student Confederation will contribute approximately $2,000 to help fund the extra hours of operation, said SC President Polson Kanneth. "The students requested 24-hour access, and the Student Confederation helped make it happen by contributing financially," said librarian Patricia Wand. "Student input is vital to the library, and I am pleased that the students worked so diligently with the library to achieve this goal."

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Campus Brief: Alternative gifts help human rights

By Kate Oczypok | December 9

AU students will have the opportunity to do some "alternative" Christmas shopping this year with the Alternative Gift Fair, which will be Friday in the Mary Graydon Center. Project Hope International, a campus group that combats human trafficking and works with a D.C. nonprofit organization of the same name, is sponsoring the event.

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Less sunlight brings the blues

By Theodora Blanchfield | December 9

Although it has been warmer and sunnier than usual this winter, some students may start to feel out of sorts once the temperature drops to seasonal levels and weather worsens. Those who feel depressed during the winter may have seasonal affective disorder.

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Students visit National Christmas Tree

December 9

President George W. Bush lighted the National Christmas tree Dec. 2 on the Ellipse, officially beginning D.C.'s holiday season. The tree will light up from dusk to 11 p.m. until Dec. 23. Musical groups from around the country will perform at the tree every night as part of the Christmas Pageant of Peace.

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Students mark Iraqi civilian deaths

By Molly Norris | December 6

Student activists blanketed the campus last night with 100,000 white ribbons symbolizing Iraqi civilian casualties resulting from the U.S.-led war, but AU administration restricted the demonstration to fences in front of Kay Spiritual Life Center.

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AU artists celebrate at AmLit party

By Blair Payne | December 6

A standing room-only crowd gathered to hear American Literary contributors read their work from the student magazine's fall edition at a 1970s porn-themed party Sunday night. American Literary features photography, artwork, poetry and prose from AU students and faculty.

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Santa gets professor an award

By April Seipp | December 6

AU journalism professor W. Joseph Campbell recently won the American Journalism Historian Association's top faculty research award for his work on the editorial "Is There a Santa Claus?" He presented his 20-page paper on Oct. 23 in Cleveland at the organization's annual conference. His work is part of a larger project that he hopes to turn into a book on the importance of the year 1897, which he describes as "a pivotal time in news media, especially print media."

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Campus calendar

By Kate Oczypok | December 6

Events to attend around campus until Sunday, December 12.

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AU study abroad ranks 12th for undergrad participation

By Stokely Baksh | December 6

AU ranked 12th out of the top 20 U.S. doctoral/research institutions for estimated undergraduate participation in study-abroad programs, according to a study from the Institute of International Education. This is the first time AU has achieved a ranking in this particular report. The total number of AU students going abroad has increased by 65 percent in the last three years to 887 students this year, according to AU Abroad.

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More U.S. undergrads go abroad, fewer foreign students study in U.S.

By Stokely Baksh | December 6

While the number of U.S. students studying abroad has increased since 9/11, the number of international students studying in the United States has significantly decreased due to factors that include difficulties in obtaining student visas and perceptions of American distrust of foreigners, according to a study released by the Institute of International Education. The number of international students studying in the United States decreased to a level unmatched since the 1970s, according to the 2004 Open Doors Report, which was released last month and funded by the State Department's Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs.

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Bills inhibit file sharing

By Kelly Kerr | December 6

While two bills working their way into federal law do not specifically address the common practice of illegal sharing of music and movie files, they represent a greater effort to crack down on widespread illegal use of today's technology. One bill, the Cooperative Research and Technology Enhancement Act, known as CREATE, currently awaits President George W. Bush's signature.

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GW student efforts to join Board of Trustees thwarted

By Valerie Smith | December 6

In mid-November, two high-ranking officials at George Washington University rejected student efforts to put a student on the Board of Trustees. University President Stephen Trachtenberg and Board of Trustees Chairman Charles Manatt said they did not support a Student Assembly resolution in favor of adding a permanent student member to the Board of Trustees, The Hatchet, George Washington's student newspaper reported. AU's Board of Trustees adheres to a similar policy. The Board is one of the highest decision-making organizations at GW and most other colleges, including AU.

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