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Campus Briefs: Students vote on SC rules, AU keeps fall break

By Mary Specht | November 18

Students can vote on the proposed Student Confederation constitution on Dec. 8 from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. in Mary Graydon Center, Room 120. The SC Board of Elections will hold an informational meeting on the document in the Gianni Lounge on Nov. 30. ... The University will keep fall break on the calendar for the fall 2005 semester, but it is still considering changes for fall 2006, according to Student Confederation President Polson Kanneth and Nathan Price, special assistant to Provost Neil Kerwin.

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Quitting kits could help students stop smoking

By Phil Turner | November 18

Today is the annual Great American Smokeout, and a campus and community effort will help AU students stamp out their cigarettes. The Wellness and Counseling Center is trying to help students break the habit, and Sibley Hospital is offering free smoking cessation courses.

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Burma dictatorship can be replaced with nonviolence, panel says

By Patrick Besha | November 18

Panelists discussed the serious problems of murder and rape in Burma and suggested that sanctions be placed on the country at Monday's conference "Challenges of Nonviolent Actions - Burma: A Case Study." Aung Din, the U.S. Campaign for Burma Policy director, called Gen. Than Shwe, the leader of Burma, "one of the worst dictators in the world."

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Ladner salary second highest in D.C.

By David Hodges | November 18

President Benjamin Ladner's total compensation from 2002 to 2003 makes him the second highest paid private university president in the D.C. area, following Stephen J. Trachtenberg, president of George Washington University, The Chronicle of Higher Education reported this week.

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Law profs, students speculate on Supreme Court

By Claire Maude | November 18

It's been a little more than two weeks since President Bush's re-election and already things look different at the White House. Six out of 15 cabinet members have resigned, and Condoleezza Rice is the new secretary of state. Yet many experts think the biggest changes are still to come. In his new term, President Bush will likely have the opportunity to replace at least one Supreme Court justice, an ability that Washington College of Law professor Steve Wermiel said could have "potentially enormous ramifications for the country."

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AU secure from ID theft

By Matt Bocchino | November 18

Identity theft continues to be a problem across the country, and the businesses and universities are especially unsafe, according to an identity theft expert. However, the AU network system is "mostly" secure, according to Eric Weakland, the school's director of network security. Identity theft takes place when key pieces of personal information, such as Social Security numbers, credit card numbers or driver's license information are stolen by someone who uses the information for his or her own benefit.

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SC constitution null due to procedural issue

By Mary Specht | November 18

The General Assembly will revote on the new Student Confederation constitution after parliamentarian Kyle Harding ruled last week's vote null for procedural reasons. The ruling came in response to an inquiry from Kaitlyn Keegan, Class of 2005 representative in the GA. She noted that the GA agreed the adjournment time would be 7 p.m., yet voting extended past that time. Keegan asked Harding if the constitution would be null because of this. Another inquiry submitted to Harding anonymously asked, "Is it appropriate for the speaker, an unbiased leader of the assembly, to solicit or threaten members to vote one way or the other? Is it out of order? Is it impeachable?" Speaker Richard Bradbury told the assembly last Sunday, "If we do not pass a constitution by the end of this meeting ... we will not exist. We have to get this through in some form or another," the Eagle reported Nov. 15. However, it is not clear if this is to what the inquirer referred.

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Arafat's death brings reflections on his life

November 18

Last week's death of Yasser Arafat, terrorist and president of the Palestinian Authority, created renewed reflection and discussion throughout the world on Arafat, his past and what his death means for the future of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict. About 60 people gathered in the Butler Board Room to listen to a panel of five experts reflect on such topics yesterday at a discussion titled "Remembering Arafat: Reflections on the Past, Visions for the Future.

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Leonard Hall examines Darfur

By Tara Ryan | November 18

In Darfur, Sudan, civilians' human rights are being violated daily as a militant group called the Janjaweed commits genocide against the people as a way of "ethnic cleansing," a representative from Amnesty International said Monday. Eric Sears, Amnesty International's Mid-Atlantic field organizer, said the militants, specifically targeting the Fur, Masalit and Zaghawa ethnic groups, purposely kill and torture these civilians using rape and other sexual violence as weapons.

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Gay marriage bans aren't representative, profs say

By George Los | November 15

While some D.C. advocacy groups think that this year's election results made a definite negative statement on the status of gay marriage in the United States, some AU professors disagree. Voters in 11 states passed ballot measures Nov. 2 to ban same-sex marriage within their states, and President George W. Bush said earlier this year that he favors a constitutional ban on gay marriage, the Federal Marriage Amendment, which died in Congress this summer. His opponent, Sen. John Kerry, also opposed gay marriage but did not endorse a constitutional amendment.

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Copyright laws create difficulties for documentary filmmakers

By Kelly Kerr | November 15

Though documentary films have told many stories over the years, the story of documentary-makers' difficulty in obtaining and using copyrighted material has not frequently been covered. However, on Nov. 8, the AU Center for Social Media addressed issues like the high costs, high frustration and high risks filmmakers must endure in creating films due to current copyright restrictions. A panel of lawyers, filmmakers and professors commented on the industry and the recently released report, "Untold Stories: Creative Consequences of the Rights Clearance Culture for Documentary Filmmakers," at the Washington College of Law.

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Gamers say 'Halo'

By Khai Ha | November 15

More than 20 students gathered Saturday at a release party for the highly anticipated "Halo 2" Xbox game. AU Gamers hosted the event in a freestyle kill-or-be-killed format. Players were separated by two rooms in teams of eight. Cries of "I've got your back!" and "Run!" echoed throughout the night. "We shifted the people that sucked around to balance the teams and made sure everyone got a turn on the projectors," said Charles Olson, supreme commander of AU Gamers.

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Multicultural meal served to SIS students

By Kate Oczypok | November 15

The School of International Service's Undergraduate Cabinet held its annual dinner for students Friday evening in the McDowell Formal Lounge. More than 300 people attended the dinner, which ran from 5:30 until 8, according to Ben Sanders, president of the Undergraduate Cabinet. Multicultural food was served at the dinner, including Lebanese, Taiwanese and Japanese food. Students also had their choice of a variety of Tex-Mex, Indian and French dishes as well as lasagna.

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Police Blotter: from bad driving to burying keg

By Theodora Blanchfield | November 15

A rundown of incidents recorded in and around campus by Public Safety for November 10 - November 12.

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AU prepares university in Nigeria

By Jeannette Kimmel | November 15

President Benjamin Ladner joined with Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo and Vice President Atiku Abubakar to break ground on Nigeria's only private American-style university last month. AU officials, together with several Nigerian officials, have been developing plans for the ABTI-American University of Nigeria (AAUN) since early 2003, when AU received a proposal from Abubakar asking for assistance in advising the first stages of establishing the university.

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Campus Brief: Black students host party

By Kate Oczypok | November 15

The AU Black Student Alliance held its first party of the semester on Friday night in the University Club. Approximately 40 to 45 people attended the event, which lasted until 2 a.m., according to BSA President Nadia Trowers. The party included refreshments, a live DJ, a spades tournament and a dance contest. The winner of the dance contest was an AU student's sister who was visiting the University for the weekend, according to Trowers.

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Film-sharers face lawsuits from MPAA

By Lauren Gardner | November 15

The first lawsuits will be filed Tuesday against people who illegally download movies from file-sharing services, the Motion Picture Association of America announced Nov. 4. "People who have been stealing our movies believe they are anonymous on the Internet, and wouldn't be held responsible for their actions," MPAA president and CEO Dan Glickman told The Washington Post. "They are wrong. We know who they are, and we will go after them, as these suits will prove."

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