Delivering American University's news and views since 1925
Professor James Thurber, the director of AU’s Center For Congressional and Presidential Studies, has a lot to answer for. A poor judgment call on his part has recently resulted in what seems to be university money being spent unethically. It has tainted AU’s good name in the media. Many of the details of this story remain unclear, but what we already know has serious implications.
One of the primary criticisms of this generation is that it is not involved in public — or political — service. Why is it that more people choose to work in business than to work in elected office? I believe many people want to work in government, but the problem is so few want to be a candidate for an office, a phenomenon I’ve personally dubbed “The Caroline Problem.”
Twenty years ago today, Communist East Germany opened its borders to the West in one of the defining moments at the end of the Cold War. As the world looked on, citizens of both countries streamed from one side of the Wall to the other. Families were reunited and total strangers celebrated together in the streets.
Recently, both The Washington Post and The Eagle ran articles about the price of university parking in the area. Unfortunately those articles have painted some unclear and possibly unfair pictures of AU’s parking policies and prices. We would like to take a moment to try and present a clearer picture for our community. While we understand that no one ever gets their pay check and says, “Now I can pay for that parking permit I always wanted,” AU does its best to ensure that our parking rates and policies are fair and comparable to both local universities and the District of Columbia.
In “Kerwin’s salary in middle of pay list” published Dec. 8, 2008, The Eagle incorrectly reported that AU President Neil Kerwin’s salary was $573, 206 for 2006-2007. In fact, his salary was $573,306. The Eagle then used this incorrect statistic in “Kerwin’s salary tops U.S. list,” published Nov. 5, 2009. In that same story, The Eagle incorrectly used the word “salary” in place of “compensation.” President Neil Kerwin received compensation over $1.4 million during 2007-2008. The Eagle regrets the errors.
The Chronicle of Higher Education is spreading misinformation about AU President Cornelius M. Kerwin — and it’s time to set the record straight. The Chronicle would have us believe Kerwin received a salary of over $1.4 million during the 2007-2008 fiscal year. But it’s false. The AU Board of Trustees appropriately has called this claim inaccurate and misleading. And to its credit, the university is pushing back hard against the Chronicle’s claims.
Political columnists and pundits tend to overreact to electoral developments and their significance in relation to future contests. I cannot say I am free from such journalistic sin. Yet, in the wake of Tuesday’s off-year elections, I am here to sound a warning before every network and print news outlet engages in the perennial debate over who is up and who is down in the political sphere. I am only afraid I speak too late.
As a Phillies fan, I get indigestion from Alex Rodriguez. Throughout this World Series, I have reached for a Tums every time he steps to the plate. He ruined my Halloween weekend by dismantling Philadelphia’s comeback in Game 4. Regardless of the Fall Classic’s outcome, the Yankees owe much of their success to Alex Rodriguez.
Perhaps The Eagle’s editorial staff should take a quick look through their archives before running an editorial like “Questioning new resource centers” that contradicts their previous positions on a women’s resource center.
Since 2006, AU’s Student Government has talked about creating a women’s resource center. The SG has also discussed starting an online veterans’ network. Next year, both projects will be completed. The Women’s Resource Center will open its doors in January 2010. The Veterans’ Network will launch next fall. The SG and the university should be commended for making good on a long-term promise. However, the creation of these centers raises questions about which special subgroups warrant their own university-funded resources.
Cultural relativism is an objectively incoherent doctrine. Let me define potentially ambiguous terms at the outset: by “cultural relativism” I mean the idea that it is wrong to cast judgment upon the culture of another nation or ethnicity. By objective, I really do mean objective: it is not up for dispute; the facts demonstrate it in the same way that they demonstrate that AU is located in Washington, D.C.
Most AU students share a commitment to service and a desire to have a positive impact on the world around them. But what does it really mean to make a difference and how do you go about doing it?
Today's trending topics — Intelligent guy/girl def hooking up, AU males are insulted by girls complaints and the secrets to success! Today's top rant — My steps to success at AU: 1. Don't attempt to do homework 2. Rant ridiculous shit instead 3. ????? 4. Profit
When John Ashcroft became Attorney General of the United States in 2001, he announced the Department of Justice’s initiative against “public corruption.” However, evidence has developed that the Department of Justice has been the source, not the opponent, of this corruption. Specifically, a study has come out that demonstrates that the Bush Administration’s Justice Department, under both Ashcroft and Gonzales, committed political profiling on local Democrats. This is a violation of the individual’s freedom to speak and associate and cannot be allowed to stand.
This year, Tufts University decided to get involved in the sex lives of its students. The school implemented a policy prohibiting students from engaging in sexual activity in their residence halls while a roommate is present.
About a year ago, New York Times columnist David Brooks wrote an incredibly insightful column called “The Class War Before Palin.” In it, he describes the anti-intellectualism that afflicts today’s Republican Party. He explains how politicians like Sarah Palin rail against educated elites and refuse to make an intellectual case for conservatism. “What had been a disdain for liberal intellectuals,” Brooks wrote, “slipped into a disdain for the educated class as a whole.”
I love AU. I love the political atmosphere: most students know what’s going on in America — and even what’s being debated on the floor of the House of Representatives. I love that we are located in Washington, D.C., where history is being made every day, and with one relatively short Metro ride we can be a part of it. I love that we have classes in the city that are based on a practical, rather than theoretical approach, and where instead of learning about Congress or the Supreme Court you can go down for a class period and witness the action yourself.
Solutions by The State News