Opinion

Staff editorial: Beating AU bureaucracy

We can certainly all agree that AU has its bureaucratic moments, but does hiring a consultant to identify the problems we've long lamented about do anything substantial for the university? That answer very well depends on what you think the problem is. On one hand, navigating the processes of the Financial Aid, Registrar and Student Accounts offices is a grueling, degree-worthy endeavor - and reaching each by telephone is even more demanding.

Life in the district: Surviving awkward semester breaks

With this year's spring break likely to be spent frantically searching for jobs or an excuse to stay in school for another few years, this winter break marked the final time many AU seniors visited home before plunging into the "real world." However, ever since the first Thanksgiving break freshman year, when we raved about how fantastic our new college lives were, it seems like each subsequent visit home has been progressively more bittersweet.

Corrections

Correction for Nov. 29, 2007 In "'Red' campaign falls short in AIDS fight," the RED campaign was incorrectly identified as a charity. In actuality, it is a business model. Also, RED does not spend money on its advertisements; instead, its business partners handle advertisers.

Letter to the editor: Misleading quotation in Justice Not Jails article

I would like to clarify a statement of mine that was misquoted. Regarding the correlation between educational attainment and crime, I was quoted as saying, "The less educated you are, the more likely you are to commit a crime." In reality, increased education opens up economic and social opportunities that can decrease an individual's perceived need to commit crime, but in no way is educational attainment the deciding factor in probability of offending.

Letter to the editor: Product(RED) Supports AIDS Prevention

The idea that normal people can't make a difference to an epidemic as massive as AIDS in Africa couldn't be further from the truth. Product (RED) is making a very big difference in the lives of women and children living with AIDS in Africa. In the last 20 months, (RED) has generated $51.

Progressive point: Showing empathy in border control

Sex scandals, money scandals, incompetence and insanity have come to define today's Republican Party. But, amazingly, Republicans seem eager to ensure the Democrats as a governing majority far into future. Immigration has become the all-consuming domestic political football for crowds of angry reactionaries.

From atoms to Asimov: Science illiteracy: society's detriment

Science has a monopoly on the objective knowledge of the human species, yet due to its perceived complexity, this knowledge is often withheld from the general population. Although religious zealots may disagree, ignorance can only breed catastrophe, whereas knowledge is the light that can guide humanity to a better existence.

Staff editorial: A review of the fall semester

We've witnessed quite a deal this fall semester. Merely a few months after AU students harassed a White House chief of staff, the Princeton Review stripped us of our "most politically active" status. After months of complaining about D.C. cab rates, the mayor heeded our suggestions and cab drivers went on strike.

Letter to the editor: Response to Flynn's Giuliani column

Perhaps I shouldn't be surprised that Roddy Flynn is so opposed to Rudy Giuliani. I am sure he figured that this is the time for Democrats to win back the White House, with the nation largely upset with the Republican Party. Then along comes Giuliani, a proven leader before, during and after Sept.

Letter to the editor

I was very excited to attend the AFRICOM panel in hopes to hear some comprehensive coverage and discussion. This never happened. First and foremost, there was significant talk of the U.S. military. However, I did not see anyone with any background in the military.

Corrections

Correction for Nov. 19, 2007 In "SPA prof swam NJ bay while in high school," the headline read that professor Kimberly Cowell-Meyers swam the Barnegat Bay in high school. Cowell-Meyers actually swam the bay last summer. Correction for Nov. 29, 2007 In "Italian Embassy to host Kerwin's inauguration," the correct spelling of the event is Founders' Day.

Common sense: A lesson from the left's '08 prospects

I freely admit that I like Hillary Clinton. She's legit, there's no way to get around that. She's smart, savvy, a political cutthroat - just what I look for in my presidential candidates. Watching her in the Democratic debates has been like watching Michael Jordan and Lebron James take on a high school basketball team; she's simply out of everyone else's league.

Editorial cartoon

The people vs. Roddy Flynn: Giuliani: GOP's overrated candidate

There is one thing that Democratic presidential candidates can be thankful for in this holiday season: The Republican primary field. You can always count on the Republican Party to cannibalize its best prospects. The conservative destruction of John McCain, a man who was the strongest possibility of all candidates, began eight years ago, and he has never gotten over it.

Staff editorial: Books for those behind bars

From dollars spent in Georgetown, internship hours passed on Capitol Hill and coffees downed in Adams Morgan, students make their mark on our home city. While our campus on a hill could foster isolation among classmates and book stacks, clubs and organizations work with passion and commitment to go beyond the bounds of Northwest, whether through charity drives, volunteering or advocacy.

Staff editorial: Putting the patch on smoking

For a university that prides itself as incredibly student-conscious, Thursday evening's smoking forum is worthy of as much admiration as it is scorn. To start, the SG's attempt to gauge students' feelings on smoking is commendable. Discussions like these, regardless of their outcome, are what we elected the executives to do.

Staff editorial: An unnecessary van ride

We at The Eagle like to think of ourselves as fairly intelligent people, but we have to admit the new SG initiative has us more than a little confused. Under a proposal by SG President Joe Vidulich, student volunteers will drive AUTO vans from a location near The Eagle's Nest to CVS and Whole Foods in Tenleytown.