Correction appended
AU students ranked fourth in The Princeton Review’s “Most Politically Active Students” this year, allowing George Washington University to reclaim the No. 1 spot.
The New College of Florida and Georgetown University claimed the No. 2 and No. 3 spot, bypassing AU.
The Princeton Review ranked the AU student body as the most “politically active students” last year, dropping the University three spots in this year’s list.
Three out of the top five slots were named to schools in the D.C. area, which is not uncommon, according to co- author of Princeton Review's "Best 378 Colleges" David Soto.
“American has been a usual suspect on this list, and all of the top five schools are there because they are doing great things,” he said.
AU, Georgetown and GWU have been ranked in the top five slots for “most politically active” school in the past two years, The Eagle previously reported.
The rankings are determined based on 126,000 surveys sent out to 370 college campuses, according to Soto. The survey assesses the popularity of political groups on campus, he said.
A green AU
AU also received a spot on Princeton Review’s “Green Honor Roll” for the third consecutive year. The honor was awarded to 22 schools nationwide who received the highest possible score on the Princeton Review “Green Tallies” this year, according to Princeton Review.
AU is specifically noted for the creation of the Green Teaching Certification Program and the University's efforts to ensure that 25 of on-campus buildings fall under the LEED for Existing Buildings rating system, according to the website.
The Green Teaching Certification Program rewards faculty members for their efforts in keeping courses environmentally-friendly, according to the AU website. More than 100 faculty members received the certification for the 2012-2013 academic year.
The LEED program, run by the U.S Green Building Council (USGBC), works to improve the sustainability and efficiency of buildings through a list of guidelines for sustainable cleaning and maintenance, according to USGBC.
sgaber@theeagleonline.com
Correction: A former version of this story stated that AU had been on the "Green Honor Roll" for two consecutive years instead of the corrected three consecutive years.
