Correction Appended
Campus Brief
AU PARTNERS WITH SMITHSONIAN FOR SERIES OF EVENTS
AU and Smithsonian Associates — the membership organization of the Smithsonian Institution — formed a partnership recently to hold a series of six events April 15 to 29.
The upcoming programs include a panel on the future of museums, a musical event, a biologist and Pulitzer Prize-winning author interview, a discussion with several White House correspondents, a look into the Center for Environment Filmmaking Director and School of Communication Professor Chris Palmer’s book, “Shooting in the Wild” and a jazz performance, according to AU’s Web site.
Jacqueline Corbett, a former Smithsonian employee and the director of communications for the School of Public Affairs, said the collaboration has been in the works for about a year and the programs will “run the gamut of the interests of both the Smithsonian and AU.”
“I think everyone is thrilled about working with the Smithsonian,” she said. “It’s a great institution, our nation’s cultural treasury, and we’re lucky to be in the same city and share so many of the same interests and values.”
The Smithsonian Associates were looking to engage with AU and the surrounding community to help fulfill the Smithsonian’s overall mission of reaching out to the academic communities, according to Christine Cimino, public affairs director for Smithsonian Associates.
A limited number of free tickets will be available for the AU community, with more information in about a month, according to Corbett.
Tickets are on sale now at www.residentassociates.org. Prices vary by event.
-STEFANIE DAZIO
AU Student Government Brief
CURRENT SG PRESIDENT WILL NOT SEEK SECOND TERM
After nearly a year as the face of the Student Government, President Andy MacCracken hopes to take on a new government job: as an intern on Capitol Hill.
MacCracken, a junior in the School of Public Affairs, announced his decision not to seek a second term as SG president on Tuesday, March 2, The Eagle previously reported.
With projects like the student Metro discount and Clean Energy Revolving Fund still in the formative stages, MacCracken said he worries about their progress. However, he plans to keep some level of involvement even after his term ends.
“I think both of [the projects] are very fragile right now,” he said.
But MacCracken is confident in whoever his successor may be.
“I wouldn’t step away if I didn’t think that someone else ... would be able to handle it,” he said. “Regardless of who comes in ... I’ll trust that, and work with the incoming administration as much as they need me to or want me to.”
Elections for the SG president and other executive positions for the 2010-2011 school year are scheduled to take place March 23 and 24. MacCracken’s successor will begin the transition process April 25, and his term officially ends May 1.
Check online for a full list of candidates for executive SG positions.
-JEN CALANTONE
Metro Brief
STUDENT INCHES NEARER TO ANC SEAT
Sami Green — an AU student attempting to fill an empty Advisory Neighborhood Commission spot — is only four signatures away from completing her petition for the seat.
By early this morning, she anticipates having more than the 25 signatures required by the D.C. Board of Elections and Ethics.
Green needs those 25 signatures from D.C. residents in single-member district ANC3D07 to fulfill the petition’s requirements. After she has collected the signatures, Green must submit the form to the BOEE, which determines if the petition’s signatures are valid.
If the BOEE confirms the signatures, Green must then wait a month to see if anyone challenges her for the seat. If no one does, she will be made commissioner for that single-member district.
The district’s boundaries cover all of the South side dorms and a few residential streets next to AU’s campus. For years, the seat has sat empty because residents were unable to find enough voters to sign the necessary petition.
This is Green’s fourth attempt at collecting the necessary signatures. The previous three attempts were derailed by procedural holdups and the inability to find enough registered voters. Green led a voting drive at AU and registered 23 students, giving her enough potential signatures to complete the petition.
ANCs deal with issues in the neighborhood, including zoning regulations, liquor licenses and traffic issues. ANC3D deals specifically with the ongoing Army Corps of Engineers’ dig for World War I-era chemical weapons in Spring Valley, complaints about AU students and the debate over the university’s Campus Plan.
If everything proceeds as planned for Green, she will be seated as commissioner by April. Since the election cycle begins the month afterwards, she will only serve as commissioner for one meeting. Green plans to go abroad next year, so she will not petition for the seat again, although she hopes another student will take the spot.
“Ultimately, regardless of how long I get to serve, it will benefit the community,” she said. “Just getting someone on the ANC proves that the university and students are dedicated to forging a very positive relationship with the neighbors.”
-CHARLIE SZOLD
Correction: In an earlier version of the metro brief, The Eagle incorrectly reported that Sami Green was running for the ANC3E07 seat. In fact, Green is running for the ANC3D07 seat. This version has been corrected.
