News

News

Frank will speak at SPA graduation

By Tamar Hallerman | April 16

AU's announcement that Rep. Barney Frank, D-Mass., as the speaker for next month's School of Public Affairs commencement in Tuesday's issue of American Today prompted some students to send letters to campus authorities in protest. Members of the Facebook group "AU Students & Alumni Against Barney Frank @ SPA Commencement '09," which at press time had over 100 members, drafted a letter to the AU community that called for the university to consult with students about commencement speakers before making a choice and urged for students, parents and alumni to complain.

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Metro brief

April 16

Missing Howard University sophomore James Duncan III has been located unharmed, according to an April 14 press release posted on the Metropolitan Police Department Web site. Duncan had last been seen Thursday, March 26 in the 2200 block of Sherman Ave. N.

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News

AU may broaden insurance

By Tony Romm | April 16

Next academic year could mark the first time AU students participating in the university's health insurance program will have access to human papillomavirus (HPV) and transgender health insurance benefits. The new provisions, pending administrative approval, would make AU the first university in the District to cover HPV testing and the Gardasil vaccination for female students and gender identity and hormonal care for its transgender population.

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Dawson calls for men to prevent rape

By Lindsey Anderson | April 16

Men should be equal participants in the fight against sexual violence, actor and activist Rosario Dawson said during the National Conference on the Primary Prevention of Men's Violence Against Women on Tuesday at the Hyatt Regency in D.C. "For so many years in this work, I have wondered why ending rape is 'women's work,' for 95 percent of the violence inflicted on women is done by men," Dawson said, reading from a message by Eve Ensler, the writer of the popular play "The Vagina Monologues.

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News

Roper to be converted to dorms

By Ethan Klapper | April 16

AU will convert Roper Hall, the current home of the College of Arts and Sciences' Department of Economics, into student housing for the start of the 2010-2011 academic year. Prior to the conversion, the economics department will move to the Kreeger Building, which has remained vacant since the arts and performing arts departments moved to the Katzen Arts Center in 2005.

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SUB has no plans for porn

By Clint Rice | April 16

The recent screening of a pornographic film at the University of Maryland, College Park, has drawn controversy, but AU's Student Union Board said it has no plans to stir up similar controversy by showing an explicit film. SUB Director Josh Offsie said that although he was not aware of any AU policies prohibiting screening of pornography, SUB does not plan on showing any because he said AU students are not strongly interested in seeing it.

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AU keeps prayer at grad

By William F Zeman | April 16

AU's commencement exercises this May will continue to feature a religious invocation, despite students at other universities urging their colleges to remove such a practice from their graduation ceremonies. The University of Maryland, College Park's University Senate voted April 6 to remove their school's invocation - a prayer offered at the beginning of commencement exercises.

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News

Obama commits to higher education

By Marisa Kendall | April 16

By 2020, the United States will once again have the highest proportion of college graduates in the world, President Obama said in a televised speech at Georgetown University Tuesday afternoon. This was part of the president's focus on education as one of the key factors in ending the economic recession.

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News

Police blotter

By Ethan Klapper | April 16

April 8 A community member reported a trash can had caught fire in the main quad. Public Safety extinguished the fire. The trash can was destroyed and Facilities Management was notified. No injuries were reported. April 9 A suspected drug violation by several individuals occurred outside of the Constitution Building.

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News

AU gathers for openness, understanding

April 9

AU men and women emphasized their refusal to be silent on issues involving violence and assault during Take Back the Night Tuesday. The evening started with a rally at 8 p.m. at Glover Gate. Participants then spent the night at Kay Spiritual Life Center telling personal stories and testimonials.

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News

LASO event to prep youth

By Anna Tuman | April 9

The Latin American Student Organization will hold the 10th anniversary Latino Youth Conference, which works to inspire Latino kids in D.C., Maryland and Virginia to continue their education by going to college. "Essentially, we hope to inspire these kids to think about the opportunity of continuing their education," said Isel Galvan, LYC's recruitment chair and a junior in the School of Communication.

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News

Program protects resident privacy

By Tamar Hallerman | April 9

Over the past year, AU Housing and Dining Programs has sought to implement a program that would encourage more interaction between resident assistants and their residents in order to hear their experiences at AU while not invading students' privacy. In January, Intentional Interactions replaced EagleEye as a program to increase contact between the two groups.

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News

Metro brief

April 9

Student leaders at the University of Maryland screened portions of a pornographic movie Monday night, despite threats from a state senator to remove all funding from the school, The Washington Post reported. The student union originally planned to show the pornographic film "Pirates II: Stagnetti's Revenge" Saturday night.

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News

D.C. may accept gay marriage

By Marisa Kendall | April 9

The D.C. Council voted unanimously Tuesday to honor same-sex marriages performed in other states - a decision some AU students have vocally supported. Lawmakers expect the proposal to go to Congress for a final vote on May 5, according to The Washington Post.

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Campus brief

April 9

The Associated Press named AU men's basketball player Derrick Mercer as its "Men's basketball All-American Honorable Mention," according to an AU Athletics press release. Mercer was the first student in Patriot League history to record 1,200 points and 500 assists.

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Campus calendar

April 9

Thursday, April 9 Ask A Veteran Forum 7-9 p.m. WHERE: Ward 1 INFO: AU student veterans will share stories and take questions from the audience during a panel on the current war, what it's like to serve and the transition back to civilian life. CONTACT: For more information, e-mail brandonkrapf@gmail.

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News

Teen birth rate continues to rise

By Michael Ono | April 9

The national teenage birthrate has increased for the second year in a row following a previous 14-year trend of steady decreases. The rate at which unmarried women who gave birth rose by seven percent between 2006 and 2007, according to the Centers for Disease Control National Center for Health Statistics.

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