News

Environmental program expands

AU created the Department of Environmental Science as a separate program from the Department of Biology this year and is working to increase the program's curriculum offerings. The move comes as other schools nationwide have started to strengthen their environmental programs because of increased interest in the green energy field.

High enrollment squeezes resources

Enrollment deposits came at a record rate for the class of 2012, eventually causing the class to be the largest in AU's history, according to Sharon Alston, interim associate provost for enrollment. The university could attribute the enrollment spike to many factors, including new admissions marketing initiatives and the national media attention they received in the spring, Alston said.

Study in China increases

AU students are part of a rising number of U.S. students studying abroad in China. During the 2007-2008 school year, 54 AU students studied abroad in China as compared to 23 students during the 2003-2004 year. More than 10,000 U.S. students have signed up to study in the country this year, according to USA Today.

Campus brief

Napster has terminated its contract with all colleges, including AU. In an e-mail to AU Housing and Dining Programs, Napster said it was ending its nationwide on campus program with all schools this year. Rick Treter, director of residence life for Housing and Dining, said AU's contract with Napster started in 2005.

Metro brief

The rise in the D.C. area's crime rate is related to the rising influence of the Bloods and Crips in the area, according to The Washington Post. Police suspect the West Coast-originated gangs have contributed to recent homicides in Prince George's County.

Campus Calendar

Ranking unlikely to affect admissions

Some in the AU community are skeptical of the direct impact that AU's recent ranking as most politically active school in the nation will have on future admissions. The Princeton Review, an education review service, released its annual lists of college rankings, with AU reclaiming the top spot as most politically active school in the country.

AU reacts as Gustav prompts Gulf evacuation

AU students have mixed reactions about the impact of Hurricane Gustav. Gustav made landfall Monday near Cocodrie, La. as a Category 2 hurricane. The storm was a tropical depression as of Wednesday evening. The hurricane displaced 1.9 million people in Louisiana alone, stopped about 15 percent of oil refining in the Gulf Coast and left millions of dollars in damage, The Washington Post reported.

Chancellor reforms D.C. public schools

AU students and faculty are getting more involved in the debate over whether District of Columbia Public Schools Chancellor Michelle Rhee's shakeup of procedures and personnel in the D.C. public school system is doing more harm or good. The system is currently failing, said David Teslicko, a senior in the School of International Service.

Public Safety teams with police

AU will continue to monitor students' off-campus behavior as the university increases its contact with local police departments, according to Public Safety Chief Michael McNair. The AU Student Conduct Code allows the university and local police to prosecute students for illegal activities that occur off campus.

National brief

Hurricane Gustav proved to be weaker than expected, only narrowly brushing New Orleans and leaving 80,000 residents without power, according to The Washington Post. The National Weather Service downgraded the once-Category 4 hurricane to a tropical storm, The Post reported.

International Brief

American military investigation revealed that an Aug. 22 air strike in Azizabad, Afghanistan, killed five to seven civilians and 30 to 35 Taliban, as opposed to the 90 civilian deaths the United Nations and Afghanistan's government reported during preliminary investigations, according to The New York Times.

New movie sharing service receives mixed reviews

The AU community now has access to PenguinShare, a movie sharing service created by two college students. Daniel Turcza, a student at Yale University, and Mark Rosenberg, a student at Grinnell University, created PenguinShare, Inc., as a free service that allows college students to borrow and share DVDs from their own movie collections through an online database.

AU insurance lacks transgender coverage

In part two of this series, The Eagle examines transgender exclusion in AU's student health care plan, and the ways students are fighting to get those benefits covered. Atop Diversity Advocacy Director Jillian Rubino's desk rests a document that means the world to her and to countless other AU students.

Campus housing overbooked

Demand for on-campus housing is currently at its highest level in five years, causing AU to place more than half of the freshman class in temporary triples and to offer upperclassmen alternative living arrangements in a hotel and apartment complex. Enrollment has spiked in a number of programs, mainly because of the prospect of being in the nation's capital for the 2008 presidential election, said Chris Moody, executive director of Housing and Dining Programs.

AU plan committee seeks input

The Strategic Planning Committee is allowing two weeks for the campus community's suggestions, following the release of its first draft of the university's strategic plan on Monday. The committee will revise the 40 points of the strategic plan based on input of the campus community, committee Chairman Bill DeLone said.

Colleges use Facebook to send emergency alerts

AU, the University of Maryland at College Park, and other colleges across the country have begun the new academic year by debuting the use of new technologies, including social networking sites like Facebook and text messaging alerts, to notify students of emergencies on campus.