News

News

National brief

October 29

Durex, a U.S. condom maker, has received 4,000 applicants since last Monday for an offer to volunteer to test its products first-hand and report the results, the New York Post reported. Durex said 1,000 applicants will be chosen, with one tester receiving a $1,000 cash prize, United Press International reported.

---

News

MPD to up DUI enforcement

By Patricio Chile | October 29

Each year, countless people live a nightmare on Halloween. However, the terror isn't from crazed slashers or zombies, but rather from the life-threatening effects of drunken driving. With D.C. being home to a variety of nightlife establishments and especially with a large college student community, District officials have stepped up efforts in the past few years to prevent tragedies resulting from people driving under the influence.

---

News

Families tour, learn AU history

By Jimm Phillips | October 29

Former House Majority Leader Tom DeLay's speech and the discussion with White House correspondents David Gregory and Helen Thomas were two of the on-campus events held as part of Family Weekend, which took place Friday to Sunday. On Friday, AU held several tours of the campus and the surrounding area.

---

News

SG brief

October 29

The Undergraduate Senate confirmed former Senator John Cipriani as Class of 2009 Senator by a vote of 21-2-3 at its meeting Sunday. Cipriani was appointed to the previous senate and chose not to run in the most recent election. "I was stepping out of the race to see if someone else would step in," he said.

---

News

DeLay criticizes Republicans

By Bobby Allyn | October 29

Former House Majority Leader Tom DeLay lambasted Republicans for their lack of leadership during an event Friday at Kay Spiritual Life Center that helped kick off Family Weekend. "Leadership is all about having no fear and knowing what you believe in," he said.

---

News

Reporters debate press corps' role

By Jimm Phillips | October 29

White House correspondents David Gregory and Helen Thomas disagreed during an event Saturday night in Bender Arena on how much to blame the press for its coverage leading up to the U.S. invasion of Iraq in 2003 The White House and Pentagon press corps faltered during the run-up to the Iraq invasion, said Thomas, a columnist for Hearst Newspapers.

---

News

Prof praises student tolerance

By Ashley Wolos | October 29

AW: Where did you grow up/where are you from? WL: I grew up in Tallahassee, Fla. - the panhandle, north Florida.Well, we moved there from Tennessee when I was 3 years old, lived there until I went to graduate school. AW: What is your favorite way to relax after class? WL: After a long, strenuous day at the university, I either go to the gym or I go home and I sit on my deck or in my garden, and I watch the flowers.

---

News

Group tries to draft Gore for '08 election

By Amanda Hamedany | October 29

In recent weeks, America for Gore, an online nonprofit organization, has intensified its efforts to add former Vice President and Nobel Prize-winner Al Gore to next year's Democratic presidential primary ballot in D.C. Although Gore has expressed no concrete interest in running for president, he has not confirmed that he will forego the race, according to the Al Gore 2008 Draft Campaign Web site.

---

News

Towson U. student runs for mayor of Md. hometown

By Adam Dexter | October 29

Students at AU are known for their top-ranking political awareness and activism on and off campus, but few, if any, can say they've run for mayor. That's exactly what Nicole Burlew, 19, a student at Towson University, is doing right now. A resident of Aberdeen, Md.

---

News

Campus brief

October 29

AU marked National Collegiate Alcohol Awareness Week last week through various on-campus activities, according to the Student Government Web site. AU sponsored 10 events related to alcohol awareness, including AU alumnus Ross Szabo's presentation on how alcohol use affects mental health.

---

News

Republican women's club formed

By Allie Feras | October 29

The newly formed club Republican Women at AU offers an alternative to "radical feminism," according to Anna Loerch, the club's president and a junior in the College of Arts and Sciences. "We wanted to expand the conservative voice on campus," Loerch said.

---

News

Campus brief

October 25

The D.C. chapter of the International Television Association gave the Distinguished Achievement Award on Saturday to John Douglass, an associate professor and director of the film and media arts division of the School of Communication. The ceremony took place at the National Press Club during the 2007 Peer Awards ceremony, according to the press release.

---

News

AU GOP brings Paul to fundraise

By Kim Selman | October 25

A libertarian-leaning Republican presidential candidate from Texas may turn out to be the College Republicans' best fundraiser of the fall term. It cost $10 per person to hear Rep. Ron Paul speak at one of the AU College Republicans' biggest fundraisers of the semester Wednesday evening.

---

News

Security improved with troop increase, Iraqi spokesman says

By Christopher Cottrell | October 25

Iraq has seen security improvements, and President Bush's decision to increase the number of U.S. ground forces in the country was a major factor in this progress, said Ali al-Dabbagh, official government spokesman for Iraq, during a speech in the Katzen Arts Center Tuesday.

---

News

Carter says Darfur not genocide

By Tony Romm | October 25

Although rebel militants have killed nearly 200,000 black Darfurians, the conflict in Sudan is by no means genocide, former President Jimmy Carter told the AU community Wednesday. "That's an atrocity that's only been demonstrated two times in my lifetime," Carter told approximately 200 audience members.

---

News

Metro brief

October 25

U.S. Capitol Police Monday morning arrested dozens of protesters when they blocked the streets and entrances outside congressional buildings on Capitol Hill, CNN.com reported. Among those protesting and arrested were global warming demonstrators wearing polar bear costumes who danced in front of the Cannon House Building, The Washington Post reported.

---

News

International brief

October 25

A Colombian artisan sewed his mouth shut, put on an iron mask and bound himself in chains last week in protest after he and his family were refused entry into their apartment by their landlord last month, according to Caracol Radio, a Colombian news station.

---