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News

Letter to the editor

April 30

It has been brought my attention that Professor Mary Ann Fay, head of the Arab Studies Program and renowned professor in the Department of Sociology, has been refused a renewal of contract and will therefore not be allowed to return to teach next semester.

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News

AU works to make campus more sustaniable

By Ali Goldstein and Courtney Albon | April 30

On the unusually cold morning of April 10, the campus smelled distinctly of fresh mulch. Students and community members had risen early to help plant flowers and mulch campus grounds as part of AU's annual Campus Beautification Day. At the end of the day, the campus seemed ready for spring.

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News

Metro brief: Butterstick's stay at National Zoo extended by two years

By Jimm Phillips | April 26

Tai Shan, the panda commonly referred to as "Butterstick," will stay at the National Zoo for an additional two years under a new agreement between the Chinese government and the Smithsonian Institution-owned zoo, The Washington Post reported yesterday. Tai Shan, like parents Tian Tian and Mei Xiang, is on loan from the Chinese government under a $10 million deal.

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National brief: Riots break out at Indiana prison

By Jimm Phillips | April 26

About 500 inmates at New Castle Correctional Facility in New Castle, Ind., staged a two-hour riot Tuesday before officials restored order, according to The Associated Press. Two staff and seven inmates sustained minor injuries during the riot, which allegedly began after newly-transferred prisoners from Arizona took their shirts off as a sign of defiance.

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Panel investigates D.C. schools

By Kaylor Garcia | April 26

School of Communication students shifted the focus about D.C. Public Schools from its usual debate to show "what works" in the D.C. schools by releasing their findings about six programs already boosting test scores. Their findings began a discussion between the community and a panel of educators and education policy makers in the area.

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News

Drinking to get drunk

By Andrew Gardner | April 26

Excessive alcohol consumption is a problem that continues to plague college campuses today, despite attempts to curtail it through broad-level restrictions. At AU, where a no-tolerance alcohol ban in residence halls has been in effect since the mid-1980s, ongoing debate about the effectiveness of such a restriction persists.

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News

Campus brief: AU professor surveys best federal jobs

By Kyra Smerkanich | April 26

According to AU's Robert Tobias, director of the Institute for the Study of Public Policy Implementation and the Partnership for Public Service, the best places to work in the federal government are the Nuclear Regulatory Commission and the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service, according to American Weekly.

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News

Library reference desk adjusts to new technology

By Chris Cottrell | April 26

"IM Reference - Get Comfy," an advertisement for American University Bender Library's online help desk, accurately reflects how the Internet has impacted library research. Reference desks, referred to by The Chronicle of Higher Education as "the heart of the institution," are simply being revamped to accommodate an influx in new technology.

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News

Student conduct code to undergo language changes

By Cassie Passinault | April 26

The Student Advocacy Center and the Judicial Affairs and Mediation Services helped create revisions to the Student Conduct Code for the 2007-2008 school year, according to a Student Government press release from Tuesday. The new SCC will be in effect beginning this summer.

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Finals, stress cause some students to use Adderall, prescription drugs

By Kelly Barrett | April 26

As AU students face upcoming final exams and a seemingly endless pile of work, some said they turn to using prescription stimulants to stay awake and focus. Prescription drugs, such as Ritalin, Adderall and Concerta, are typically prescribed to young children diagnosed with attention-deficit disorder and attention-deficit hyperactive disorder, but are now are being widely abused by adults, according to Dr.

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News

Campus calendar

By Brian Kalish | April 26

Thursday, April 26 Town Hall Meeting with the Board of Trustees 5-6 p.m. School of International Service Lounge The AU community is invited to attend a question-and-answer session with the board of trustees. Visit www.american.edu/trustees for more information about the trustees.

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News

Bottoms up

By Stephen Tringali | April 23

A group of American University students had something to hide from their resident assistants the first weekend of the fall '06 semester. And it wasn't their alcohol stash. One member of the group, a freshman who wished to remain anonymous, had just passed out after having played a drinking game and consuming a large volume of hard liquor.

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Metro brief: House approves D.C. representation bill

By Jimm Phillips | April 23

The House of Representatives approved a bill Friday that would give the District its first full-voting representative in Congress by a vote of 241-177, The Washington Post reported. The vote came nearly a month after the bill's supporters had to temporarily withdraw it from consideration.

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Study says age gap difficult for adult college students

By Elena Isela | April 23

Adult students, which are undergraduate students over the age of 25, are often misunderstood at colleges, according to a recent study conducted by Lumina Foundation for Education. However, support services are offered to all AU students, including "returning students," the term the university uses to distinguish students over the age of 25 because all students are considered to be adults in college, according to Dean of Students Faith Leonard.

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Fulton selected KPU director

By Kyra Smerkanich | April 23

The use of publicity that will reach students will be one of the goals for the Kennedy Political Union this upcoming academic year, according to Amanda Fulton, the KPU director for the 2007-2008 academic year and a sophomore in the School of Public Affairs.

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Class protests conditions in D.C. public schools

By Rebecca Kern | April 23

AU's Community Development class protested over the last two weeks throughout D.C. to tell the D.C. Board of Education and Mayor Adrian Fenty, D, to repair the poor physical conditions of the city's public schools. The protests occurred as Fenty won final approval from the D.

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University taking steps to improve emergency preparedness

By Courtney Albon | April 23

Last week's shooting at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University has led AU and campuses around the nation to review their current emergency evacuation procedures. "It's unfortunate, but it takes an incident such as this for people to hyperfocus on what needs to change," said David Taylor, AU presidential chief of staff.

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