News

News

Showerheads prompt focus on student feedback

By Kyra Smerkanich and Elizabeth Royall | February 22

The recent installation of new low-flow showerheads and faucets in AU's dorms has provoked controversy and upset many students, leading the director of Facilities Management to admit making a mistake in not consulting with students before the decision was made.

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International brief: Blair announces gradual British troop withdrawal from Iraq

By Jimm Phillips | February 22

British Prime Minister Tony Blair announced yesterday he would begin pulling out some of his country's 7,100 troops stationed in Iraq in the coming months, according to The Associated Press. Under the plan, which Blair announced during his weekly appearance before the House of Commons, 1,600 British troops would withdraw from Iraq during the next few months.

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Tech-savy professor promoted

By Lindsey Marburger | February 22

AU announced this past week that they promoted Professor Patrick Thaddeus Jackson to director of the General Education program. The role of the director is to oversee the General Education program at AU, including course development and interconnectedness.

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Sold-out Founder's Day a 'success'

By Andrew Gardner | February 19

The annual AU Student Government Founder's Day Ball proved a "great success," as more than 500 students packed into the historic Willard Intercontinental Hotel ballroom Saturday night in downtown D.C., according to Derek Torrey, deputy programmer for the SG and a sophomore in the School of Public Affairs.

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E-package system shortens wait time

By Kyra Smerkanich | February 19

AU's new electronic package system is up and running successfully, according to Catherine Gannon, guest and public relations coordinator for Housing and Dining. Gannon described the system as a collaboration between the Office of Information and Technology, Mail Services and Housing and Dining.

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Metro calendar

By Rebecca Kern | February 19

Monday, Feb. 19 George Washington's 275th Birthday 9 a.m.-4 p.m. George Washington's Mount Vernon Estates and Gardens, 3200 George Washington Memorial Parkway, Mount Vernon, Va. The event will be held 16 miles south of Washington, D.C., and eight miles south of Old Town Alexandria at the southern end of the George Washington Memorial Parkway at Mount Vernon Estate.

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Article says online sources diminish need for library

By Patricio Chile | February 19

Students prefer online resources and databases to traditional print sources in libraries, according to an article in Educause Review. This switch to online sources has led libraries to change the services they offer to meet students' more high-tech needs.

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First female prez elected at Harvard

By Kaitlyn Houston | February 19

The Harvard Corporation elected Drew Gilpin Faust as the first woman to serve as Harvard University's president in its 371-year history on Feb. 11. "This is a great day, and a historic day, for Harvard," James R. Houghton, the senior member of the Harvard Corporation and chair of the presidential search committee, said in a press release.

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National brief: Vote on Iraq War troop increase blocked in Senate

By Jimm Phillips | February 19

Supporters of a nonbinding resolution criticizing President Bush's decision to deploy an additional 21,500 troops to Iraq were not able to get the number of votes needed to advance the Senate version of the measure on Saturday, according to The Associated Press.

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Metro brief: Five D.C. schools have elevated lead levels

By Jimm Phillips | February 19

The D.C. Department of the Environment found elevated lead levels at five District public schools during its last round of testing, according to The Washington Post. Officials identified the schools as Bowen, Hearst, Kenilworth and Watkins Elementary Schools and Alice Deal Junior High School, according to The Post.

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Service agreement gives Zipcar free campus ads

By Harry Spencer | February 19

A banner advertising Zipcar can now be seen hanging over the front stairs of the Mary Graydon Center. Reading "We're in your neighborhood," the sign has attracted attention for being the only off-campus business advertised on campus that is not directly affiliated with the school or with a student group.

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Preferred lender list may not be best for students

By Tony Romm | February 19

One of the largest contributors to students' financial stresses comes right from the schools' financial aid offices, Vice President of Media Relations at My Rich Uncle, a student loan company, Karin Pellmann said. According to Pellmann, the enemy is the preferred lender list.

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SG divides account funds between four student organizations

By Cassie Passinault | February 19

The Undergraduate Senate passed two new bills Sunday, one establishing a bike-lending program and another approving the transfer of restricted funds for spring programming. The restricted Student Government account holds over $17,000, which was split up between the Kennedy Political Union ($13,500), the Student Union Board ($1,000), the Kogod Undergraduate Business Association ($500) and the Class of 2009 ($1,000).

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Vermont college bans Wikipedia as primary source

By Kaylor Garcia | February 19

The history department of Vermont's Middlebury College decided to ban students from citing Wikipedia as a primary source in their papers for this spring semester. While AU advises students to take advantage of the library's resources for papers as alternatives to Wikipedia, many AU students use Wikipedia as a start-off point.

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Townsend briefs class on homeland security

By Jimm Phillips | February 19

President George W. Bush and his advisers decided against issuing an alert over a terror threat in the days leading up to the 2004 presidential election over concerns that their decision would look politically motivated, according to Adjunct Professor Mark Croatti and AU students who attended a presentation by Homeland Security Adviser Frances Townsend on Thursday.

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Campus briefs

By Kyra Smerkanich | February 19

Class of '09, coed service fraternity to host a cappella fundraiser The Class of 2009 and service fraternity Alpha Phi Omega will be holding a charity a cappella concert, A'Capalooza, March 3, according to a Class of 2009 press release. Proceeds from the concert will be donated to a D.

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Thurber headlines semester's first Honors Tea Talk

By Ali Goldstein | February 15

Our generation carries the responsibility of ending the War in Iraq, James Thurber, Director of the Center for Congressional and Presidential Studies, told students at an Honors Tea Talk last night. Thurber's lecture on "Congress and the President: Cooperation and Conflict" transformed into a dialogue with the students gathered in the Honors Office over cake and tea.

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