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News

Prof attendance policy undefined

By Stephen Tringali | December 7

John Renga, a freshman in the College of Arts and Sciences, said two of his chemistry classes were canceled this semester simply because his professor didn't think chapter 13 in the course textbook was worth studying. "Don't show up for the next two classes," Renga said his professor announced one day.

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Universities strive to constantly improve technology

By Jimm Phillips | December 7

AU is continuing to improve its network and Internet connections in step with a recent statement from National Science Foundation that U.S. colleges and universities must improve their digital infrastructure in order to remain leaders in the fields of technology and higher education.

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Campus calendar

By Kendra Garstka | December 7

Thursday, Dec. 7 Training Opportunity: Understanding Your Work Style 1:30-4:30 p.m. Location TBA This workshop for full-time staff focuses on work and personal styles and how these styles affect communication, work relationships and the ways teams work together.

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Graduate student writes anti-torture resolutions

By Ali Goldstein | December 4

Kanhong Lin, an anthropology graduate student, co-authored two resolutions with Roberto González, associate professor of anthropology at San Jose State University in response to the use of anthropological research in torture, as well as the ongoing U.S.-led invasion in Iraq.

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Internal refugees suffer from lack of aid, safety

By Laraine Weschler | December 4

International aid is hard to come by for people who are relocated within their own country, according to panelists at a discussion about refugees and internally displaced persons Thursday in Mary Graydon Center. Since most internally displaced persons are displaced because of internal conflict, they often flee to other dangerous areas where it is hard for international organizations to reach them, said Kanya Sanders, an immigration lawyer.

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News

Georgetown zoning limits number of residents

By Melissa DeCosmo | December 4

AU students who live in off-campus houses have not experienced the zoning problems regarding residential occupancy limits that are affecting some Georgetown University students. Brian O'Neill Jr., an undergraduate student at Georgetown, was ordered to "cease and desist from the illegal use of premises" of his Georgetown home where he lives with eight friends, according to The Washington Post.

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International brief: Radiation found in dead spy now seen in others

By Jimm Phillips | December 4

The wife of Alexander Litvinenko and an Italian security agent who met with the now-deceased ex-spy have tested positive for the same radioactive substance he was exposed to, according to the Associated Press. Mario Scaramella, the security agent, met with Litvinenko at a London sushi bar Nov.

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Archaeologists need to preserve native cultures

By Kelly Barrett | December 4

It is essential that today's archaeologists recognize the rights of indigenous people, according to Dorothy Lippert, supervisory archaeologist at the National Museum of Natural History. Lippert spoke along with other experts on the issues of repatriation and cultural resources at a panel hosted by Student Advocates for Native Communities Wednesday night in the Butler Board Room.

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German sues over CIA prison

By Marija Stajic | December 4

The American Civil Liberties Union's legal case on behalf of Khaled Al-Masri, a German citizen who was detained for five months in a CIA-run prison in Afghanistan in 2004, is currently pending an appeal in the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals in Richmond, Va.

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Campus calendar

By Rebecca Kern | December 4

Tuesday, Dec. 5 "Freedom and Tolerance in Shi'a Islam and the Future of Iraq" 4 p.m. John Paul II Cultural Center, 3900 Harewood Road N.E. Metro: Brookland/CUA (red line) H. E. Sayed Abdul Aziz Al-Hakim, president of the Supreme Council for the Islamic Revolution in Iraq and leader of the United Iraqi Alliance, will lead a discussion about the current situation in Iraq.

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Campus briefs

By Brian Kalish | December 4

Students selected to attend "Young People For" conference Three AU students were recently picked as fellows to attend the upcoming "Young People For" conference, according to a Young People For press release. Young People For "provides a national infrastructure to support young leaders' ongoing activism on the frontlines and facilitates connections to leaders and organizations in the progressive movement," according to the press release.

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Former official says faith not part of politics

By Robin Bravender | December 4

A former official in President Bush's Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives criticized the administration's lack of initiative in practicing "compassionate conservatism" and encouraged students to put their faith before their politics Thursday in the Kay Spiritual Life Center.

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National brief: Yellow line Metrorail train strikes two, kills one

By Jimm Phillips | December 4

A Metrorail train traveling on the Virginia portion of the yellow line struck two Metro workers Thursday, leaving one dead and the other critically injured, according to The Washington Post and NBC4.com. Leslie A. Cherry Jr., 52, and Matthew Brooks, 36, were conducting a routine inspection of the tracks between the Huntington and Eisenhower Avenue stations when the train hit them.

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Colleges discuss AIDS campaigns

By Courtney Albon | December 4

A recent video conference held to commemorate World AIDS Day, which occurred on Dec. 1, focused specifically on the effect that AIDS has on youth and the significant role they can play in changing it. AU students joined college students from around the world via satellite to discuss issues surrounding the AIDS epidemic.

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Filmmaker alleges government violence against Mexican natives

By Kelly Barrett | December 4

Simon Sedillo, filmmaker at the Austin Independent Media Center, said that as an American citizen he feels an obligation to unveil the atrocities caused by the U.S. government in foreign countries. Sedillo presented his film "El Enemigo Comun," a documentary focusing on the resistance movement in Oaxaca, Mexico, on Thursday in the McDowell Formal Lounge.

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German sues over CIA prison

By Marija Stajic | December 4

The American Civil Liberties Union's legal case on behalf of Khaled Al-Masri, a German citizen who was detained in Afghanistan at a CIA-run prison for five months in 2004, currently has an appeal pending in the Richmond, Va.-based Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals.

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Arab feminist forms cross-cultural relations

By Elizabeth Royall | November 30

Hadia Mubarak has been driven for years to make a difference by building understanding between Americans and the Muslim world and by working toward greater rights for Muslim women. In January 2006, Mubarak joined Akbar Ahmed, a professor and scholar at AU, and AU students Frankie Martin, who graduated last year from the School of International Service and Hailey Woldt, a sophomore who was in SIS but transferred to Georgetown's School of Foreign Service, as the chief research assistant for a trip to the Middle East and South Asia.

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