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News

Conduct from Ladner, trustees draws mixed reactions

By John Riley | October 13

Moments after AU's Board of Trustees announced their decision to remove President Benjamin Ladner following Monday's nine-hour meeting, students expressed emotions ranging from happiness at Ladner's dismissal to anger over the terms of his possible severance package and at the board for allowing the controversy to happen in the first place.

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Town hall meeting urges student activism

By Rebecca Shillenn | October 6

Students need to keep up the fight for changes in university bylaws and for Ben Ladner's dismissal, faculty and student representatives said at last night's town hall meeting. The board of trustees is holding a meeting next Monday to determine President Ladner's status and possible severance, and to discuss board of trustee reforms.

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Student think tank debuts

By Dave Colon | October 6

Three authors featured in the policy journal of the Roosevelt Institution, the country's first think tank run by college students, spoke at a press conference Monday about issues they would like addressed by Congress and legislators. The Roosevelt Institution was founded to give college students the opportunity to see their ideas published and spoken about in Congress and other influential centers in Washington, said Quinn Wilhelmi, a junior from Stanford University and Roosevelt's executive director.

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Metro briefs

By Lauren Gardner | October 6

Katrina victims still homeless More than 400,000 people left homeless by Hurricane Katrina will remain living in hotel rooms past the Oct. 15 deadline set for their relocation, according to The Washington Post. The hotel program was established as a temporary measure, but other ventures, including housing evacuees on cruise ships, have failed.

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Ladner fired, severance pay in question

October 6

The board of trustees decided today that Benjamin Ladner will not return to AU as its president. Dr. Neil Kerwin will continue to serve as acting president until a search for Ladner's replacement is completed. The board agreed to adopt the findings of the Audit Committee, and authorized the university to report additional taxable income in the amount of $398,000, and to seek reimbursement from Dr. Ladner for certain personal expenses in the amount $125,000. The board did not reach the issue of Ladner's severance package, according to Trustee Thomas Gottschalk in a press conference this evening, which concluded the board's eight-hour meeting.

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Shuttle service discussed at Park Bethesda forum

By Ryan Grannan-Doll | October 6

Park Bethesda's history, as well as the building's plagued shuttle service, were discussed Monday night among students and administrators in the Park Bethesda lounge. Julie Weber, director of Housing and Dining programs, answered various questions from students about why the university cannot fund more service hours and what can be done to increase the amount of service hours.

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North Side gets a place to play and unwind

By Michael Lucibella | October 6

The North Area Recreation Center opened Monday, offering students a place to go in the evenings as an alternative to homework. Located on the first floor of McDowell Hall, NARC boasts a big screen TV, a ping-pong table and a pool table, all free of charge to students.

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Conference addresses how to effectively use iPods

By Kendra Garstka | October 6

The Center for Teaching Excellence held an all-day conference yesterday addressing how to effectively use iPods and podcasting as supplement teaching materials. After receiving 3,300 hits on its first Podcast since Aug. 16, the Washington College of Law has pioneered Podcasting for law schools.

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Board Chair resigns, calls for Ladner's removal

By Marissa Newhall | October 6

AU Board of Trustees Chair Leslie Bains resigned last night amidst what she called an attempt by her fellow trustees to derail scrutiny of AU President Benjamin Ladner, according to a letter her attorney forwarded to two student leaders. Bains' letter, which The Eagle received anonymously, said pro-Ladner members of the Board called for her resignation this weekend in "yet another attempt to distract the Board" from addressing Ladner's fate at the university, scheduled for discussion at a meeting today.

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D.C. university presidents among top paid in nation

By Kelly Kerr | October 6

In addition to Ben Ladner, both Georgetown and George Washington University's presidents rank among the highest paid college presidents in the country, according to a 2004 survey by the Chronicle of Higher Education. GW President Stephen Joel Trachtenberg was the highest paid executive in the D.

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CAS professor petitions for higher salary

By Sean Miller | October 6

A salary dispute in the College of Arts and Sciences has prompted a university investigation after confidential information was publicly circulated by a professor. Professor Robin Hahnel petitioned the Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences and the Dean of Academic Affairs for a raise that would bring his salary in line with his colleagues' after he learned he was the lowest paid full professor in the department of economics, he said.

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Campus calendar

October 6

Thursday Oct. 6 Fall 2005 Job and Internship Fair 1:00- 5:00 p.m., Bender Arena. Interact with recruiters from a variety of organizations looking to hire AU students. Participants are encouraged to dress professionally and bring copies of their r?sum?. Registration required.

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Shooting at Avalon apartments leaves AU student injured

By Steve Dorsey | October 6

A resident of the Avalon Foxhall apartments in the 4100 block of Massachusetts Avenue was shot and wounded in an attempted robbery Monday night, according to the Metropolitan Police Department. MPD spokesmen declined to comment on whether the victim was an AU student.

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FDA disapproves of Plan B going over-the-counter

By Kyra Smerkanich | October 6

The Food and Drug Administration decided not to approve Plan B, an emergency contraceptive, as an over-the-counter drug, which has led to tension within the FDA and has many questioning the role politics play in women's health. The issue of emergency contraceptives has become controversial because it focuses on the abortion issue and the role politics plays in women's health.

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Week aimed to educate about mental health awareness

By Lauren Gardner | October 3

Active Minds, the AU counseling center and Pi Kappa Alpha are collaborating to educate the public about mental illness as part of the national Mental Illness Awareness Week this week. Mental Illness Awareness Week is an annual, national observance that was started by a 1990 Presidential proclamation to focus attention on the high incidence of mental illness in America, according to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration's Web site.

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National brief: MU of Ohio fined thousands on disciplanary records

By Kate Oczypok | October 3

Miami University of Ohio has been fined $27,500 for failing to give sexual assault victims written notices of the outcomes of disciplinary proceedings regarding their cases. According to an article from the Chronicle of Higher Education web site, this past summer the Department of Education found that the university had violated a federal law, known as the Clery Act, which requires colleges and universities to disclose information about crimes on their campuses.

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Campus calendar

By Kelly Kerr | October 3

Monday, Oct. 3 Christopher Kennedy Lawford Olsson's Books & Records- The Lansburgh, 418 Seventh St. NW 7:30p.m 202-638-7610 Admission: Free Christopher Kennedy Lawford is the author of "In Symptoms of Withdrawal: A Memoir of Snapshots and Redemption," which recounts his time in Hollywood with the elite and his experiences with politics in Washington.

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