News

News

Metro brief: Traffic cameras installed in D.C.

By Lauren Gardner | September 19

A red light camera and two new speed cameras were activated Friday in D.C. as part of the city's expansion of traffic photo-enforcement, according to The Examiner. The red light camera will survey northwest-bound traffic at Florida and New York Avenues in Northeast.

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Public Safety reorganizes

By Josh Goodman | September 19

The Public Safety offices are being reorganized this fall to make the south side building more user friendly, and allow officers easier access to a federal crime database, according to spokesman Sergeant Maurice Carter. The transit department, which is most frequently used by students to get parking passes and pay parking tickets, is now the first desk beyond the entrance.

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Campus calendar

By Lauren Gardner | September 19

Tuesday, Sept. 20 Meet the Many Faces of Peace Corps 1111 20th St. NW (Peace Corps Headquarters) 6:30 p.m. Metro: Farragut West or Farragut North 800-424-8580 Peace CorpAfrica Regional Director Henry McKoy will speak about what sharing diversity means to people in developing nations.

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Police blotter

By Josh Goodman | September 19

Friday, Sept. 9 Staff reported a drug violation in Anderson Hall. Public Safety responded, and took possession of drug paraphernalia, which tested positive for marijuana. Two shirts were stolen from an office in the Osborne Building. A concerned resident of Letts Hall reported that another student was in need of immediate medical assistance.

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Shofar, so good for horn blowers

By Lauren Kelleher-Mahony | September 19

About 150 members of the Washington, D.C. Jewish community tried to break the world record for most shofar horns blown at once Thursday in the amphitheatre, but fell short of the 387 people necessary. The event turned out to be a "dress rehearsal to go for the record next year," said Debbie Rubin, editor of Washington Jewish Week, which cosponsored the gathering with AU's Hillel and local synagogues.

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National brief: Ohio children found in cages

By Kate Oczypok | September 15

Eleven children ranging in age from one to 14-years-old were found in homemade cages in Wakeman, Ohio yesterday. The children, who were all adopted by Michael and Sharon Gravelle, had conditions such as autism and fetal alcohol syndrome. The Gravelles denied in a custody hearing that they had abused the children.

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Bill proposes to cut $9 billion in student aid

By Kendra Garstka | September 15

Two proposals in Congress that would cut $9 billion from student loan programs brought about 50 students from colleges in the D.C. area to George Washington University yesterday to rally against the possible budget cuts. "Enabling students to pay for their education strikes at the core of what our nation stands for," said Morgan Corr, executive vice president of the Student Association at George Washington University.

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Profs try to engage students, not fail them

By John Riley | September 15

It sounds like a student's dream come true-a class with no grades. But that's the reality of Professor Lyn Stallings' math classes. Stallings has created a curriculum for her courses based on the use of formative assessment, whereby students and professors engage in open dialogue focused on how students think and the importance or value of the material being taught.

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Metro briefs

September 15

4,000 hurricane survivors in D.C. The number of Hurricane Katrina survivors in the Washington area has tripled since Friday, but the number of people living at the D.C. Armory has decreased, according to washingtonpost.com. More than 4,000 people displaced by the hurricane are living in the region, 380 of them in the district.

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Storm season breaks records

By Jimm Phillips | September 15

As Gulf Coast residents begin to clean up and dry out their towns and cities, the damage caused by Hurricane Katrina has yet to be fully assessed. Some have compared the devastation caused by Katrina to the destruction caused during the Boxing Day Tsunami, which swept through the Indian Ocean on Dec.

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D.C. emergency planning prepared for a disaster

By Lauren Gardner | September 15

In the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, many AU students are wondering what kind of plan exists for D.C. if a natural or manmade disaster were ever to strike the area. District residents are more likely to be ordered inside during an emergency than outside seeking shelter, according to Jo'Ellen Countee, a spokeswoman for the D.

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Campus Calendar

By Mary Specht | September 15

Saturday, Sept. 17 SUB concert: The Roots Doors 7 p.m., Bender Arena Tickets now on sale at the Student Activities desk. One free ticket per AU ID for undergrads, $5 for faculty, staff and grads, and $25 to the general public. For more information contact Eric Friedlander at sub@ausg.

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D.C. taxis charge extra

By Kate Oczypok | September 15

The D.C. Taxicab Commission voted Saturday to charge an extra $1.50 on taxi rides in the district. "We felt like we needed to help the drivers meet the costs of operation," said Causton Toney, the commission's interim chairman, in a washingtonpost.com article.

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Kerwin stays silent on Ladner, discusses academics

By Mary Specht | September 15

Acting President Neil Kerwin said he would not comment on the investigation into President Benjamin Ladner's spending at a forum yesterday, but he did discuss changes in the academic calendar, recent criticism of the library and other issues. Among a number of possible schedules, the most promising is one created by Student Government President Kyle Taylor under which students would get one day off for fall break and get two extra days of winter break.

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Course credit offered for serving on Conduct Council

By Mary Specht | September 15

This semester students can get course credit for serving on the Conduct Council, the group that determines guilt and punishment for breaking campus rules, in an effort to encourage more students to serve on the body. Offering credit will entice more students to serve on the council, adding crucial student perspective to the body's verdicts, according to Ben Turner, director of the Student Advocacy Center.

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Eagle receives anonymous Ladner letter

September 15

Posted Sept. 16 at 3:30 p.m. The following is the complete text of one of the anonymous letters received by members of the Board of Trustees, Student Government and the Washington Post. An AU source, who chose not to be identified due to the source's proximity to the investigation, confirmed the letter. Original capitalization and punctuation have been maintained. Dear Sir, Dr. Ben Ladner, President of American University, is under investigation by the Board of Trustees of the University for SEVERE expense account violations. ...

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Ladner's personal chef laid off

September 15

Posted Sept. 16 at 1:43 a.m. President Benjamin Ladner's personal chef, whose salary was paid by the university, was laid off Thursday amidst the board's investigation of Ladner's spending, according to the Washington Post. Sally Ekfelt, the secretary who coordinated the Ladner's social schedule, has also been transferred to the president's office to serve as an assistant to David Taylor, Ladner's chief of staff.

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