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AU in the News

Showcasing AU programs, professors, students and alumni in the news
January 6-12, 2007

Commemorating Sports History
Will Jones helped break racial barriers and once scored 54 points in an NCAA postseason game. The Eagles are honoring Jones by retiring his No. 11 jersey at halftime of tomorrow's game against Colgate reported the Washington Post. "Oh, wow," Jones said. "What a great moment. It's something that I imagine every athlete, every participant in anything, would want -- to be honored by your university."

Cuba: Oil for Doctors
Cuba is fostering a medical service industry that treats low-income people from around Latin America. Operation Miracle is part of a broader oil-for-doctors program that experts say is helping funnel some $2 billion in Venezuelan subsidies a year to Cuba. William LeoGrande, a professor at American University, told McClatchy Papers, " Cuba has for years used its strength in medical services as an instrument in foreign policy. It's not the Peace Corps, but it's the same idea. In fact, it is exactly the same; sending people abroad to sow goodwill.''

Congressional Conflict?
Democrats won a stunning victory in November, but that may have been the easy part, said U.S. News & World Report. Now, they have to prove to voters they can stand together to get things done. "There's going to be a natural conflict," James Thurber, a political scientist at American University said, "between Blue Dogs and the old bulls that are chairs."

Surge Semantics
One thing is clear, said the Los Angles Times , using the word 'surge' to describe President Bush's forthcoming plan for reshaping U.S. efforts in Iraq has ignited a fiery political brouhaha. James A. Thurber, director of the Center for Congressional and Presidential Studies at American University, who told a caller Tuesday on NPR's Diane Rehm Show "It seems like it comes from Karl Rove ... renaming things, reframing, and making it sound acceptable."

Wireless on Campus
University Business reports that academia is finished with land line phone lines. The move away from landlines is a change sparked by students. Thanks to the popularity of cell phones, many colleges are getting socked by a revenue loss from decreased telephone landline usage on landlines that go completely unused. American University provided participating companies with access to its antenna systems in exchange for rate plan discounts for AU students and staff. Doug Kudravetz, assistant vice president for finance at AU says, "These deals can create opportunities not only with voice services, but also with a broader wireless plan."

Taking Action in Africa
The Free African Foundation says, "apart from political independence, some African countries are socially and economically chained." After making a donation to four deprived farming communities in the Eastern Region, its President and distinguished Economist at the American University, Professor George Ayittey noted for All Africa, "we are therefore determined to unchain these countries to be totally free."

Better than the Average Field Trip
Maryland Democratic State Senator Jamie Raskin, a constitutional law professor at American University, brought his students to see government in action during sessions dealing with the death penalty. Raskin, a self-described 'hands-on progressive' said, "students will see lawmakers tackle the death penalty issue once and for all." The new senator also told The Baltimore Sun he hopes to introduce a bill to lower the voter registration age to 16 so that students register before graduating from high school.

Changing Media Boundaries
The Internet is changing common concepts of journalism; Danna Walker, an adjunct associate professor in residence at American University, elaborates on how the fundamentals of teaching journalism must change as well on CBS News Public Eye. "For the first time, mainstream news organizations themselves are moving to that place our students have occupied for awhile - a place where media platforms such as print, online and broadcast aren't something to be pondered and converged. Such distinctions these days are becoming irrelevant, even in the eyes of mass media titans like the television networks and premier newspapers."

AU in the News Archives