AU Media Relations

AU News
News & Events
Press Releases
AU in the News

AU Experts
Foreign Language Speakers
Election Experts
Interview Request Form

About AU
Fact Sheet
Filming on Campus

About Media Relations
Ph: (202) 885-5950
4400 Mass. Ave. NW
Washington, DC 20016-8135

AU in the News

Showcasing AU programs, professors, students and alumni in the news
Week of October 8 - 12

AU Students launch Presidential initiative
After receiving a visit from two creators of a German Web site aimed to ask direct questions to political office candidates, a group of American University students signed on to launch an American version of the website titled Straight2theCandidates.com, designed to allow students to ask questions directed to the various presidential candidates, Roll Call reports. “I think there’s a feeling of disconnection between our generation and government,” said site president and New Jersey native Rachel Tardiff, who also added that politicians “don’t appeal to what is important to us.” (10/10/07)

Texting more than Talking
More and more people are using text messaging as their most common means of communication, with industry reports saying that Americans sent over 158 billion text messages in 2006, WTTG reports. “The expectations that have been built into these new technologies have become completely internalized by young people,” said American University professor Katherine Montgomery, author of the book, Generation Digital. “So there is an expectation now which is quite amazing to watch of constant connectivity. You have to constantly be connected with the people that you know.” (10/09/07)

Haggle and Save
While consumers willing to haggle often create their own discounts on a range of products, including televisions and auto rentals, the deals are most successful when there is something in it for both the buyer and the seller, reports The News Journal. “People will not negotiate with you unless they believe you can help them or hurt them,” said Roger Volkema, a management professor at American University and author of The Negotiation Toolkit: How to Get Exactly What You Want in Any Business or Personal Situation.' (10/08/07)

State Secrets defense rejected
The Supreme Court refused to hear a lawsuit on Tuesday from a German car salesman who said he was wrongly abducted, imprisoned and tortured by the CIA in a case of mistaken identity, The Los Angeles Times reports. Though the ruling provided a victory for the Bush administration and its use of the 'state secrets' defense, the rule has been used more often and more broadly, said Amanda Frost, an assistant professor at American University's Washington College of Law. “Before, it was used to limit discovery. Now, they seek an immediate dismissal of the complaint,” she said. (10/10/07)

Armenian Genocide
According to the Southeast European Times, a resolution was passed on Wednesday by the Foreign Affairs Committee of the US House of Representatives, defining the mass killings of Armenians in Turkey in the early 20th century as genocide. “A non-binding resolution expresses the sentiments or opinion of Congress,” said Allan Lichtman, a professor of history at American University, who also explained that the measures lack the power necessary to change US law or policy. (10/12/07)

AU in the News Archives