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AU in the News

Showcasing AU programs, professors, students and alumni in the news
Week of January 5 - 11

Primary School
Students taking the School of Communication course Covering the 2008 Presidential Election, headed to New Hampshire to cover the primary. While shooting video and conducting interviews, students met presidential candidates and journalists, including John McCain, Maureen Dowd and Bob Schieffer, to name a few. Students Christine Cotter and Caitlin Lukacs were interviewed on C-SPAN's national public affairs show, Washington Journal. C-SPAN also aired some of the students' footage during their interviews. Cotter was later quoted in Campaign U, the election blog for The Chronicle of Higher Education. "It’s absolutely crazy because the people here are just so energized,” Cotter said about the atmosphere in Manchester. “It’s really just hands-on retail politics.” Students Jasmine Touton and Sean Wagman made their hometowns proud and were the subjects of feature articles in their hometown papers, the San Luis Obispo Tribune and the Courier News, respectively. "I normally need a lot of sleep at night. Amazingly, I've had all the energy in the world," Wagman said of his hectic schedule during the trip. “It was completely amazing,” said Touton, who was one of three AU students selected to sit in the press room during the debates at St. Anselm College on Jan. 5. “You can’t envision what a press room is going to be like.” (1/08/08)

Immigration vs. Reform
Though illegal immigration was a top issue among Republicans in Iowa, it took a backseat to reform in New Hampshire, allowing John McCain to take the victory, the Houston Chronicle reports. Illegal immigration, “Obviously isn't as salient an issue in New Hampshire as it was in Iowa,” said James A. Thurber, director of the Center for Congressional and Presidential Studies at American University. However, he warned that the same ideals on the issue could hurt the McCain campaign in other upcoming primaries in states where there are more immigrant residents. (1/09/08)

Women’s Support for Clinton
Though Hillary Clinton's narrow win over Barack Obama in the Democratic New Hampshire primary created a spark in the race to the White House, pundits continue to speculate on what propelled Clinton to victory after Obama's win in Iowa, CTV reports. “Hillary Clinton yesterday made history by becoming the first woman in American history to win a major party primary, and she did it with the women,” explained Allan Lichtman, who teaches at American University in Washington, D.C., “She was 12 points ahead or so among women voters, 11 points behind among male voters, and therein lies her victory.” (1/09/08)

Obama’s Movement
Following his victory in Iowa, many question whether Barack Obama’s call for change is a strong political movement or just a smart campaign theme, according to the Miami Herald. ''There is a wave or a movement building, but it isn't like 1968; '68 had a specific focus, Lyndon Johnson and the war in Vietnam,'' said Curtis Gans, the director of the American University's Center for the Study of the American Electorate. ''This is a more personal focus. At this point Obama is the positive focus of particularly the young wanting something different.'' (1/09/08)

New Budgeting for Defense
Beginning in the fiscal year of 2010, wartime funding may be included in the White House’s base Pentagon budget request, sparking accusations from critics of the administration’s use of emergency requests for weapons that are outside of the regular authorization process, Defense News reports. “It's good for the country but scary for the Pentagon,” said Gordon Adams, a former Clinton administration budgeting official who teaches at American University in Washington. “They haven't been doing this for seven years, and they have a financial disaster on their hands. The budget process is totally broken. They don't know what they are spending money on, much less how much.” (1/07/08)

AU Wrestling Improvement
From a losing program on the verge of extinction to a pair of top-20 finishes in the NCAA meet, it's fair to say that American University wrestling coach Mark Cody and his star recruit Josh Glenn have transformed the American University wrestling team. ESPN.com delved into what turned the wrestling program around and what to expect in the future. "Our success and our achievements are going to push that fundraising coming into us,” Glenn said. “The best thing we can do is achieve and continue to have success." (1/10/08)

AU Alum on the McCain Trail
As political director of Republican John McCain's presidential campaign in New Hampshire, American University alum Jim Barnett has watched the campaign improve from marginalization to victory in New Hampshire, reports the Burlington Free Press. "I could still see a scenario where he could come back," Barnett said of McCain. "I told the staff that John McCain faced far more trying times during 5 1/2 years in a prisoner-of-war camp. I said I thought all of us ought stick it out the next six months and see things through." (1/05/08)

AU in the News Archives