AU in the News

Showcasing AU programs, professors, students and alumni in the news
Week of February 9 - 15

Kerwin Inauguration
On Friday, February 8, Neil Kerwin was inaugurated as American University's 14th president. WUSA CBS9 was on the scene to cover the ceremony and interview students and chair of the Faculty Senate Gary Weaver. President Kerwin also joined WAMU for a conversation about his official installation and the future of AU. News briefs about the ceremony also ran in the Washington Post, Washington Examiner and Express.

Super Tuesday Predictions
When Brian F. Schaffner, assistant professor of government at American University, placed his predictions for Super Tuesday using state-by-state polls, he was not surprised when the actual results closely matched his own. “With the proportional rules, if the polls are off by a few points, it’s not going to mean a huge difference in delegates,” he told the Wall Street Journal. “One of the most telling points of Super Tuesday was the networks obsessing over whether Clinton or Obama would win Missouri. And I was thinking, ‘It doesnt matter, theyre going to split [the delegates] down the middle.’”(2/11/08)

Potomac Primaries
Ordinarily, Super Tuesday is likely to decide the Democratic and Republican nominees in a presidential race. This year, however, a close race put the spotlight on the D.C., Maryland and Virginia primaries, WRC-TV reports. “At this point since it's such a close race, almost every single one is important,” said American University professor Dotty Lynch on the Saturday before the primaries. “I think Virginia is probably the one that could be the closest. The Clinton campaign feels that D.C. And Maryland are probably pretty solidly Obama, but they are making a shot for Virginia.” On the morning after the primaries, AU government professor James Thurber added his analysis of the results on WAMU’s Diane Rehm Show.

Is the Campaign Hurting the Economy?
The economy has risen to the forefront of the 2008 presidential race and the candidates are pushing the issue in speeches across the country. As Voice of America reports, the constant talk of the struggling economy on the campaign trail could be slowing consumer spending and hindering a possible economic turnaround. Tom Hertz, an economics professor at American University, says the state of U.S. markets often affects world markets, resulting in sales in stock. (2/08/08)

Barack Obama’s Youth Appeal
“Although the 46-year-old [Barack] Obama is himself hardly a youngster, he is embodying the hopes and idealism of the under-30 crowd” American University associate professor Clarence Lusane wrote in his opinion piece for Press of Atlantic City. “His supercharged rhetoric about breaking the stranglehold of the party establishment is more important to the younger generation than the tenor of his politics, which veer from left to right and back again.”(2/11/08)

Primary Election Defeats
Change is a common theme running through recent elections. But while the call for change led two Maryland congressional veterans to defeat in primary elections, the same call has fueled the overwhelming momentum of Barack Obama in the presidential race, reports the Associated Press. “It signifies that the watchword of this election season is ‘change,’” said Allan J. Lichtman, an American University professor and political historian. “People are very unhappy about the direction of the country. It was a yearning for change, along with these two men being out of step with their parties, that led to these defeats.” James Thurber, a political scientist at American University, added that the loss of moderates is continuing, which will make it hard for the next president. This story appeared in over 30 news outlets. (2/14/08)

Jewish Life Thrives at AU
It's not easy for college freshman to leave their small town and come to the nation's capitol for school. However, some Jewish students are finding companionship and a common bond through American University 's “thriving Jewish environment,” reports Washington Jewish Week. “ I love Jewish life at A.U.,” said Shauna Ruda, who is president of American University Students for Israel . “The school is small enough for students to make an impact and large enough for them to feel comfortable being Jewish.” A.U. Hillel director Rabbi Ken Cohen added, “The best way for us to market ourselves is by providing students with a good Jewish experience and then to the let the word get out.” ( 2/14/08)

Health Insurance for All
“I think everybody should have health insurance. We are going to pass universal health care,” American University professor James Thurber said in an interview with WUSA CBS9. Thurber pointed out that Sen. Hillary Clinton is pushing for such measures in her presidential campaign. “The good part is that 47 million people in America don't have health insurance and many of those are children and she wants to reach out, take care of everybody.” (2/11/08)

Equal System for All Relationships
Our current legal system is one that harms unmarried couples of all sexual orientation, single parents and their children, extended families, and others who form relationships of emotional and economic interdependence that aren't marriage, Nancy D. Polikoff, a law professor at Washington College of Law at American University, wrote in her opinion piece for the Philadelphia Inquirer. “My solution is valuing all families, through laws that achieve their purpose without privileging marriage,” she wrote. “Gay rights advocates should not link elimination of specific harms to achieving marriage equality because those harms affect a wide range of the families and relationships of both gay and straight people, all of whom share an interest in reforming outdated laws.” (2/13/08)

2009
Mar	6	13	20	27
Feb	6	13	20	27
Jan	4	9	16	23	30
2008
Dec	5	12	19
Nov	7	14	21
Oct	3	10	17	24	31
Sept	5	12	19	26
Aug	1	8	15	29
July	4	11	18	25
June	6	13	20	27
May	2	9	16	23
Apr	4	11	18	25
Mar	7	21	28
Feb	1	8	15	22	29
Jan	4	11	18	25
2007
Dec	7	14	21
Nov	2	9	16		30
Oct	5	12	19	26
Sept	7	14	21	28
Aug	3	10	17	24	31
July	31
June	30
Feb	2	9
Jan	5	12	19	26