AU in the News

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

Fair use guidelines
American University professors Patricia Aufderheide and Peter Jaszi recently released the Code of Best Practices in Fair Use for Online Video, a first of its kind code comprised of six different principles and limitations of what is considered fair use. "We think it will help creators in this exciting new realm to get and stay legal," Aufderheide said, "and will also help copyright-holders understand when it's actually fair to use their material without paying for it." There have been at least 6,432 blog posts related to the document, and in addition numerous main stream media have mentioned the code in articles and news briefs on their Web sites, including Broadcasting & Cable, Chronicle of Higher Education, Washington Post, Hollywood Reporter, St. Louis Post Dispatch, Kansas City Star, Scripps Howard Foundation Wire, and Kansas City InfoZine. (7/7/08)

Web sites help employers diversify
Caren B. Goldberg, management professor at American University's Kogod School of Business, was featured in an HR News story about her recent study with University of Memphis professor David G. Allen on employers’ Web site content and its influence on young, black job seekers. “You can really do a lot just through your web site,” she said. “It's a pretty low-dollar investment that can reap some pretty big rewards, particularly for companies seeking increased minority representation.” (7/1/08)

“Always On”
Naomi Baron, professor of linguistics at American University, was a guest on WAMU’s Diane Rhem Show to discuss her new book, “Always On: Language in an Online and Mobile World.” The book explores how modern technology has become a mainstay in our daily routines, and how it effects everyday communication. “One of the major impacts of this new language technology is not so much the language itself, but the pragmatics,” she said. (7/8/08)

Law students take on immigration
AU law student Ann Kim was featured in a Washington Post story on the increase of students working in the high-demand field of immigration law, driven by the growing debate on the topic. “Immigration is becoming more and more complex, and it's going against immigrants rather than for them,” she said. (7/7/08)

Life imitates art
AU alum Laura Waters Hinson was featured in a Washington Post story about her award-winning film, “As We Forgive.” Begun as an MFA thesis at American University, Hinson’s film captures victims of the Rwandan genocide meeting with their freed attackers. Hinson explained how her personal story of reconciliation related to the subject of her film. “Reconciliation," she said, "I think it's one of the most challenging subjects anyone can face.” (7/04/08)

Global warming media coverage
Matthew C. Nisbet, an American University communications professor, was quoted in a Columbia Journalism Review story on the media coverage of climate change and global warming. “We have had more science coverage on climate change than at any time in history,” he said. “The next challenge is to find ways to cover the story across news beats and in ways that engage new readers.” (7/8/08)

Price control in Mexico?
Arturo Porzecanski, professor of international finance at American University, was quoted in a Latin Business Chronicle story on freezing prices of food products in Mexico, and the idea of it becoming more common in other countries. “The recent shocks in petroleum, agricultural, and most other commodity prices, which are eerily reminiscent of those that ended up doing so much damage in the 1970s and early 1980s, are once again eliciting all kinds of stopgap measures on the part of governments in Latin America and elsewhere,” he said. “Chances are that other governments will be tempted to 'do something' about mounting inflationary pressures, but unless fiscal and monetary policies are soon tightened, the 'band-aid' approach will not yield lasting benefits.” (7/7/08)

Can I see some identification?
Curtis Gans, director AU’s Center for the Study of the American Electorate and Robert Pastor, co-director of AU’s Center for Democracy and Election Management, were quoted in a National Journal story on voter identification and the government’s Real ID program to create fraud-resistant identification cards for American voters. "Right now, we are proceeding in hundreds of different ways, for dozens of different IDs, at tremendous expense," said Pastor. Gans added that a bipartisan commission would be needed to look at the issue. (7/5/08)

Lobbyists aren’t that bad
James Thurber, director of the Center for Congressional and Presidential Studies at American University, was quoted in a National Journal story on Sens. John McCain and Barack Obama’s views on lobbyists and their refusal to accept lobbyist contributions for their respective presidential campaigns. "Both are a bit hypocritical about changing Washington, by their statements about how bad lobbyists are," he said, adding that both candidates have strong records on the issue. (7/5/08)

Is it cheating?
Peter A. Jaszi, a law professor at American University, was quoted in a Chronicle for Higher Education story on the legality of students publishing their college exams online for other students to browse. The incidents are “very situational,” he said, stating that the legal issues vary from test to test, and whether professors or their employers hold the copyright to course materials is unclear. (7/10/08)

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