AU in the News

Showcasing AU programs, professors, students and alumni in the news
Week of September 13 - 19

Wall Street giants tumble
Robin Lumsdaine, a professor of international finance at American University, was quoted in an RTT News story about the collapse of the Lehman Brothers investment bank and the federal government’s refusal to back the sale of the firm. "There's a need to walk a fine line in terms of assisting the financial market situation. … In a situation like this you want to be careful to provide assistance without creating an incentive for additional risk-taking behavior" she said. "It's a general signal to the market that they should be careful about an expectation of government assistance." (9/15/08)

The politics of the financial crisis
Kogod professors Robert Losey and Leigh Riddick appeared on WTTG-TV’s Fox 5 News to comment on the Wall Street financial situation. “The economy has not been a meaningful part of the conversation recently, and that's going to change,” Riddick said. “I think that has to change; I don't see how the presidential candidates can fail to address it.” Losey said that the 5-percent drop in the stock market was significant, but was not as low as 1987, when the market “dropped almost 25 percent in one day.” (9/15)

I'm just a bill on Capitol Hill
Stephen Wermiel, a law professor at American University’s Washington College of Law, was quoted in a Washington Post story about the mixed opinions behind Constitution Day, which is celebrated every year on Sept. 17. "If Constitution Day becomes a substitute for people learning about the Constitution more regularly and broadly, that's an outrage," he said. "If Constitution Day adds to people's understanding and gives you a moment to contemplate the Constitution while you are otherwise learning about it, great." (9/15/08)

Constitution 101
Washington College of Law professors Jamin Raskin and Stephen Wermiel were featured in a Roll Call story about the Marshall-Brennan Fellowship Program, in which American University and Howard University constitutional law students teach high-school students about the Constitution and the Bill of Rights. “The basic idea is that the Constitution is everybody's birthright and it's also necessary to have a real knowledge of the Constitution and the Bill of Rights," Raskin said. "We believe with a lot of justification that in general the schools are not doing a good job of teaching kids about the Constitution and how it works and what their rights are." A subscription is required to view the full article. (9/18/08)

The women's vote
Karen O'Connor, founder and director of the Women & Politics Institute at American University in Washington, D.C., was quoted in a Newsweek story about the evolution of the women’s vote. “They tend to vote for women of their own political party," says Karen O'Connor, "If a woman thinks Roe is an important law, and wants equal pay for equal work, they tend to vote Democratic. They're not going to vote for a woman who has different stands on those issues because she's a woman." (9/13/08)

What's with all the hugging?
Celine-Marie Pascale, a sociologist in AU's College of Arts and Sciences, appeared on WUSA's 9 News Now to discuss the hug between Barack Obama and John McCain and the growing trend of "man hugs." "A hug can communicate on quite a number of levels. It's hard to attach one meaning to a hug." But with men hugging, Pascale suggests that homophobia plays a role and "there is an intimidating factor in getting too intimate." (9/12/08)

Unemployment worries voters
Allan Lichtman, a presidential historian at American University, was quoted in a Black Voice News story about the rise in umemployment and how that may affect voters’ decisions on Election Day. 'No party holding the White House has ever won an election in the midst of a collapsing economy,' he said. 'What matters is the direction of the economy and of unemployment ...and in this case the direction is down.' (9/19/08)

Home of international service
Chuck Call, an assistant professor in the program on peace and conflict resolution at American University in Washington, was featured in a Northern Virginia Daily story about his and his wife’s commitment to community service and international advocacy. Call, who spent two years working with refugees in Costa Rica and El Salvador, also works with the International Peace Institute on helping a task force group with the Canadian ambassador to the U.N. to create better ways of improving post-conflict countries and helping to raise his children in a bilingual home. (9/15/08)

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