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News

What AU did last summer...

By John Sherry | September 5

While students raced out of Washington to enjoy their summer break, several major developments occurred on campus which The Eagle reported in its summer editions. Here is the break down of that news. Sports AU's Athletic Department underwent major reorganization over the summer.

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Colleges prepare for meningitis scare

By Andrew Noyes | September 5

As colleges across the country brace themselves for the largest freshmen classes in recent history, administrators are also weary of the increased risk for meningitis. With three recent outbreaks of meningitis in Manchester, Iowa, local health officials are hoping University of Iowa students get vaccinations.

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AU ranks in '331 Best'

By Andrew Noyes | September 5

AU ranked twelfth for "great food" and sixteenth for "great college town" in the Princeton Review's annual 331 Best Colleges last month. Georgetown University, George Washington University and Howard University also pulled in top rankings in the book that purports the top 20 colleges in 62 categories, based on student input.

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Md. colleges require meningitis vaccine

By Nicole Fuller and Simone Weichselbaum | September 5

The Maryland State General Assembly passed a law this summer-the first of its kind in the country-requiring all college students in the state to be vaccinated against meningitis. Beginning this semester, all Maryland college students living in residence halls must get the vaccination or get out of school.

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VarsityBooks.com settles industry lawsuit

By Andrew Noyes | September 5

A lawsuit filed by the National Association of College Stores against online textbook giant VarsityBooks.com last year has resulted in new standards for collegiate textbook advertising. This follows the dismissal of one of two counts in the complaint filed last fall by NACS in U.

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Car crash kills AU student, injures another

By Andrew Noyes | September 5

One AU student was killed and another is in stable condition today after an early morning car accident in Silver Spring, Md. Wednesday. Thomas Peter Gallagher, 21, died when the car he was riding in veered off16th Street, struck a sign and a tree, then overturned at approximately 1:25 a.

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CUA off-campus houses face reprimand

By Andrew Noyes | September 5

Catholic University of America student tenants at three Brookland houses will be alerted this week of their school's groundbreaking decision to designate their homes as "disciplined properties" where no party can occur pending university sanctions. The policy dictates that any party or gathering at a "disciplined property" which, in the university's judgement, involves underage or abusive drinking and results in a disturbance warrants strict disciplinary action, CUA General Counsel Craig Parker said.

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Housing crunch hits

By Andrea Bruning | September 5

Campus residence halls are at 106 percent occupancy this fall as freshmen and Washington Semester student enrollments soar, Julie Weber, director of Residential Life and Housing Services, said. There are 1,364 freshmen living on campus this semester, an increase of 122 from last year, according to Anna Pugliese, associate director of undergraduate admissions.

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Court resolves Howard U. case

By Andrew Noyes | September 5

D.C. Superior Court upheld a $5 million discrimination verdict last week in a case involving sexual harassment by an "out of control" catering supervisor at Howard University. Judge Susan R. Holmes Winfield denied food contractor Daka, Inc. several requests for reversal of the jury's decision or a new trial, and let stand March's ruling for compensatory damages of $187,500, and $4,812,500 in punitive damages, the Partnership for Civil Justice reported.

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Battelle renovations underway

By Margaret McElligott | September 5

Construction on the Battelle-Tompkins building began this summer and should last about a year as the College of Arts and Sciences looks to centralize and improve their faculty office space. "Right now, we're in good shape," Gerry Gager, director of planning and development, said.

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Universities face overcrowding nationwide

By Daniel Politi | September 5

AU students suffering from the shortage of on-campus housing are not alone. Many campuses in the D.C. area and across the country are facing similar problems of overcrowding. One of the most famous cases of overcrowding this year has come from Northeastern University in Boston.

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McDonald's comes to campus

By Andrew Martel | September 5

A McDonald's franchise will open this semester in the Butler Pavilion despite the proximity of another franchise currently located less than one mile away on Wisconsin Avenue. The opening of the restaurant is slated for the end of October, though the size of the necessary construction project could delay the completion, according to Hillary Dallas, AU's director of Retail and Leasing Operations.

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Pearson takes SC spot

By Marisha Goldhamer | September 5

Melissa Pearson took office Aug. 15 as the acting Student Confederation comptroller. SC President Ken Biberaj, a junior in the School of Public Affairs, appointed Pearson to the office after elected Comptroller James Abbott resigned to take a position with Student Activities.

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Students learn to live in lounges, triples

By Jen Gross | September 5

Sophomore transfer student Kunnal Buxani and his two roommates did more than hang out in the first floor study lounge of Leonard Hall for their first two weeks at AU. They called it home. "I was on a wait list for housing, and when I got here for orientation, I found out I could live in a study lounge," said Buxani, a transfer student in the Kogod School of Business, last week.

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Presidential campaigns target Generation-Y voters

By Brooke Summers | September 5

Due to feelings of disenfranchisement with mainstream politics, voter turnout among young people is projected to rise only slightly this year, according to a July 31 report released by the U.S. Census Bureau. The report, which summarizes voter activity for the November 1996 elections, stated that slightly over 12 million 18- to 24-year-olds registered to vote; less than 8 million, however, were reported to have actually voted.

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SC President outlines agenda of activism

By John Sherry | September 5

Four fewer votes in last year's Student Confederation election and School of Public Affairs junior Ken Biberaj wouldn't have been able to refurnish the SC president's office the way he wanted. Biberaj defeated SPA senior Wojtek Staszkiewicz by six votes in what student government leaders called one of the closest victories in SC history.

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Abbott leaves SC for Student Activities job

By Brett Zongker | September 5

Only one job was appealing enough to lure James Abbott away from the position of Student Confederation Comptroller; he started that position Aug. 14 in the AU Student Activities office as the new Accounts Specialist. "In this position I have a lot of the same abilities to help out with a lot of the same student activities.

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