the EAGLE
Weekend Edition
Men’s soccer rises in national ranking p.5
NEWS
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theEAGLE JANUARY 2014 theEAGLE SEPT. 30, 19,2014
Students and professors talk events at Ferguson
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By Cuneyt Dil Eagle Staff Writer
ntrenched racism, the militarization of police forces and the mainstream media were just a few of the hot topic issues surrounding the death of Michael Brown that five AU professors and students discussed on Sept. 3. Brown was a teenager from Ferguson, Missouri who was shot and killed by a police officer on Aug. 9. His death sparked widespread outrage and protests, as well as a national conversation about race in America. The event was held in Kay Spiritual Center and was a part of the Table Talk series, which holds lectures and forums about contemporary ethical issues, and was sponsored by the Office of Campus Life. Panelists Clarence Lusane of the School of International Service, Brian Forst of the School of Public
Photo courtesy of Stephen Melkisethian/Flickr
The dorms are a tight squeeze for approximately 45 percent of first year students at AU this semester who are living in temporary triples as Housing and Dining tries to distribute rare vacated spots in Letts, Anderson, Hughes and Leonard Halls. AU had the highest amount of students accept their admissions
Campus
construction begins By Bryan Park Eagle Staff Writer
Activists demonstrate in Washington, DC, in support of Michael Brown and Ferguson on Sept. 6.
Affairs, Washington College of Law professor Brenda V. Smith, professor John Watson of the School of Communication and CelineMarie Pascale in the Department of Sociology spoke about the continuing racism and shared stories of former students who were in Ferguson.
Lusane, who has written extensively on issues concerning race and human rights, spoke about police oppression and called for increased political engagement.
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Half of first year students in temporary triples this year By Samantha Hogan Eagle Staff Writer
AU East
offer in the University’s history, according to a July 24 memo released by President Neil Kerwin. This demand for first year housing caused approximately a 17 percent increase in temporary triple rooms, which are dorm rooms typically assigned to two students that contain three occupants, during the 2014-2015 academic year. “Most of our first year students take advantage of on-campus housing,” Sasha Gamburg, assistant director of operations: assignments and dining for Housing and Dining,
“Then I had this moment where I realized: I’m getting to go to the school of my choice, live in D.C. – it just means I get to live with one extra person”
said by email. Housing and Dining estimates that 38 percent of first year students were living in temporary triples during the 2013-2014 academic year, Gamburg said by email. The lack of available space in the residence halls is not just affecting first year students. Returning students who missed the March housing deadline are also living in non-traditional housing. Forty-five students who missed the deadline were temporarily housed
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The construction of the East Campus has begun, according to a memo distributed Sept. 5 by Assistant Vice President David Dower. Construction began with the installation of a dewatering system to retain soil in the case of rain, and planning for the excavation of the soil is anticipated to start in early October, according to the memo. The announcement came after Dower confirmed with Skanska, the company in charge of the construction, that the area around the site had been properly secured. The construction will occupy the Nebraska parking lot located in the corner of Massachusetts Avenue and New Mexico Avenue. Work on the dewatering system is expected to continue for several weeks, according to the memo. Dower also warned that installing the system would include driving steel beams into the ground, which would generate some noise in the area until the system is finished.
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3 Photo courtesy of DC State Fair/Flickr
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theEAGLE SEPT.30, 19,2014 theEAGLE JANUARY 2014
theEAGLE’s
guide to a DC weekend By Jordan-Marie Smith
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It’s the fourth week of school. It’s time to get ahead of the rest of the student body and do your own thing. These spots are going to get you out of Northwest and deep into the city with artsy dance performances, a pretty hipster state fair, Click Here for the Rest of the Story concerts at the Kennedy Center and comedy shows.
1. Listen Local First D.C. Presents Paperhaus Where: Kennedy Center Millenium Stage, 2700 F St NW, Washington, DC 20566 When: Sept. 19
2. Petworth Community Market
Where: 9th and Upshur Streets NW When: Sept. 20
3. D.C. VegFest
Where: The Yards Park, 1331 Pennsylvania Ave NW When: Sept. 20
4. D.C. State Fair
Where: Old City Farm and Guild, 925 Rhode Island Ave NW, Washington, DC 20001 When: Sept. 20
5. Cheap Thrills at Anacostia Arts Center
Where: Anacostia Arts Center, 1231 Good Hope Road SE, Washington, DC 20020 When: Sept. 21
OPINION
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theEAGLE JANUARY 30,19,2014 2014 theEAGLE SEPT.
Staff Editorial:
Advertise
AU has a diversity problem in our weekly
AU is a school that prides itself on its perceived diversity. Programs like the Center for Diversity and Inclusion have done a fantastic of making sure our LGBTQ and international students always feel welcome, heard and safe on campus, but the voices of students belonging to racial minority groups all too often go unheard. Although AU has thriving groups like the Black Student’s Alliance and Arab Student Association, these organizations have not yet been fully welcomed into the campus discussion. Last year’s ‘Being Black at AU’ campaign did not gain much attention from the campus community, and more recently, many black students attempted to
start a campus-wide discussion of the events at Ferguson and were met with little support. AU is one of the only schools in the D.C. area that has not held a vigil or march, student or administration-led, to commemorate the death of Michael Brown. The administration recently held two panel discussions on the events of Ferguson, but a panel is not a conversation. Conversations like these must happen among the entire school and must lead to further understanding on racial issues between students. It is widely known that AU is not one of the most statistically diverse schools in the country, with a student population that is nearly
60 percent white and only about 6 percent black. Northwest D.C. overall is one of the least diverse sections of DC. But this is not an excuse. AU’s white students need to make a conscious and deliberate effort to listen to the voices of their nonwhite classmates. They must push themselves to step out of their often homogeneous friend groups and gain perspective on these issues. These conversations must happen constantly, not just immediately after acts of violence like these. The only way AU can truly call itself a diverse school is by stepping out of its white bubble and listening to the
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voices of its minority students. -E
Column: Fear cuts deeper than calculus By Shelby Ostergaard Eagle Columnist “Don’t worry guys!” the biology professor at the front of the lecture hall tells us, “it’s not that bad of math, you can do it!” She’s writing on the whiteboard, p2 2pq q2 = 1, the Hardy-Weinberg equation, designed for figuring out allele frequency in a population. I’m sitting there thinking, “Of course it’s not that bad of math! It’s basic algebra, something I quite literally learned when I was 12 years old.” But you wouldn’t know it from looking at the other students in the lecture hall. Brows are furrowed. Pencils are scraping. I can practically hear the whispers between friends, I’m just not really a math person. In my experience, I’ve found that many AU students aren’t very good at math. And AU students don’t think they are very good at math. In fact, AU students are almost scared of math. As economics professor Matt Davis puts it, “when I put equations up on the
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not pay attention for the next few moments. It’s okay. Frankly though, it’s not. We’re college students. We can handle basic algebra. We can handle graphs and equations. In fact, I’m going to go out on a limb here and say that we can even handle calculus. Now, don’t get worried. I’m not going to suddenly ask you to find the derivative of a quadratic equation. Because unless you are thinking to yourself, I can do that, you probably can’t. At least, not right now. But it’s not because you aren’t a math person. You see, there’s no such thing as a math person. There’s just such a thing as people who have studied and practiced math. People who aren’t scared of it. People who have realized that by putting forth the effort, anyone can learn to find the derivative of any equation they board, people freak out.” He says He tells the students not to worry, want. the number one question he gets warns them when the math is on the first day of his intermediate coming. And if someone does ask an Click Here for the Rest Of micro class is “How math intensive unfortunate question that requires the Story is this?” a mathematical explanation, he Just like many other AU professors, makes sure to tell everyone that if he compensates. He makes jokes. they aren’t math people, they can
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SPORTS
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theEAGLE JANUARY 2014 theEAGLE SEPT.30, 19,2014
Men’s soccer cruises to 3-1 victory against Hartwick By Shannon Scovel
By Vincent Salandro Contributing Writer The No. 19 Eagles continued their momentum Friday night in a 3-1 victory over the Hartwick University Hawks at Reeves Field. Sophomore forwards Joe Iraola and Dale Ludwig and senior midfielder Stephen Hauschild notched goals for the Eagles as they successfully employed a high pressing defensive style to create discomfort for Hartwick over the course of the game. “[It was a] decent performance, we definitely need to clean up in
Women’s soccer falls to Virginia Commonwealth University 3-0 By Vincent Salandro Contributing Writer
T
he AU women’s soccer team lost 3-0 at the hands of Virginia Commonwealth University on Sept. 14 at SportsBackers Stadium in Richmond, Virginia. VCU forced the Eagles on the back foot for most of the match and overwhelmed AU with its offensive pressure. Senior goalkeeper Charlene Belanger recorded four saves for the Eagles (3-5, 0-0 PL), but it was not enough on a day when VCU (3-3-2) fired 17 shots at the Eagles net. AU managed only two shots, one from junior midfielder Kristen DeRiggi and another from senior defender Michaela Cowgill. The Rams took control of the game from the outset when sophomore forward Kailyn Slade and junior forward Gabi Dyer each fired shots off target from dangerous positions. AU’s resolute defense broke down in the 22nd minute, and Rams junior midfielder Sharon Wojcik capitalized on the open
opportunity. She received a pass from senior Alex Gogolin and fired a shot beyond Belanger from just inside the box to rack up a second point for VCU. The Eagles built momentum in the second half, earning two corner kicks, but they struggled to find the back of the net. The AU forward duo of senior Lindsey Muri and junior Kelly Donovan, who have been so instrumental in Eagles offensive success this season, were unable to find an end product on a night where chances came at a premium for AU. AU’s defense readjusted at halftime, and they put out on better second half performance by preventing VCU from adding additional goals to their tally. Under fire constantly from the VCU pressure, the AU defense stood firm in the second interval and closed game without allowing any further damage. The Eagles hope to find better results as they continue their threegame road trip on Sept. 20 when they open Patriot League play against Lehigh.
the final third,” Ludwig said. “But as coach [Todd West] said, any division win is a good win.” AU (4-1, 0-0) started strong from the opening minute when sophomore midfielder Panos Nakhid volleyed a bouncing ball over the crossbar that just missed the net. Despite the Eagles’ initial surge, Hartwick (0-3-2) controlled the pace of the game by holding most of the first half possession, but they failed to threaten the Eagle’s goal due to the high pressure from the AU forwards and compact back line.
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theEAGLE 30, 2014 theEAGLE JANUARY SEPT. 19,2014
theEAGLE looks back
10 ago years at American ...
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The beginning of
Facebook’s popularity
Sept. 2004
Like our Throwback Thursday? Find more old issues of theEAGLE any day of the week HERE