Skip to Main Content
Critical. Subversive. Irrepressible.

AWOL

Critical. Subversive. Irrepressible.

AWOL

Critical. Subversive. Irrepressible.

AWOL

Campus Life

Photo from Fossil Free AU's Facebook page

Climate Activism on a Virtual Campus

After learning to adapt to virtual activism, AU’s Sunrise and Fossil Free chapters plan their first small in-person action in months.
Kayla Benjamin, Copy Editor April 24, 2021

On Earth Day 2020, American University sent out an email revealing its plan to take all its investments out of fossil fuel companies. Haley Epping, a senior who had spent four years campaigning for the...

What goes up...

What goes up…

Students discuss their experiences with malfunctioning elevators on campus
Kathryn Gilroy, Audrey Hill, and Helena Milburn April 15, 2021

Helena Milburn is on the executive board of the Disabled Student Union with Katherine Greenstein and was not involved with the writing or reporting of that section of the article. Freshman Shelby Brown...

Photo from American University's Twitter

Stacey Abrams kicks off Founder’s Week with a zoom webinar

The voting rights activist discusses her path and voter’s rights, concluding with advice to students
Jessica Bates, Video/Photo Director March 4, 2021

Stacey Abrams, the woman often credited with turning Georgia blue for the 2020 election, kicked off American University’s Founder’s Week on Feb. 22. The discussion was part of KPU’s Black History...

Bill Gates speaks with DC college students on climate change

Bill Gates speaks with DC college students on climate change

The former Microsoft CEO discusses his new book and the challenges facing the world in the age of climate change.
Dónal Gannon, Staff Writer February 22, 2021

Students from Howard University, Georgetown University, George Washington University and American University participated in a virtual discussion of climate change Wednesday with philanthropist and former...

Students for Justice in Palestine leaders reflect on virtual semester

Students for Justice in Palestine leaders reflect on virtual semester

Student leaders for AU’s chapter of SJP successfully organized an online event, in spite of censorship concerns and virtual constraints.
Margaux Renee, Staff Editor December 29, 2020

Aqsa Rashid and Kiran Waqar — two AU juniors who lead Students for Justice in Palestine  — spent much of the Fall semester organizing an Oct. 29 virtual event which hosted Rabab Abdulhadi, a professor...

Students condemn virtual ASAC

Students condemn virtual ASAC

Current and former AU community members with disabilities call out university support services’ response to online learning environment
Braeden Waddell December 8, 2020
Kadaline Jackel, a former AU student, said the final straw in her decision to leave the university was when it announced the original plan for the fall semester, which would have been a hybrid between online and in-person learning.
AUx staff members say they face racism from upper university leadership

AUx staff members say they face racism from upper university leadership

BIPOC first-year advisors dread going to meetings each week due to fear of being emotionally harmed by racist comments
Jessica Bates, Video/Photo Director December 3, 2020

First-year advisors, who teach the American University Experience or AUx curriculum that centers Black, indigenous, and people of color or BIPOC voices, say they have been experiencing constant coded racist...

Asian American Student Union leaders were “disappointed but not surprised” with Andrew Yang event

Asian American Student Union leaders were “disappointed but not surprised” with Andrew Yang event

A white moderator, lack of control and a feeling that KPU was unfamiliar with their organization’s goals caused some members of AASU’s e-board to feel tokenized.
Grace Vitaglione and Braeden Waddell December 1, 2020

When students from the Asian American Student Union were asked by the Kennedy Political Union if they wanted to co-sponsor an event hosting Andrew Yang, former Democratic presidential candidate, their...

WAMU content staff move to unionize after a year of upheaval, AU stays quiet

WAMU content staff move to unionize after a year of upheaval, AU stays quiet

Amidst a year of upheaval and a breakdown of trust between the university and the station, AU’s latest decision adds to its long history of anti-union actions.
Braeden Waddell October 29, 2020

The content staff at WAMU, a local NPR affiliate licensed by American University, have filed to form a union with the National Labor Relations Board after AU’s refusal to voluntarily recognize them. Now,...

Caroline Lougee

Mental Health Crises Spark a Call to Improve AU’s Counseling Services

At AU’s Counseling Center, long-term care for a few is sacrificed for short-term care for many
Maya Savoie, Staff Writer September 10, 2020
A student wrote in the post about how she had witnessed two suicide attempts in dorms on campus and how they were handled, including stories about crisis response from the AU Police Department. Dalaker ended the post by requesting students share their own experiences. 
Load More Stories