Campus Life - AWOL

Looking back at the AU Staff Union’s Battle for a Contract

Kathryn Gilroy, Managing Editor • December 16, 2022

It’s been nearly four months since the American University Staff Union held a strike on Aug. 21 after the university could not agree on better wages and benefits. Exactly two months after...

AU students and staff walk out against sexual violence on campus

Matheus Kogi Fugita Abrahão and Alexia Partouche • November 27, 2022

About the piece: A large group of students wearing red gathered on American University’s quad on Nov. 10 after walking out of their classes in protest of the administration's response to the incident...

Is the AU shuttle in need of change?

Students detail issues with the American University shuttle system relating to accessibility, timing and the mask mandate

Kathryn Gilroy, Managing Editor • May 6, 2022

Every month, over 10,000 students, faculty and community members use American University’s shuttle system. However, some students have reported issues of accessibility, masking and fluctuating reliability...

“I’m going to have to leave”: AU workers fight to be heard

Workers say they are frustrated with stagnant wages, few opportunities for advancement and an administration that treats them as expendable.

Audrey Hill and Grace Vitaglione • December 15, 2021

Note: To avoid confusion, an author of this article is Audrey Hill. A source used in the article is named Aubrey Hill. Zein El-Amine, an adjunct in the College of Arts and Sciences at American University,...

“Screaming into the void”: Student housing employees feel unheard and unsupported

Understaffing and disorganization led many HRL student staffers to voice frustrations during the first semester back on campus since the coronavirus pandemic began.

Kayla Benjamin and Meredith Shimer • October 26, 2021

Most names of student employees in this story were changed to protect the identity of sources whose job security may be threatened. Their identities were confirmed with the editors of this story to ensure...

“The university is lying”: students condemn AU’s response to mold complaints

Students in McDowell Hall are reporting findings of mold in their dorm rooms, causing some residents to evacuate the building.

Anika Iqbal, Staff Writer • October 21, 2021

Two McDowell Hall residents cited in this story have chosen to remain anonymous. Their names have been shared with the writer and editors of this story to ensure their validity, Students currently living...

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…

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...

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

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

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...

AU without the PD: looking to the past to change the future of policing on campus

Shannon Durazo and Braeden Waddell • December 9, 2020

This semester, AWOL’s investigative podcast unit, Ripped from the Wall, looked into the current relationship between AUPD and students, the changes the AU community is hoping to see and the department’s perspective on their own role at the university.