Campus Life - AWOL

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.

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

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

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

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,...

Angela Davis was “inspiring” to students, some disappointed with the “institutional” framing of the event

The iconic abolitionist left students questioning racist institutions

Talia Marshall • September 29, 2020

Black feminist and prison abolitionist Angela Davis spoke to American University students about sustainable activism, the global prison industrial complex and antiracism during a Zoom event on Sept. 18....

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.

AU Antiracist Center aims to rebrand, rebuild

Antiracist scholars Christine Platt and Malini Ranganathan appointed interim co-directors of the center following Ibram X. Kendi’s departure.

Jasmine Dean, Talia Marshall, and Margaux Renee • August 31, 2020

Kendi, founder of AU’s Antiracist Center, announced his move to Boston University in early June followed by an announcement via email that two members of the center’s original team, Malini Ranganathan and Christine Platt, would assume the role of interim co-directors of the Antiracist Research and Policy Center in July and would shape the new direction for the center, particularly in choosing the new director in the coming year.

Is AUx2 Enough?

Students unsure if university program is adequately addressing campus prejudice

Jasmine Dean, Staff Editor • August 27, 2020

One major critique among students is that AUx2 has forced marginalized students to speak about their own experiences to teach more privileged students about issues such as racism and other forms of prejudice or discrimination.

Is American University really woke?

What it really means to be the most politically active school in the nation

Talia Marshall, Staff Editor • August 20, 2020

“There’s a lot of lip service paid to activism,” said sophomore Elliot Williams. “But very few students are willing to put in the time and the persistence that’s necessary to hold actions, events and to follow through with their goals.”

Inclusivity Requires Accessibility: Issues with ASAC Accommodations

Sierra Cougot, Creative Director • August 13, 2020

When requesting his accommodations, Sackstein said, “I tried to get them to commit to offer rides to the quad, even for just the first week while I transitioned. But they wouldn’t budge.” “I mentioned that my friend who had an ACL tear was accommodated by her university, but they told me that this was AU,” Sackstein said.