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Critical. Subversive. Irrepressible.

AWOL

Critical. Subversive. Irrepressible.

AWOL

Critical. Subversive. Irrepressible.

AWOL

Recent Stories

"A hidden gem"

“A hidden gem”

The Child Development Center served the AU community for decades. What happens now that it’s gone?
Kyle Galvin, Staff Writer December 4, 2024

Lawrence McCarthy arrived home on June 17, not knowing he had just left his last shift at American University’s Child Development Center. McCarthy said he had been working at the center for 35 years;...

Inside AU's 2024 Orientation Program

Inside AU’s 2024 Orientation Program

First-years and orientation leaders reflect on issues with new four-day orientation format.
Sydnee Patak and Layla Younis December 4, 2024

On the first day of orientation, first-year Maya Hope Giermek went to get breakfast at the Terrace Dining Room. She stopped when she saw the line. It spanned from Bender Library, up the stairs through...

$16,182: AU's Wage Gap

$16,182: AU’s Wage Gap

New data sheds light on pay disparities at American University.
Benjamin Austin, Staff Editor December 3, 2024

Male faculty are paid more on average than female faculty at American University, according to data released by the provost’s office in September 2023. A significant portion of the gap is due to men...

On the ballot

On the ballot

Ballot Initiative 83 seeks to implement ranked choice voting and semi-closed primaries in Washington.
Ava Ramsdale, Staff Editor December 3, 2024

Editor's Note: This article was reported and written before election day, but has been published after. Ballot Initiative 83 has since been approved. In 2017, Lisa D.T. Rice changed her party registration...

Sending the vote home

Sending the vote home

Students navigate absentee ballot restrictions while voting in this year’s presidential election.
Kate Kessler, Staff Editor December 2, 2024

Editor's Note: This article was reported and written before election day, but has been published after. Christina Eid, a junior at American University, said she planned to vote in the upcoming presidential...

Earning the Youth Vote

Earning the Youth Vote

Social media, organizing efforts and celebrity influence draw out young voters for the 2024 election.
Layla Younis, Staff Writer December 2, 2024

Editor's Note: This article was reported and written before election day, but has been published after. Before the election, Sarah Bennett planned to vote. The American University first-year student...

Elected Eagles: The State of AUSG

Elected Eagles: The State of AUSG

A new undergraduate senate has said they’re trying to bridge the gap between the student body and their representatives.

What is the American University Student Government? What do they do? Do they hold real power? Are they truly representative of the AU student body? What does the student body think? These are some of the...

Arming AUPD in the Crosshairs

Arming AUPD in the Crosshairs

As American University considers arming its campus police, community members and experts weigh in on safety and budget concerns.
Will Sytsma, Staff Editor November 22, 2024

Editor's Note: This article includes mentions of police brutality, particularly against BIPOC and disabled people. It also includes mentions of gun violence. Ben Austin contributed reporting to this...

The Hum: The buzz on caffeine

The Hum: The buzz on caffeine

Is caffeine consumption at AU a boost of energy or a risky habit?

This semester, the Hum team interviewed students about caffeine consumption on American University’s campus. The episode explores how much caffeine students consume and why they decide to drink coffee,...

Fall Issue 35

Fall Issue 35

Letter from the editor
Grace Hagerman, Editor in Chief November 19, 2024

Magazine story corrections:  In “Inside AU’s 2024 Orientation Program,” a previous version of the article said Jensen was an orientation leader for three years. She became an orientation leader...

Graduate Students Housed in Letts Among Undergraduate Freshmen

Graduate Students Housed in Letts Among Undergraduate Freshmen

University housing experiments with mixed-class residences, but it's unclear whether it will become a lasting trend.
Stella Camerlengo, Staff Editor November 18, 2024

Over the summer, graduate student Wilford Adjei felt hopeless about his housing situation in Washington. To him, rent was too high, and finding a suitable place seemed impossible. Then, he got an email...

AU SJP makes noise

AU SJP makes noise

Student activists demonstrated outside Israeli studies conference.
Ben Ackman, Multimedia Producer November 15, 2024

On Nov. 11, protestors shouted chants, banged drums and clanked spoons and pans outside of Constitution Hall, hoping to disrupt a conference held inside hosted by the American University Center for Israel...

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