National Gallery of Art Provides A Different Look at 1950’s America
Frank’s Americans Exhibit Sheds New Light on a Lost Era
By Cody Snell, Contributor

If you thought you knew the America of the 1950’s, Robert Frank’s 83 photographs will make you think again. His book of photos entitled The Americans depicts scenes from across the United States and captures an era, not of innocence and wholesome family values, but a gritty reality full of provocative contradictions.
First released in 1958, The Americans collection is now being revived by the National Gallery of Art in an exhibition featuring all 83 original photographs from the book. The exhibition details Frank’s two-year, 10,000 mile journey from the urban political rallies of Chicago to the desolate roads of rural Idaho.
Each picture builds upon the last and the sequencing of the photographs takes the viewer on a journey through the geographic, racial, economic and political melting pot of America.

Themes of The Americans

Frank divided his book into four sections. The first segment looks at the various dichotomies of American society, the second examines American recreation, the third concerns religion and work life, and the fourth highlights politics and power.
“He’s looking at the racism that existed in American society in the 1950’s, he’s looking at the nature of the political system and questioning whether it is one that is as inclusive as it should be,” said Sarah Greenough, the senior curator of photographs at the Gallery.
“He’s looking at the rising consumer culture as jobs begin to take over American life at that moment, but he’s also looking at religion within America as well as examining our fascination and obsession with cars,” she said.
The way in which Frank sequences his photos is particularly important in how he depicts the true nature of the 1950’s. In one example, he follows a clear, in-focus photograph of wealthy, well-dressed couples attending a New York cocktail party with a grainy shot of auto workers on a Detroit assembly line.
“The 1950’s media was presenting a much more wholesome image of America…and Frank was very much looking beyond the simplistic rendering, looking beneath the surface of American life to show a lot of the tensions that were there at that time,” said Greenough.

Reaction to The Americans: Then and Now

When The Americans was released in the United States in 1959, many in the art world saw it as a complete misrepresentation of American culture.
“Initially, the book was really decried by a lot of people, it was condemned as a very one sided view of America. A number of authors [wrote] critiques of the book and almost all of them were very critical,” said Greenough.
Luckily for Frank, the free form art of the 1960’s changed a lot of people’s attitudes towards his work. “During the 1960’s younger photographers got a hold of the book and it really came to be passionately embraced by younger groups of people,” she said.
Many spectators at the gallery felt that their perception of the 50’s changed after seeing Frank’s photos.
“I felt like it was different than the America I grew up in, it kind of showed a dark side a little bit, not the real happy things I like to think of,” said Diane Olsen, a registered nurse from Ashburn, VA.
“A whole lot of people romanticize the 50’s as the age of innocence, but I think Frank shows a grittier side [of America] and focuses on the everyday life of people living then,” said Alexander Leeding, a student at Willamette University in Oregon.
“I still have that whole romanticized idea of the 40’s and 50’s, and now that I’ve seen another side of it, I’m just trying to reaffirm my thoughts and figure out what this era in American history is all about,” he said.AnoTwilight Saga Bites into Fans

A teenage vampire story creates pandemonium across the world

By Natalie Barg, Contributor

Watch out Harry Potter, your broom isn’t as powerful as it once was since a new saga is in town. Vampires and werewolves are winning over wizard fans in the Twilight phenomenon.
Author of the Twilight, Stephanie Meyer, created the story of a teenage girl who falls in love with a vampire. Millions of fans worldwide are uniting to celebrate the fictional characters, drool over actor Robert Pattinson, and let the world know there is no age limit to loving vampires.

From teeny boppers to grandmas

The saga includes four books, one movie, millions of fans across the world, and a sequel to the second book. While the story was created for teenage girls it continues to steal the hearts of teenagers, moms, and grandmas.
“Yeah I am 62, but who doesn’t love a story with a good looking vampire who falls in love with a girl? How much more excitement do you need?” said Elena Anzaroog, committed fan of the saga.
TwilightMoms is a web-site built for moms who love Twilight and want some juicy gossip after a long day with the kids.

Insanity or just dedication?

Fans lined up in blockbusters nationwide at midnight, March 21st, to celebrate the DVD release of the movie Twilight. The movie sold more than 3 million copies its first night.

For the past two years fans celebrated the saga on September 13th in Forks, Washington. The town named this day “Stephanie Meyer’s Day” and is celebrated on the main character’s, Bella Swan, birthday. The day includes a town parade, storytelling, contests, and fans screaming just for the heck of it.

For those looking on online for a Twilight fix- there are thousands of Twilight blogs, fan sites, and merchandise online.
“What makes me so drawn into this whole craziness is how great Meyer revved up the characters. She feeds us the words and we find that we want more and more. And having all these other vampire lovers around the globe makes your own insanity seem saner and its exciting to get involved in these different shenanigans,” said Rachel Ozeryan, a 27 year old devoted fan.
Meyer first released the book in June 2006. One book turned into three more. So far she has sold over 40 million copies worldwide. Twilight began its journey on screen last year.
“I am so devoted to this saga it’s insane! I have a blog and a photo gallery I submitted online. My dream would be to go to Forks to celebrate Stephanie Meyer day, but until then I will keep feeding my hunger with the final book Breaking Dawn,” said Ozeryan.

Vampires are bringing sexy back

Steamy actor Robert Pattinson appeals to women of all ages. Fans describe him as  dangerous but yet safe, seductive but polite, good looking but yet natural, and everything their significant others could be if they too were vampires.
“Edward mesmerizes everyone. Potter doesn’t do it for people anymore because Edward is way too sexy,” said Yana Artamoshyna, fan of the movie.

What’s next on the bloodsucking agenda?

All the actors reunited in Vancouver last week to begin filming of the second book New Moon due out in theaters this November.
“All I can say is that it’s time for Edward to move on to someone his own age, and I am still available. If not, it’s okay cause I will still see the new movie either way,” said Anzaroog.

Anonymous cafeteria chef cooks up laughs
Sassy Chef answers students’ comments while doubling as a comedian
By Adam Vingan, Contributor

sassy chef makes makes a statement

When AU students go to the Terrace Dining Room (TDR), they like to eat food prepared by their favorite chefs. The most popular chef is the one that no student has ever seen or met.

She’s called  Sassy Chef and has become a cornerstone of American’s cafeteria without ever lifting a spatula. She is responsible for answering students anonymous’ comments they leave on a bulletin.. After hours, Sassy Chef retrieves the comments and writes back with her trademark red pen. The following day, the comments are reposted for everyone to see.

“You can definitely count on Sassy Chef to answer your comments or concerns,” said sophomore Eli Engelbourg. “But she also makes sure to poke a little fun at them.”

No student knows her identity. Even some of Sassy Chef’s fellow employees do not know who she is.

“I work at the cash register, so I am never around the chefs,” said Christine last name, a TDR cashier. “I have no clue who Sassy Chef is and I am not the only employee here who doesn’t. It’s a well kept secret.”

The only thing students know is that Sassy Chef is a woman, which has been mentioned on past cards.

“A Real Comedian”

Sassy Chef has stated on comment cards that she takes all suggestions into consideration, from serious requests to jokes. But she always puts a creative spin on her answers. On a recent comment card left in TDR, a student initially praised the cafeteria’s falafel night. The student then told Sassy Chef that TDR “dropped the ball” by not having enough sauces.

“You made me feel like king of the world on the bow of the Titanic,” Sassy Chef responded. “Now I feel like I’m going down with the sinking ship.”

“Sometimes, I have something to comment on, but other times, I write something funny just to see her responses,” Engelbourg said.

Other students disagree. While Sassy Chef does take the time to answer students’ comments, some believe she is immature. Freshman Brianna Kirsh thinks Sassy Chef can be rude and inconsiderate.

“I think people expect the comments to be rude and that is why people like to read them,” Kirsh said. “People don’t write Sassy Chef comments with the expectation of receiving a nice response back.”

Either way, students say they know that Sassy Chef cares about their wants and needs at TDR. Joking aside, she has expressed that she really wants to make TDR better for the students.

“I think some comments are totally legitimate, such as bringing back soy milk,” Kirsh said. “She may be rude, but I think that Sassy Chef and TDR as a whole take our suggestions to heart. The important ones get heard.”

The mystery continues

Students have asked Sassy Chef on comment cards if she will ever reveal her identity. On several occasions, Sassy Chef has said no. She signs off on certain comment cards by saying she is “your friendly neighborhood Sassy Chef.” Her identity will remain a secret except for those close to her. While some may be disappointed, others feel her anonymity is for the best.

“It would not be the same if we knew who she was,” Engelbourg said. “All of the students would find her at TDR and ask her to tell a joke or make some sort of witty comeback. I wouldn’t want to annoy her. Plus, it’s more fun to wonder.”Students Protest Tom Tancredo

Demonstrators disagree with the former Congressman’s position on immigration

By Kristin Parrotta, Contributor

More than 380 students peacefully demonstrated former Congressman Tom Tancredo’s speech at American University Tuesday night.

Tancredo spoke in the Ward Circle building, which was filled to capacity, in an event organized by Youth for Western Civilization.  The event consisted of a speech from Tancredo followed by questions from the audience.  The majority of the audience, dressed in all black were, there to protest Tancredo.

The protest was organized by a group of individual activists who represented several campus groups including the Latin American Student Alliance, Black Student Alliance, and AU Students for Choice.  The protestors held small signs with slogans like “America is multicultural.”

Tancredo’s Speech

Tancredo mostly focused on the topics of immigration and American culture.  He is well known for his strong opposition to illegal immigration and for what his opposition calls an anti-immigrant attitude.  “There’s nothing wrong with immigration,” Tancredo said.  “It’s immigration without assimilation that’s problematic.”

Tancredo expressed his opposition to what he called the “cult of multiculturalism”, that is “the desire to accentuate the differences, the things that pull us apart instead of the things that pull us together.” He instead says he supports maintaining one American culture.

“Globalization has certainly pushed the issue of multiculturalism, but I don’t think it has to be that way,” Tancredo said.

Tancredo said that “American culture, first of all, is a language, the English language” that is “an enormously important part of the culture,” uniting people of different cultural backgrounds.

Tancredo believes that American culture is part of a broader Western culture, and immigration usually flows toward the West.  “The idea of the rule of law, that is a uniquely Western concept, we should be proud of that,” Tancredo said.  “The idea of individual liberty, uniquely Western.  This is not something we should be ashamed of.  We have brought the world some very good things.”

While Tancredo thinks that the Democrats support immigration for “a source of votes” and the Republicans support it for “a source of cheap labor,” Tancredo believes that illegal immigration has economic consequences.  “The more people who come here who are unskilled, that depresses wage rates for people in this country who are low-skill,” Tancredo said.  “That’s unfair to them.”

Tancredo said that allowing immigration does not get at the root of the economic problems in other countries.  He said that he would rather other countries improve their economies to give workers a higher standard of living so that they would not need to come to the United States to work.

Tancredo responded to accusations of racism by saying that the issue of immigration has “got nothing to do with race,” Tancredo added, “I don’t think it’s racist of me to think that there are good ideas that we can all share.”

Demonstration against Tancredo

Despite significant police presence at the event, students were able to hold a large demonstration against Tancredo without any security issues.  “I’m happy that he respected our right to oppose his hateful rhetoric,” demonstration organizer Travis Ballie said.

Ballie said that the demonstration was called in order to “support civil debate and not name calling.”  He said, “It’s exciting to see students organize, regardless of what they believe in.”

Ballie represents AU Students for Choice, but he supports like-minded student groups.  “When one group’s equality is under attack, it’s really everybody’s equality that is under attack,” he said.

“Tancredo is a well-intentioned man, he just has glaring misconceptions of what multiculturalism is and the history of our immigrant society,” Ballie said.

Esteban Garces, the son of an undocumented immigrant, says he came to the event because of Tancredo’s reputation as anti-immigrant.  He mainly opposed Tancredo’s ideas about American assimilation. “Assimilation takes generations…I feel that I don’t have an accent, I feel that I am assimilated,” Garces said.  “My colors are the red, white and blue.”

Other students expressed outrage at Tancredo’s speech.  “I think it was a disgrace,” freshman Katrina Casino said.  “His ideas are the same ones that perpetuate genocide.”  Casino comes from a family of Filipino immigrants and takes Tancredo’s message personally.  “The ideas that he perpetuates are the reason my country doesn’t have a culture anymore.”

Many demonstrators wanted to learn something from the event while still expressing their beliefs.  Sophomore Rahkendra Creighton-Ice said, “I can’t fathom why someone would say that multiculturalism is a bad thing, so I wanted to hear the explanation behind it.”  Creighton-Ice left disappointed, believing that Tancredo still did not properly explain himself and did not answer the questions asked to him.  She was still impressed by the outcome of the demonstration.  “Tancredo can’t ignore it.  Our numbers were incredible.”

SSDP Hosts Panel on False Positive Drug Testing
False Positives
By Hannah Hankins, Contributor

American University Students for a Sensible Drug Policy met Tuesday night for a panel that took aim  at police drug testing.
The panelists criticized the drug tests used by police in field arrest situations. The three guests discussed their recent report that investigates legal substances that produce false positives in the kits used by officers.

The Tests

The panelist demonstrated their point by testing many household products and commercial foods with the Duquenois-Levine and KN Reagent tests used by police officers to test for hashish or GHB, the “date rape drug”.
The tests and chemical background of the kits were presented by researcher John Kelly.

The kits contain small vials of toxic liquids that will react by changing color when crushed and mixed with an illegal drug.
Some items, such as Dr. Bronner’s Magical Soap, showed vibrant colors that indicated positives in the test for GHB. This positive reading would require the officer to arrest and detain the owner while the product was sent on to a forensics lab for further tests.  The length of time the lab has to test varies from state to state, but it can be up to six months.

Interactive experimentation

The fifteen audience members were encouraged to come forward and test many of the products for themselves.

Some of the products available for testing:

• Oreos

• Twix

• Snickers

• chocolate covered pretzels

• Oregano

• Thyme

• Hand Soap

The Oreos and chocolate covered pretzels tested positive for hashish, but the Twix came out clean.
Drug kits were handed out to the leaders of SSDP, and they were encouraged to experiment and find all the legal substances that produce these false positives.

The Stories

One of the panelists, Ron Obadia, is the owner of Living Libations Chocolate.  He produces all natural and organic raw chocolate bars and other sweets out of his home in Canada.  Obadia has twice been detained by officials during border crossings where his chocolate tested positive for marijuana.
The additional forensics reports showed that there was no hashish in his product.  During his arrest and legal battles, he spent tens of thousands of dollars and felt he was treated unfairly.
In the first arrest he was traveling through the airport with his wife and one-year-old son. “I saw dogs and scales and a guy with a taser,” Obadia said.  “I was like “wow, someone’s really getting busted,” and then it was us!”

The Campaign

Now Obadia and Kelly have joined with Vote Hemp Communications director and AU alum Adam Eidinger to publicize the message in their report.
They said in their materials that “millions of people have been and continue to be, prosecuted and convicted of marijuana charges without proof that the possessed marijuana.”
Eidinger said that their report showed a “drug-testing regime of fraudulent forensics used by police.”

Ignorance or Abuse?

When asked if the panelists believed that police were knowingly arresting people on false charges because of bias or discrimination, the panel was split.
“These guys don’t know what’s going on,” Obadia said.  “They’re given these tests—so they’re supposed to work.”
Eidinger disagreed and said that it was their responsibility to use tests that work properly.

Education

Kelly asked the students to organize and help promote the cause.  “We need to tell everyone about this,” he said.  He wanted SSDP to present the report to students at the Washington College of Law.  “ There are lawyers who just don’t know the facts,” he said.  “If you guys can do one thing; go out and tell everyone you know about this.”

More than a Movie

Muslim Comedy Film Fights Stereotypes in a Showing on American University’s Campus

By Sarah Sheya, Contributor

The Muslim Film Festival came to American University to bring to light American stereotypes of Muslims and make the crowd laugh in a showing of “Stand Up: Muslim American Comics Come of Age,” on February 25.  The program included a set by guest comedian Dean Obeidallah, one of five comedians featured in the film.

The Dirty Work

Project Nur brought the event to campus.

“Project Nur is a student group on campus that was formed after 9/11 to provide a forum for students to talk about religious hate crimes and social justice issues that arose, especially with Muslims,” says Project Nur Vice President Patricia Ward.

AU was the kickoff to the Muslim Film Festival, which reached a number of schools in the DC area.  This year’s theme was “Art Under Fire.”

“It’s about Muslims trying to express themselves and the political hostility they face not only from their own countries and own regions but also from the United States,” says Ward.

Ward said organizing the festival was stressful.   AU students worked with students from George Washington University, Georgetown University, and University of Maryland.

“The advertising was really important because we wanted it not to just be for students but more for everybody in the community,” said Ward.

The event was free, so “more people would come,” said Ward.  “It was supposed to be a learning experience too.”

Why it Matters

Project Nur decided to show the film “Stand Up: Muslim American Comics Come of Age.”

“We thought it would be cool to show the U.S. connection with these stand up comedians—some of them are American-born, some of them immigrated here, and they still face that same political hostility even though they’re in this country we call the ‘land of the free’,” said Ward.

The humor created a lighthearted atmosphere at the event. “We definitely thought for AU that it would be a good way to bring people in to understand the issue more,” said Ward.

“I expected to laugh, and I also expected to have a decent analysis of how comedy’s advancing, actually fighting stereotypes of Arabs in the United States,” AU student William Hea said.

“It exceeded my expectations.  It was extremely funny,” Hea said.  “Everybody was laughing.”

Some of the stereotypes joked about included Muslims automatically being terrorists, the exaggerated “oppression” of the hijab (traditional Muslim scarf) and Muslims not eating pork.

“I am a virgin by choice,” said comic Maysoun Zayid, “It’s my father’s choice.”

“I’d be a lot more receptive of going to a comedy show than just listening to someone tell me how racist I am,” said Hea.  “…It lowers the hostility and allows for discussion.”

Most of the jokes in the film had a serious undertone to them.  Heath speaks on comic Ahmed Ahmed’s struggles at airport security.

“I was really embarrassed when he kept talking about how hard it was for him to get through security and how he was always randomly selected.”

Ward said the crowd was diverse.  “It wasn’t just Arabs, it wasn’t just Muslims.  It was everybody, ” he said.

What’s Next?

Dean Obeidallah, a Palestinian-American comic featured in the film, did a brief set after the showing.

“I always enjoyed making people laugh, as a child and all through my life,” said Dean.

Obeidallah is aware the crowd may misinterpret the jokes.  “We just have to be aware of it so we don’t feed the beast,” he said.

Dean and his colleagues’ work reaches beyond shows in the United States.  He’s traveled across the Middle East and North Africa and brought his comedy to Arab countries.  “I feel like we’re comedy missionaries,” he says.

“I do a show called Stand Up for Peace with a Jewish-American comic Scott Blakemen,” said Obeidallah. “I love the fact that we’re bringing Jews and Arabs and Muslims in the room together to laugh… and then at the end we talk about issues in the Middle East and try to get people involved in the peace process.”

Muslims and Arabs are often misrepresented in the media, says Obeidallah.  “There’s still a typical movie like ‘Kingdom’ where you have one good Arab guy, one good Muslim, and the rest are all bad.”

Obeidallah says it isn’t going to help to just be angry.  He says comedy is a form of activism.  “Be involved behind the camera or in front of the camera… that’s how we’re gonna change the way we’re defined in American entertainment media,” he says.

Ward says Obeidallah has done wonders for the Muslim community.  “He’s very humble and very appreciative of other people,” he says.

“He’s also very patient,” says Hea. “With a lot of activists you see they’re very angry but he’s very patient, he knows it’s gonna take time and he’s willing to see it through.”

AU Hosts Discussion on Baha’i Persecution in Iran
By Rebecca Lange, Contributor

Dwight Bashir, senior policy analyst of the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF), speaks out on the religious discrimination of Bahai’s in Iran.
Dwight Bashir, senior policy analyst of USCIRF, spoke Monday at American University about the imprisonment of seven Baha’i leaders in Iran.
The event was hosted by the Office of the University Chaplain and the AU Baha’i Community. Christine Gettings, Assistant Director to the University Chaplain, in cooperation with the Baha’i Chaplain, Donna Deniza, helped organize the event.
Bashir has spoken at AU before on a panel discussion on religious persecution in Saudi Arabia. He has a regional concentration on religious issues in the Middle East.

Baha’i Discrimination

Nearly a year ago, seven prominent leaders in the Baha’i community were imprisoned as threats to Iran national security. Ayatollah Dorri Naja Fabadi, the Head of Iran’s Supreme Administrative Court, has recently accused the five men and two women of spying for Israel and other enemies of Iran. The seven are currently awaiting trial.
In response, members of the Baha’i community have said that the seven are not spies, but merely just responsible for managing affairs of the community in Iran, according to Bashir. Headquarters for the Baha’i community are located in Israel.
“Prison conditions are extremely poor,” said Bashir. “Security forces arbitrarily arrest and detain individuals, often holding them incommunicado.”
The Baha’i community, which makes up about 300,000 of Iran’s population, “…is in the most dire situation,” said Bashir.
Job discrimination, denial of secondary education, destruction of homes, churches and cemeteries are also a part of the repression that Baha’is facing, according to Bashir.

Smoke-Screen of Compassion

In defense of Iran’s actions, President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has emphasized freedom and compassion towards all religions in the nation, according to Bashir.
“I think the general public doesn’t realize that the president of the country is really not the power-broker in Iran,” said Bashir. “Ayatollah Khāmene’i, who took over as Iran’s supreme ruler in 1989, has final say over everything.”
Instead of arresting the Baha’is – and other non-Muslim minorities in the country – for their differing beliefs, they are labeled as threats to national security. Other common charges are, “acting against the Islamic Republic or using propaganda against the Islamic Republic,” said Bashir.

A Glimmer of Hope

Bashir said that although times are bad, the fact that the word is spreading, is helping out the cause. “Use of the internet and blogs have increased the number of people speaking out against oppression,” said Bashir.
Years ago, people were imprisoned, given a private trial with no representation and then executed. Now, the Iranian media and secular groups throughout the region are asking questions, forcing the government to be more open with their procedures, said Bashir.
Ian Harris, AU’s Washington College of Law student, is a member of the Baha’i community and is an active member of raising awareness for the cause. “I’ve done some work with Baha’i refugees and seen the big impact,” said Harris. “Everyone knows someone who’s been affected.”
Currently, Bashir and the USCIRF are working with Congress to pass H. Res. 175, a resolution condemning the actions of Iran’s government and calling for the release of the seven Baha’i leaders.

What is USCIRF?

“The mandate of our body is to make recommendations for U.S. policy on ways to advance and protect religious freedom,” said Bashir.
Created by the International Religious Freedom Act of 1998, the USCIRF makes recommendations to the U.S. State Department. It suggests which countries should be designated as an area of particular concern. The USCIRF has designated Iran as one of those countries.

Getting Involved

To increase awareness for international religious and political issues such as the Baha’is, the Office of the University Chaplain holds weekly “Table Talk Lunch” discussions. Josh Klemons, graduate student at American University, frequents the “Table Talk Lunch” series. “I’m an international peace and conflict major so they’re interesting events to go to,” said Klemons.
“There are lots of students who study these issues in the classroom,” said Gettings. “So these discussions give them the opportunity to meet leaders in the community and ask them questions in an informal way.”

The Reality of Documentary TV

National Geographic Vice President Says Real Life Better Than the Movies

By Cody Snell, Contributor

Documentary television is the purest and most interesting form of new media according to Michael Cascio, the Senior Vice President of Production for the National Geographic Channel. Documentary film and its entertainment value dominated Cascio’s speech to a group of American University students, faculty and alumni in an event held by the Center for Environmental Filmmaking on February 24.

Films vs. Documentaries

Cascio spoke for about an hour, while showing various television clips to illustrate his major points and took questions from audience members at the end of his speech. He emphasized the differences between fiction and documentary describing an epiphany he had while recently watching the 1997 movie Titanic.

“I began to get annoyed, most of the film was about fictional characters…they were placed alongside true historical characters,” he said.  He then compared the monster block buster film with a documentary he had produced in the 1990’s called Titanic: Death of a Dream.

“It won an Emmy and was as gripping as anything in the movies and it bought its

Network the highest ratings it had ever seen,” Cascio said.  “So why did the director, James

Cameron feel the need to make up characters…when the real thing was far more interesting?”

The Rise of Amateur Filmmaking

Cascio introduced the first clip of his presentation by discussing how documentary films can “come from anywhere.” Cascio illustrated this point by highlighting a YouTube video sensation that has drawn over 30 million views entitled “Battle at Kruger”.

The video shows a never-before-seen fight between a herd of buffalo, a pride of lions and two crocodiles. The video was shot by a man vacationing on safari in Kruger National Park in South Africa. He was merely filming for his own personal enjoyment, but ending up capturing one the rarest and most spectacular natural events ever caught on film. Cascio explained how the rise of amateur films demonstrates the power of the digital age.

“There is drama all around us, there is a documentary happening right now somewhere in the vicinity, you just have to be ready for it and keep your camera handy,” he said. “Some guy on a safari creates the best nature documentary in years with his little home video camera, it’s an accidental documentary and it’s the intersection of traditional TV…meeting alternative media.”

The Negative Effect of Reality Television

Cascio said that while documentary filmmaking is at an all time high in both quality and quantity, cable television has blurred the line between fiction and truth through the flood of new shows that claim to be reality television. To illustrate his point, Cascio talked about a panel he served on with School of Communication Professor Chris Palmer several years ago in which they argued about the quality of reality television.

“We talked about things like MTV’s The Hills, The Bachelor, Flavor-Flav, Dog the Bounty Hunter and The Girls Next Door…Are they good for America or are they mucking up the documentary business?” he asked. Cascio was forced to defend these types of programs during the panel discussion and Palmer went on the attack against them, calling the shows a “scourge upon television and society.” Cascio said that although he had to argue in support of reality television, Palmer was correct in his criticism.

“He was of course right. These reality programs are fun to watch, but tend to blur the line between real documentaries, which actually document life, and reality television shows which at best are designed to manipulate the emotional connection for entertainment purposes, not for the truth,” he said.

Cascio was most disturbed by the completely artificial nature of reality shows which tend to taint the work of documentary filmmakers who search for the truth.

“For me the biggest sin is that they stage scenes and recreate dialogue and actions for the benefit of television.”

Student Reaction

Many students were persuaded by Cascio’s arguments and thought that he highlighted the conflict between documentaries and reality television in an interesting way.

“I think it’s sad that so many Americans would rather watch dating shows or singing contests rather than shows that watch what’s really going on in the world…I think that’s the point he [Cascio] was trying to get across tonight,” said Alex Margolis, a sophomore in the School of International Relations. Other students thought reality shows aren’t all bad, but have gotten to the point where there are just too many of them.

“I think reality shows have their place, but we have to make sure that they don’t replace better quality shows such as the ones on the Discovery Chanel or National Geographic,” said Michael Sahl, a sophomore in the School of Communication.

“Television networks need to think more about whether their programs are really benefitting the public,” he said.

University Offices Go Green

Student organization promotes environmentally friendly office spaces

By Sarah Cough, Contributor

Eco-Sense, a student environmental group that promotes green living, is holding Eco-certification classes for all staff members of American University. The goal is to teach more sustainable office practices and maybe even save some money.
This program stems from a 2007 policy that Eco-Sense wrote about how to make offices more sustainable. In the two semesters since the policy was implemented over 100 members of office staff have been certified.
“I think it will make a huge difference,” said Grenye O’Malley, a course instructor and member of Eco-Sense. “People don’t realize how many offices there are on this campus, how many different people go into running this entire community. We’re basically addressing every single person who has an office space and that will make a huge difference.”
But, Prince Mbanefo, a student who attended the program is not sure it is enough. “I think it’s going to make difference for me but I think it is going to take more for everyone in the school to be more aware,” he said.

Why Go Green?

The Eco-Certification classes are required of every staff member in the office of campus life, including work-study students and interns.
O’Malley says that including works study students and interns is important.  “It makes a difference because the work study students are going to be working somewhere else eventually,” she said. “And part of what is great about changing a campus is that all the students, especially at our school, go across the country and bring these practices to their communities.”
Mbanefo, a work-study student at the counseling center, agrees. “I think the fact that I went to the meeting is going to make a difference to me,” said Mbanefo. “We learned about some of the things that departments in the school are engaging in to be more green.”
Casey Roe, policy director for Eco-Sense, O’Malley, and Angali Bean, another Eco-Sense member, explained during the training why Eco-certification is important and what each individual and each office can do to make American University more green.
They said offices have to decrease waste and energy use and explained why it matters to American University. Bean said that office paper is one of main causes of deforestation and that limiting water use can decrease sewage overflow. This is especially important to American University after a sewage overflow last year caused the dorms in Letts Terrace to be evacuated.
Bean also emphasized energy use, condemning mountain top removal, a process of getting coal by essentially harvesting the top of mountains. “A portion of AU’s energy comes from mountain top removal in West Virginia, which causes environmental problems and makes air quality decrease,” she said.

Make Your Office Green

•    Unplug things that are not in use

•    Print on both sides of paper

•    Use recycled paper

•    Use washable plates and silverware instead of disposable items

•    Separate recycling

•    Turn on power-save or energy-save modes on equipment, such as printers or computers, when not in use

*Eco-Sense

Green in Practice

“We started off with a few pilot offices that were really into getting the certification and since then it has become more of a requirement,” Roe said.
During the training Roe explained that American University President Neil Kerwin has made it a goal for 100 percent of university offices to become Eco-Certified. She said that this has made a big difference for the program: “Now there’s just a lot more demand and everyone’s really receptive of it.”
Mbanefo says that his office is making an effort to be green. “We have everything labeled: trash, plastic, paper and glass,” he said. “We try not to mix things that are meant to be recycled with trash, things that are meant to be thrown away.”
Even though Mbanefo says he does not have much control over his paper use for the office he says he will try to do smaller things to decrease waste. “If I am not sharpening pencils, I will unplug the pencil sharpener. That will help,” he said.

Media Industry Floundering

American Forum discusses future of Media Industry in Washington

By John Minks, Contributor

Four of Washington’s key figures in Media met last Tuesday for an American Forum titled ”Washington Watchdogs: An Endangered Species?”. They discussed the new direction of journalism and how it is affecting society.
Among the panelists was Mark Whitaker, senior V.P.  Washington Bureau Chief, Melinda Wittstock, CEO of Capital News Connection, Suzanne Struglinski, Senior Editor at Provider magazine, and Tyler Marshall, a Pulitzer Prize winning Journalist.  Wendell Cochran, an associate professor in SOC was the mediator.

Media Under Transformation

The one message that was heard loud and clear was that the industry of communications is undergoing massive transformation.  The world of traditional media is shrinking.  Half of the newspapers that existed in 1985 are no longer around.  “Three recent developing trends are transforming the media, the increase in niche media, and the rise in international correspondents,” said Marshall.
Mark Whitaker spoke about the transformation occurring the in the news media.  He fears that the current financial situation is resulting in the loss of experienced reporters.  “The danger is what you lose when there are fewer veteran reporters,” said Mark. “Who will be able to reach confidential sources?  Business today needs trust, and trust takes time.”
All the panelists shared personal experiences with the recent shortage of reporters.  Marshall said that a short time ago there were 14 correspondents from Indiana in Washington, today there just two.

How Does This Change Media?

“You don’t have the trusting relationship with key people and sources without veteran reporters,” said Struglinski, “you need that background, now these people are not here.  Who will people get that information from?”
Wittstock explained how important it was to be in Washington to cover Washington.   Things like context and body language of politicians can only be observed in person, according to Wittstock.   Cities who no longer have correspondents in Washington will be at a disadvantage in terms of news coverage.
The CEO of Capital News Connection described the difficulty of catering the same news story to different audiences.  “It makes you think in new ways,” said Wittstock.  “You gotta tell the same story ten different ways.”

What This Means for Students

Despite all the seemingly negative change occurring in the media industry, the panelists believe that as students we were best prepared to adapt.  “It is important to have as many multi-media skills as you can,” said Whitaker.
Journalists these days are doing everything from interviewing to shooting video.  “Above all, being a good writer is key in all areas,” said Whitaker.
Struglinksi talked about the importance of blogging.  Our generation, acting as the spearhead of technological revolution, has grown up using social tools such as “blogs” and “tweeting.”  “Blogs are not going anywhere,” said Struglinski.  “The difficulty will be integrating blogs and news to our best advantage.”
The panelists were all optimistic about the future of journalism.  “Every day is different,” said Wittstock. He says, in a changing industry, the chance for new opportunities is always present. Whitaker said that entrepreneurial opportunities often present themselves.
Amy Eisman, director of the writing program at AU said that the two most important things for aspiring journalists in this competitive industry are to be familiar with your target publication and have good writing samples.  “Publications want to know that you know about them,” she said.
“Industries are looking for younger talent,” said Sara Reddington, a senior in SOC.  “We know how to do all the technology that would otherwise take 6 people.  We can do all of it.  We will replace to the old people.”

SIS GIVES ITSELF THE GOLD BEFORE THE RACE IS FINISHED

The new SIS building isn’t green…yet

By Jordyn Phelps, Contributor

At the construction site of American University’s new School of International Service (SIS) building, there is a large banner that says the building is “LEED Gold Certified.” The banner is wrong.
“That kind of all happened when I wasn’t looking,” says Joseph Clapper, SIS assistant dean. “You can’t get certified until the building is constructed.”
Once the building is constructed, the United States Green Building Council decides if the building meets the environmental requirements that will qualify it for LEED certification, according to Kira Gould, a representative from McDonough & Partners, the company that designed the building.
Though SIS prematurely declared the building’s green qualifications, the building is on schedule to meet the LEED Gold requirements. Clapper says that he is “pretty comfortable that we’re going to achieve it [gold].”
The school has also hired an independent contractor, Whiting-Turner, who is making sure that the building is meeting its environmental goals during all the stages of construction.

What does LEED Certification mean, anyhow?

LEED certification is a nationally acknowledged mark of approval that a building is meeting the highest “green” standards.

There are three levels of LEED Certification:

•    Platinum

•    Gold (the level the school is projected to meet)

•    Silver

According to Clapper the building isn’t likely to reach the Platinum standards because of two reasons:

1.    All the buildings on campus must be connected to the campus-wide heating/cooling system, which is powered by gas and does not meet the requirements.

2.    With the relatively small space for the building, there simply isn’t room to include some of the features that allow a building to meet the platinum standards, such as installing a water recycling system

While SIS isn’t reaching the highest possible environmental standards, Eco-Sense, the environmental advocacy group on campus, is pleased with the building’s design. “It’s amazing,” says Meg Imholt, president of Eco-Sense and a second semester senior in the Environmental Studies program. “It’s not just about this one building. This creates a legacy for the school.”

A design for a greener tomorrow

The building’s design includes large windows and an atrium that will maximize the amount of sunshine entering the building and reduce the need to use electricity.
In addition, the dean of SIS recently announced plans to install solar panels on the roof, which can provide up to 20 percent of the building’s electricity.
“The most aggressive things we’re doing is capturing all the water that hits the roof using it in the toilets and for landscaping,” Clapper says.
Many students are not happy about the plans to move the Davenport Lounge to the new building.  “I have seen the renderings of what the new Dav is supposed to look like, and it looks worse than Starbucks, says Leah Bomberger, a junior student in SIS. “I think a lot of the heart and soul of the Dav will be lost.”

Does going green mean dishing out more of the green?

Going green isn’t cheap. The building is expected to cost $25 million, not including the newly promised solar panels. So far, the school has raised a little under half of the funds needed since it started asking for donations in 2004.
The high price for going green is often justified as an investment that will pay for itself, but this is only sometimes true. “The panels are more of a statement than an economical alternative,” Clapper says. “However, there are other things that we’re going to do that are definitely going to save us money.”
Among the money saving plans is a system that will preheat the hot water by capturing sunlight. Clapper says this is projected to pay for itself in about four years.

The green brick road that lies ahead

While the new SIS Building is viewed as a big step forward for American University’s among environmental advocates on campus, Imholt says this is only one step in a longer journey: “We’ve come a long way, but we still have a long way to go. When I came here, sustainability was just an interest group really, and now, it is a campus-wide initiative. There are advocates for sustainability everywhere in the university, from the board of directors to the students.”

Fired Up

Students Debate Politics, Provide Voices for Today’s Generation

By Sarah Sheya, Contributor

Members of American University’s College Republicans and College Democrats met last night to debate two important issues in the new administration: the stimulus plan and healthcare.  Communications professor Joseph Campbell moderated the debate.

Democrat Quinn Hurdle and republican Will Haun debated healthcare while democrat Maia Tagami and republican David Lindgren tackled the stimulus plan.  While Haun and Lindgren focused on the positives of a free market system, Hurdle and Tagami argued support for government intervention.

Hurdles in Healthcare

Hurdle said the government must insure every American, echoing one of President Obama’s campaign slogans that healthcare is a “fundamental right,” not a privilege.

“In the United States, the most powerful entity in the world, there are over 45,000,000 Americans who do not have access to quality care,” said Hurdle.

Hurdle said insurance companies are “secretive” and clandestine.  “The private enterprise has failed.  The market has failed…the system is economically unsustainable.”

Haun said healthcare should be kept personal and in the private sector.

“The stimulus…ignores the human cost of healthcare,” he said.

Haun agreed with Hurdle that today’s healthcare system is flawed, but blames government.  “It [the government] says that it can provide universal healthcare to everyone without telling us the only way to do so is to give everyone the same bad care.”

“I’m here to defend open, free competition that works for you,” said Haun.

Haun asked, “Do we want bureaucrats to decide for us?” in reference to individual health care, while Hurdle said, “There is no organization filled with more bureaucrats than an insurance company.”

Stimulating Stimulus Talk

The stimulus debate presented polarized views as well.  Republican David Lindgren said the stimulus included a lot of unnecessary “pork barrel spending,” while Maia Tagami said the new plan “is going to allow our nation to prepare for long-term economic growth.”

Tagami said the need for the stimulus package cannot be denied.  “He [Lindgren] ignores the billions of dollars that are going to go into education, to help modernize our schools; how this is an investment in the future,” said Haun.

Lindgren said the US is in “recessionary cycle” right now.  “Private sector in capitalism runs natural cycles,” said Lindgren.

Lindgren said the democrats have no way to pay for the bill, over one trillion dollars in cost, and argues the “pet projects” will not be successful in creating jobs.

Haun said the bill will create 3-4 million jobs, including those in transportation and the arts, which Lindgren refers to as “per projects.”

“It’s about you and me spending the money the way we want to,” said Lindgren.  “Republicans value every single dollar that you give to us in the form of your tax dollars.”

Audience Talks Back

College republican Glen Dalakian said just before the debate began he was there to learn about the stimulus bill, hear both sides and form an opinion.  “I’m against it right now…the sheer size of it,” he said.

Some attended the discussion in support of their friends.  “Our friend Maia is debating…We’re being good friends,” said Maria Cardone.  “We’ve only learned what we have about the stimulus because of her.”

Moderator Joseph Campbell got the audience involved through question-and-answer after both debates, before the representatives’ closing statements.

After the debate, College democrat Samantha Green said, “I think the debate further verified my own beliefs in democratic ideology…I believe in Obama’s plan.”  Green said she would have liked to learn more on what the republicans would want to see happen specifically.