Posts in Campus
Most of Us Are Mad

Ask yourself: has the university admin already chosen a side?

Considering the death threat sent to a Palestinian faculty member and how there was not much done to protect Palestinian members of our community after this. Also consider how the admin has rarely mentioned the Palestinian community in their emails, while almost always, the Jewish community was mentioned at least a few times per email. Admin has already chosen a side. A side they cannot say out loud because they’re supposed to be “inclusive.” They even have chosen to reinvent the curriculum of AUx 2, and even getting the FBI involved. Has anything happened? Not that I’m aware of. Previously, it was all about racism and teaching us students at this PWI about what intersectionality is, to a point where we know what it is and it feels like they are covering their asses by saying “we force everyone to take a class that teaches them to be inclusive.” 

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Student Speech, Education Policy, and College Campuses Today

On December 4th, 2023, the Antiracist Research and Policy Center hosted a panel titled Student Speech, Education Policy, and College Campuses Today to discuss the recent infringements of student activists’ free speech. As anti-genocide and pro-Palestinian activism have surged on college campuses due to the ongoing genocide in Gaza, A.R.P.C. invited scholars Thea Abu El-Haj, Lara Schwartz, Miriam Durrani, William Youmans, and Dwayne Wright to share their expertise with the A.U. community, hosted by A.U.’s own Aamarah DeCuir. This transcription is intended to be used as an archive for those who are interested in the topic and were not able to attend.

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“Building the Infrastructure for Your Own Liberation:” Educational Equity in the Era post-Affirmative Action

American University’s Antiracism Research and Policy Center hosted their first Lunch and Learn of the semester on November 1st. The event was focused on educational equity in the era of “anti-wokeness” and the Supreme Court’s overturning of affirmative action.

The event was hosted by the founder of AU’s new club Brave Spaces, Gabriella Hoard, who interviewed the three panelists: education professor Dr. Kenjus Watson, law professor Dr. Leah Epperson, and student Josiah Carolina.

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Halloween's Strongest Soldiers Share Their Lessons Learned from Partying

Here at the Rival American, we promote safe partying! Always go with a buddy, keep track of your drinks, don’t scooter drunk, and never go to a frat party. Halloweekend (the weekend before Halloween) is a notorious party weekend at AU, and colleges around the country. Halloweekend is usually a defining moment for people- tears are shed, eyeliner is smudged, and costume headpieces end up in the gutter. The Rival Staff has collected the 14 Commandments of Halloweekend, so you can learn from our mistakes and make next year the best Halloweekend ever!

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Why Halloween Sucks (for single grown ups with no drip)

Whenever Halloween rolls around I am reminded of the many years I’ve spent in trashy costumes and house parties asking strangers “what are you supposed to be?” Only to be met with an incredibly obscure or equally obvious answer (I should’ve known the guy double fisting Marlboros and a Natty Light was Bojack Horseman). I’ve come to appreciate the jankiness of college Halloween antics, but that wasn’t always the case. In honor of the worst best holiday we’ve all come to lovingly dread, here’s my list of reasons why Halloween isn’t for the faint of heart.

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Clawed, Sylvia, and Wonk's Bridge Cafe Experience

We heard AI was coming for our jobs, so we set out to see how concerned we should be. We gave Chat GPT the prompt “Write a 500 word satirical article about American University. Include main characters Sylvia Burwell, Clawed Z Eagle, and Wonk Cat. Make the story take place in The Bridge Cafe and be sure to make the story humorous,” and had it write and this article for us. The cover image was generated through NightCafe, an AI imaging software, with the prompt “Sylvia Burwell and Clawed Z Eagle.”

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