Top Stories
| For One Night, President and Coach |
| AU President Sylvia Burwell stepped in as an honorary guest coach for the Women's Basketball team in their victory against Boston University. Burwell played basketball while in college and as a Rhodes Scholar at the University of Oxford. The Washington Post quoted student Seamus Curtin, who said, “The university as a whole ... focuses on real-world application on skills ... so to see that from the university president on the sports side is really cool and, I think, backs up that focus.” WUSA-TV and WRC-TV also covered the story. (1/18) |
| Frederick Douglass Distinguished Scholars Program Recognized for Inclusivity |
| Color magazine recently recognized American University's Frederick Douglass Distinguished Scholars program for its inclusivity and WJLA-TV featured the program for a segment for “Spotlight on Education.” Larry Thomas, managing director of the program, said, “For an institution of higher education to receive this honor, and to compete against over 200 organizations… and to come out number one was a dream come true.” (1/17) |
Additional Feature
| American University Hires Comedian-in-Residence |
| Caty Borum Chattoo, director of the Center for Media & Social Impact in the School of Communication, and Bethany Hall, AU's first comedian in residence, were featured in a WJLA-TV story about “The Laughter Effect,” CMSI's research efforts that examine the role comedy plays in social change. "Comedy is one of these unique cultural forces that allow people who think differently to come together," Borum Chattoo said. (1/17) |
Faculty Authors
| The Heartbeat of Racism Is Denial |
| Director of the Antiracist Research and Policy Center Ibram X. Kendi wrote an opinion article for The New York Times about the history of racism and what makes a person a racist. Kendi wrote, “A racist is what a person in, what a person is saying, what a person is doing.” Kendi also talked with WTOP-FM and KCRW Radio. (1/13) |
| Why Americans Aren't Really Worried About War With North Korea |
| David Barno, distinguished practitioner-in-residence, and Nora Bensahel, distinguished scholar-in-residence, in the School of International Service, co-authored an opinion article for War on Rocks about false missile attack warnings and the reactions of the American public to potential conflict with North Korea. Barno and Bensahel wrote, “Americans have largely forgotten what it means to go to war, and what a ‘real' war can mean- both here at home and around the world.” (1/16) |
Expertise
| Trump Taps Long Historical Vein Against Immigration |
| Distinguished Professor of History Allan Lichtman spoke to AFP about Donald Trump's position on immigration. Lichtman said, “Trump very neatly among modern presidents has sought to exploit [immigration] for political purposes.” Lichtman also appeared on MSNBC. (1/13, 1/17) |
| PolitiFact: Most DACA Recipients Are Employed or in School |
| Ernesto Castañeda, assistant professor of sociology, spoke to the Austin-American Statesman about research that finds DACA recipients are employed or in school. Castañeda, who was not involved in the research, said, “With more than 3,000 respondents, this is an exceptionally large sample size.” (1/15) |
| Mnuchin Warns of Audits in Blue States as Tax Showdown Continues |
| Executive Director of the Kogod Tax Policy Center Donald Williamson spoke to Bloomberg BNA about Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin's threats to enact tax audits for Americans in California and New York trying to avoid tax laws. Williamson said, “The IRS doesn't have the man-power to audit every New York and California tax-payer.” (1/12) |
| As Some Reporters Declare Trump Racist, Journalism Experts Urge Caution |
| Scott Talan, professor in the school of communication, spoke to WJLA-TV about how Trump's constant accusations and insults do little to earn the benefit of the doubt from the press or the public. Talan said, "Journalists are in as tough a spot as ever because they're covering someone who is his own worst enemy.” (1/12) |
| Donald Trump's Decision to Send Salvadorans Home Could Empower Deadly MS-13 Gang, Warn Experts |
| Charles Call, associate professor in the School of International Service, spoke to The Telegraph about President Trump's decision to end the Temporary Protected Status for 200,000 Salvadorans. Call said, "I think the large number of Salvadorans who are going back to their country will be prime recruiting ground for MS-13 and will make the security situation in El Salvador worse." (1/14) |
| Why Women's March Organizers Are Turning Their Attention to Nevada This Year |
| Jennifer Lawless, director of the Women & Politics Institute at the School of Public Affairs, spoke to CNN about women's march organizers turning their attention to Nevada this year. Lawless said, "[The Women's March Momentum] generated this widespread activism to push back against Donald Trump's agenda. And it made women who ordinarily wouldn't participate in politics, or do much more than vote during a general election, become politically activated." (1/16) |
| Shattered Norms: In Just One Year, Has Donald Trump Changed the Presidency Forever? |
| Chris Edelson, assistant professor of public affairs, spoke to Dallas News about President Trump's impact on the presidency. Edelson said, "Donald Trump is not a dictator. But it is true that he has authoritarian tendencies. He's doing things that suggest he doesn't view himself as subject to rule of law. That's dangerous." (1/14) |
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