It was in my first SOC class at AU three years ago that I first heard the story of Troy Davis, an inmate on Georgia’s Death Row. Convicted of murder solely on the basis of eyewitness testimony, Troy had always maintained his innocence. Despite growing international support from high-profile public officials and organizations, Troy was [...]

On the streets of Bangkok on another hazy August afternoon, couples pair off—getting groceries, picking their kids up, heading home. During the day, Bangkok is busy, dirty and loud—but it looks more like New York City than the scenes of Hangover 2. At night, swarms of prostitutes fill the streets and entice the throngs of [...]

Worn plastic tents and hand-painted banners on ripped slabs of cardboard dominate the scene. Enthusiastic protesters blend in with the homeless, who camp on benches in the square—not to fight the system but because they have nowhere else to go. A group of five or six long-haired, flanneled protesters perform yoga next to a crowd [...]

To reach the indigenous Guatemalan community of Las Trojes II, visitors drive two bumpy hours outside Guatemala City. During the approach, the skin of the people darken, their clothes become more colorful and the graffiti on store fronts and brick walls yells louder and louder: “No a La Mineria” or “No to the mine.” In [...]

Prospective college students may tour dozens of campuses in their application process.  After touring school after school, each one’s buildings, quads, dining halls, libraries, dorms — they all start to blend together. By the time applications are submitted, all campuses basically look the same. One reason AU’s campus stands out among the others is the [...]

Marijuana is a gateway drug. Drugs will fry your brain like an egg. If you take ecstasy once, you could die. Scared yet? If you paid attention in high school, these are just a few of the lessons you should remember. They are also lessons that ring rather hollow after even limited interaction with people [...]

On June 21, 2010, the Supreme Court ruled in Holder v. Humanitarian Law Project that non-violent assistance to terrorist organizations is illegal. This is a landmark ruling that has the potential to drastically change the nature of human rights activism in the US. Citing the law that criminalizes material aid to terrorists, the Supreme Court [...]

As a not-for-profit educational institution, AU is exempt from paying taxes, according to section 501(c)(3) of the internal revenue code. But the way AU manages its money, employees and assets makes its non-profit status almost meaningless. Our university resembles a for-profit corporation more than it does a non-profit organization.

The Great Recession of 2008 hit the United States in a perfect storm: a bold increase in government spending could have brought the nation out of crisis, but politicians and citizens distrusted significant government involvement in our economy. As a result, a weak stimulus package has left an employment crisis that continues almost unabated. Our [...]

You probably don’t remember the first installment of AWOL, even if you were at AU in the spring of 2008. One thousand copies of “Issue 001 – Trapped” were printed, though few AU students knew the publication existed. Back then AWOL was contraband, with “Trapped” funded only by a $1,500 grant from the Center for [...]