Although not always #1, the loud-mouthed leader of OFWGKTA made serious waves this year with the release of his album Goblin. If you’re a 16-year-old white male or particularly engaged in the indier-than-thou music world, you’ve known about Tyler’s unique, offensive, and brutish style since his self-released album Bastard. But for many of us, his fame really came into light when he won MTV’s Best New Artist for his song “Yonkers.” It’s cooler than cool to think of Tyler as the next great visionary, with provocative lyrics and a sound unlike anything else.

And before I start: yes, I “get” it. His overall sound is reminiscent of good old-school hip-hop, with no auto-tuning. I appreciate how real his music sounds without industry frills or needing a Nicki Minaj verse or two to get people to listen. That’s not why you should hate him.

What MTV (and what seems like a majority of the hip music critics out there) fails to find fault in is Tyler’s sickeningly violent persona steeped in his lyrics – which many in the industry praise obscenely for being so innovative and creative. “Although these lyrics are violent, that’s the point,” says Olivia Sledzik of The Blue and Grey. That seems to be the argument of many music reviewers, at least. The industry can’t seem to get enough of his edginess, dripping with violent homophobic and misogynistic lyrics. And when he’s not making a joke about killing himself, he’s rapping from a perspective of a rapist, or making jokes about rape and domestic violence in general.

Tyler, the Creator — “Yonkers”

His lyrics are at time cringe-worthy, with rhymes like “I’ll crash that fucking airplane that that fucking nigga B.o.B. is in /
And stab Bruno Mars in his goddamn esophagus.” And while at times the hipsters of the world agree that auto-tuning and Top-40 jams are killing music as we know it, his overtly aggressive lyric – featured in the song that earned Tyler an MTV award in the first place – is deemed by the industry to be so raw and real that we should be praising his free speech, not demonizing it. Consider these telling lyrics from his eloquently titled “Bitch Suck Dick:”

Beat your bitch in her mouth just for talkin’ shit
You lurkin’ bitch? Well, I see that shit
Once again I gotta punch a bitch in her shit
I’m icy bitch, don’t look at my wrist
Because if you do, I might blind you bitch

It’s not just his lyrics – it’s his personality, too. His Twitter account is drenched in homophobic slurs such as “faggot” and “gay” (as an adjective). In any interview I have watched of him, such as this one in Interview magazine, Tyler drops the f-bomb like it’s his job.

I don’t think Tyler, the Creator is actually a bad guy. In one interview in particular, he even seems harmless: “Everyone thinks about dark shit, why when somebody fuckin’ says it is it such a big deal, you know?” His jokes about rape, he says, are supposed to be “a storyline.” “I’m writing this song from the mind of some fuckin’ serial killer from thirty years ago who’s a white male. Like, really? If they sit back and actually listen to the fuckin’ coolness and genius of it, like, shit, that’s what irks me.” He even compares his “art” to that of Quentin Tarantino, claiming that the violence in both Tarantino’s iconic films and his music that of the same genre of “art.”

Tyler also says that he’s not homophobic. “I just say ‘faggot’ and use ‘gay’ as an adjective to describe stupid shit.” He goes on to explain that things just do not offend him the way it might offend someone else, that he just “doesn’t give a shit.”

Perhaps the most public condemnation of Tyler’s music came from Sara Quin of the band Tegan and Sara. She wrote a very eloquent piece titled “A Call for Change,” saying that “In any other industry would I be expected to tolerate, overlook, and find deeper meaning in this kid’s sickening rhetoric? Why should I care about this music or its ‘brilliance’ when the message is so repulsive and irresponsible?” to which, Tyler responded with a simple Tweet: “If Tegan And Sara Need Some Hard Dick, Hit Me Up!”

And yet, this still is not why you should hate Tyler, the Creator.

To be perfectly honest, Tyler’s just a kid. He has no idea what impact his lyrics have on society, especially when his music is praised so openly by a plethora of young minds, listening to his songs as an example of how to think and act. Perhaps, you say, someone should combat this young and disturbed rapper’s culture of violence with words of wisdom; something like, “Now Tyler, even though the industry is praising your innovation, this gives you more power than you really know what to do with, and your violent, homophobic and misogynistic lyrics, even if they are with a twistedly ‘good’ intention, are perpetuating a culture which is accepting of these offenses and makes them seemingly okay to your fans, other listeners, and society as a whole.” But alas, Tyler would probably retort with a similarly juvenile comeback that he gave Sara Quin.

You shouldn’t hate Tyler, the Creator for being sexist, or homophobic, or violent because in the end, we as a society of listeners are merely making it okay for him to keep making music by accepting this culture of violence into our Top 50 Albums of the Year, et cetera. Tyler isn’t edgy, he isn’t fighting the system, he’s an obnoxious kid, who thinks making art consists of taking all of the confused feelings or jokes he and his friends think are clever and making music with them. In the end, we should hate ourselves for even paying attention to him.

Photo by mehan via Flickr.

Even the campus itself, enclosed by two updated buildings on either side, reinforces the domination of The School of International Studies and The School of Public Affairs. For many of us, the lives of chemistry and biology majors remain a mystery shrouded in intimidating equations and chemical compounds. However, the budding success of the Public Health major may mark a resurgence of science at American.

Although it’s not the usual selling point, American boasts flourishing math and science departments. According to its annual newsletter, the pre-medical program had 88 percent of its students attend medical school after the 2011 school year.  And under the direction of Professors Jeffery Adler and Joshua Lanksy, two undergraduate mathematics students proved a complex theory that may have implications for the natural world and other branches of mathematics.

But how do professors attract humanities students to these programs who have strong aversions to math and science? The answer may reside in the rise of interdisciplinary programs that bridge social and natural sciences.

The Public Health program, launched as a major this fall, is the most recent example. Professors from CAS across several disciplines came together and combined psychology, history, and education, finally pitching the idea to the associate dean.

According to the major description, public health constitutes “one of the greatest mandates of our time.” History Professor Alan Kraut echoed this idea. As an expert in the history of medicine in the United States, Kraut was an essential member of the CAS initiative.

In its infancy, Kraut is hopeful about the new major. “It’s a really terrific initiative,” he stated. “I’m really very high on the program.”

The program requires that students take classes ranging from biology to philosophy, providing a holistic core program. And to bolster the science aspect of the major, the university just hired an epidemiologist. Within the program, students choose focuses in Global Health, Health Science, and other policy tracks.

Kraut sees strength in this interdisciplinary approach. Learning about an issue from a multitude of perspectives is “very stimulating.”

For instance, studying the history of public health movements, for instance, is important to understand how health care systems continue to evolve.

“Think of what your life would be like if water wasn’t pure, your food wasn’t pure,” he commented.

This comprehensive approach constitutes a growing trend among students. According to Professor Maria de Jesus, who teaches courses in International Relations, the public health classes are gaining traction: “I’ve had more students ask me about health and how to pursue careers in health.”

In her own studies, the intersection between health and culture always fascinated De Jesus. She saw value in consulting economists, political scientists and anthropologists to investigate the multidimensional nature of health care, as well as synthesizing different epistemologies.

“To me, it’s the perfect marriage,” she said. “There is a demographic imperative for understanding culture; we are a part of a global village.”

De Jesus is a strong advocate of the multidisciplinary approach. By taking a variety of classes, students grasp the determinants that affect health, such as socioeconomics and cross-cultural communication. She sees strength in the fact that American offers a public health major instead of a traditional pre-med program.

By looking at health issues not solely from a biomedical standpoint, students learn to understand health within broader issues. This major, she asserts, is on the cutting edge of interdisciplinary fields: “AU is in a particularly strong position to do that. What we do have is a broader social context.”

For students, the program provides a unique opportunity to study both science and international relations. Nicole Cultuli, a freshman, wrestled between the two disciplines as she tried to pin down a major.

“My senior year I took Advanced Placement biology and Current Issues, [an introduction to International Relations] and I absolutely loved both of them. I thought I would have to choose between science and IR, and I came in as an IR major. I started rethinking my choice and considering medicine again and wanted a way to combine them,” she said.

Although she concedes that science majors are unpopular at American, the buzz around the Public Health program suggests the discipline is on the rise.

After attending an informational meeting, Cutuli learned more about the interdisciplinary approach to the program, and was encouraged to see a strong turnout. The audience included undergraduates, graduates, and even alumni.

After the meeting, Cutuli was visibly and audibly enthused by the program’s potential. “The possibilities are looking good because of the resources and the professors.”

Photo by Amin Tabrizi via Flickr.

June Bug introduces bassist Marky Mark, who sits downstage left. Marky Mark nods his glistening head at the early-evening crowd before tossing back a swig of liquor from the bottle at his side. Big Paul perches on the edge of a bench in front of a grand piano. Grant, a young professional musician and Boston Conservatory graduate, struts onstage with his saxophone in hand and his head held high. Like the others, he has come to HR-57 for two reasons: to experience jazz and to prove that he is one of the best musicians in DC.

Chatter simmers as music electrifies the air. Musicians shuffle seamlessly on and off stage, trading places with newcomers and regulars. This Thursday night typifies weeknight jam sessions. Performers challenge their skills as they battle to keep up with the established musicians. The intense competition intimidates the talented players who frequent the club.

While waiting for his turn, guitarist Bill Freed admits he still gets nervous when playing here, despite extensive experience playing jazz. Illustrating his veteran status, he points to a canvas on the wall.

“That’s me in that painting,” he says. In lively hues, it depicts a jam session at the club’s former location 10 years ago.

The club was first established in 1993 as a center for jazz preservation. In early 2011, HR-57 moved from Dupont Circle to its current location on H Street, in the Atlas District. According to one musician, the Dupont club was large and ritzy. Owner Tony Puesan sought a venue closer to HR-57’s community of players and listeners after his lease expired on the former location.

House Resolution 57, passed by Congress in 1987, inspired the HR-57 Center for the Preservation of Jazz and Blues. The document legally affirms jazz’s status as a national treasure. The resolution deems jazz as a unifying force that transcends cultural boundaries, a statement reinforced by the club’s clientele.

Representative John Conyers, Jr. (D-Mich.) introduced the resolution in an effort to sustain and advance the culture of jazz. It emphasizes youth involvement as an imperative factor in the perpetuation of jazz as an art form. Young adults struggling to express themselves often find jazz an effective vehicle for communication. This universal language allows individuals not only to participate in this art but also to become connected to one another.

Although jazz began as a distinctly African-American art form, modern jazz culture transcends national and ethnic boundaries. It has evolved as a consequence of historical events and has served as an anthem for the oppressed. African-American slaves, South Africans suffering under Apartheid, and European Jews during the Holocaust sang soulful ballads as they yearned for freedom.

Dr. Clarence Lusane, an SIS professor, discusses the historical interpretations of jazz across cultures in his course, Jazz and International Relations, which he teaches in the spring. Lusane explains jazz culture expanded rapidly and, by the 1930s, had become a global phenomenon. Lusane attributes jazz’s immediate globalization to its “universal appeal.”

All over the world jazz has represented and continues to represent not only freedom, says Lusane, but the voice of the people. Lusane explains, jazz has taken different forms representing “working class interests, anti-Apartheid interests [and] aspiring middle class interests.” In almost all cases, jazz has served as a means of passive resistance. It has proven to be an irrepressible expression of freedom and hope in times of desolation.

The beauty of jazz is its ability to fuse cultural influences. “[It operates] as a collective but [allows] for individuality,” says Lusane. By examining the evolution of jazz, one discovers the values of a nation. At the root of the music lies a cause, a dream or a goal. That root is one small but vital piece of a much larger identity. Jazz is a type of peaceful activism, which generates effective international communication.

Washingtonians and Eagles alike can immerse themselves in jazz culture and hear legends like Wynton Marsalis, Hank Jones, Lionel Hampton, Donald Byrd, McCoy Tyner, and Antonio Parker at HR-57. Entry to the club is $8 on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays (informal jam sessions) and $15 on Fridays and Saturdays (organized performances). Musicians hint an HR-57 blues club might be on the horizon. News about the jazz club and the HR-57 foundation can be found at www.hr57.org. Visit the club by walking to 816 H Street NE from the Union Station Metro stop or by taking the X2 bus from Chinatown toward Minnesota Ave.

Photos by Emily Martin

Uniting under their slogan, Beautiful Edifices Actually Really Don’t Save Society, or BEARDSS, passionate members hope to modify the city’s unattractive image of students. Unlike an alarming number of AU students, BEARDSS members are not lulled by the charm and convenience of the big box stores and brands of Tenleytown (or the Target in Columbia Heights). Passionately aware of underappreciated, colorful areas of the city, BEARDSS fears precious local culture is at risk of being displaced by hasty attempts to spruce up neighborhoods. The urgency of BEARDSS lies in protecting these areas from mainstream culture. By strategically patronizing specific venues, BEARDSS’ mission is to simultaneously re-educate fellow students while protesting the negative effects of gentrification.

As few have encountered an organization like BEARDSS before, BEARDSS is accustomed to explaining its agenda to the uninformed masses. Unlike tedious “tried and true” approaches to counteract reckless gentrification, BEARDSS methods are pointed and immediate. Dated concepts based on community involvement and building, which unnecessarily waste time and effort, pale in comparison to BEARDSS revolutionary “flash occupation” method, which requires only tasteful discretion and two free nights a week.

In order to instigate its “flash occupation” method, BEARDSS first meticulously combed the entire city for at-risk venues. An at-risk venue is defined as one in distinct disrepair and eccentric charm, surrounded by a disaffected neighborhood that is unable to fully appreciate its character. Initial reports indicate that BEARDSS bolsters businesses, stressing their importance—without their patronage, it is evident that cultural treasures would be in danger of unnecessary demolition.

For maximum efficiency, BEARDSS trimmed the final selection to three or fewer at-risk venues across the city. In the final step, BEARDSS members descend upon the selected sites every weekend—flooding off-campus locations for the night, and then cabbing it back to re-group and debrief. This patented “flash demonstrating”—enhanced by their preferred uniform of protective plastic eyewear, durable canvas slippers and reinforced jeans of a particular tightness—is executed to exhibit BEARDSS dedication to at-risk neighborhoods and the primacy of cultural preservation.

BEARDSS’s current campaign on U Street epitomizes the movement. In order to maintain the charm of the four-block neighborhood, including such attractions as Town, the 9:30 Club and Ben’s Chili Bowl, BEARDSS members fist pump, queue for indie bands and wipe chili from their chins with perfectly synchronized determination. If it were not for BEARDSS, the surrounding U Street area would simply disregard the cultural importance of these venues, as evidenced by the fact that BEARDSS hardly ever encounters locals while they demonstrate on the dance floor, at a concert, or while eating their vegetarian chilidogs.

BEARDSS activists maintain that the selfless surrender of their weekends is hardly a sacrifice—the cause comes first in their hearts and social calendars. The preservation of at-risk cultural sites, keeping the bulldozers of change at bay, is far more valuable to BEARDSS members than studying or folding laundry. Re-defining what it means to be invested in a community, BEARDSS intends to continue employing its members to send a signal to any student, citizen or city official who cares to notice; they appreciate the unacknowledged DC just the way it is.

The Seven Billion Club

The United Nations Population Fund stated the world’s population reached seven billion people on Halloween of 2011. Such a milestone marks both an awesome occasion for the celebration of humankind and a chilling indicator of the global need for food, water and shelter. Despite these concerns, on November 3, NPR blogger Bill Chappell explained that many other species have reached seven billion, and are reportedly doing quite fine. For example, there are 18.6 billion chickens recorded ruffling their feathers on the face of the earth. Marine fish don’t even have a population, but we know that somewhere between eight hundred million and two billion tons of fish populate the world’s oceans. The next time you feel guilty squishing an ant, don’t fret; ten billion billion ants populate the planet (that’s not a typo—literally, ten billion billion). Humans are number nine on the list, edged out by termites, whose global tonnage outweighs the entire human population by over one hundred million tons. Let’s not forget the global bacteria population of four quadrillion quadrillion, or one trillion tons worth of microscopic organisms living everywhere around us. Perhaps, then, doomsday-ers might be well served to consider the context of the human population before condemning humanity to apocalyptic overpopulation. Instead, we should be proud of our achievement, joining the “Seven Billion Club” as one of the more (but hardly the most) populous species on the planet.

-Zac Deibel

More Money, More Problems

The proportion of graduates with debt in 2010 in Washington DC is 96 percent, according to a report called the Project on Student Debt. American University’s Class of 2010 graduated, on average, in $36,206 of debt. The national average for college students who had student loans was $25,250, which is up 5 percent from the previous year. According to the report, about two-thirds of the most recent graduating class graduated with student debt. American University intends to raise their tuition by 3.8 percent for next year, according to the 2012–2013 budget plan. Washington DC ranks number 17  nationally among students with the most debt.

-Kelcie Pegher

Global Climate Threat

After acknowledging in 2009 that global climate change poses a national security threat, the Defense Department’s science panel recently urged the CIA to reveal its classified climate research to the public, according to a recent report by The Guardian. The increase of greenhouse gasses directly influences the economic, political and social conditions of countries—particularly in the third world—within the international security purview of the US. The report even suggests creating an independent federal agency—a move that would circumvent the CIA’s cagey communication. This year’s array of abnormal weather patterns, hurricanes and drought makes the withheld CIA information especially pertinent, as scientists and university researchers continue digging for more information.

-Alex Burchfield

Red Red Wine

Despite assertions that red wine strengthens the heart, a new study suggests that drinking may be just as bad as it’s cracked up to be. In a study of 10,000 nurses, researchers found that women who drank alcohol regularly had a slightly higher risk of developing breast cancer than those who stayed sober. For women who drink every day, that means the cancer risk is about 15% greater than nondrinkers. The extra risk increased to 50% in women who averaged more than 30 drinks a week. More troubling: the risk is associated with long-term drinking habits, not drinking heavily over a few months. The study also shows no difference in risk among different kinds of alcohol. Scientists theorize that alcohol may boost the level of hormones like estrogen in the blood, which could raise the risk of cancer. There’s no evidence, however, that drinking less than three times a week had any adverse affects on breast cancer risk. So raise a glass for heart health, but not too many for breast cancer risk.

-Lori McCue

Associate Physics Professor Nate Harshman is a theoretical physicist who focuses on particle physics and quantum information theory. He has published over 20 articles in scientific journals, has written for the Chicago Tribune, and has appeared on the Discovery Channel for a segment on science in pop culture.
Harshman sat down with AWOL writer Ean Marshall to talk about Google searches, Scrabble tournaments and quantum physics.

What first made you interested in theoretical physics?

I first fell in love with physics when I was five years old, and I saw the television program “The Cosmos” by Carl Sagan. It was a PBS documentary series, and it talked about the universe, relativity,  quantum mechanics and evolution—all sorts of science. But in particular, there was a section on twin paradoxes, which is a problem in modern physics. Even though I didn’t understand it, and actually I didn’t really understand it until I was in college, I was hooked in that when you do physics, it transforms the way you see the world. And what I really liked about physics was that based on these assumptions, since I do mathematical physics, you can say that this is a true answer. That’s not easy to do in most disciplines, where you can precisely define a problem and say the true and false of it.

What is entanglement in terms of quantum physics?

It’s a special way in which a whole system can contain more information than the parts. In classical mechanics, if you have a system, the different parts of that system may be correlated: if you measure widget A, you may learn about widget B, if you make measurements of the different parts of the same system. In quantum mechanics, those different parts of the system may share information that cannot be explained; there’s just too much information for classical physics to explain. Typically, we talk about this in the context of different atoms being entangled. This really means that if you have an atom on one side of a river and an atom on the other side of a river, and you’re making measurements on one atom, that atom has an effect on the atom on the other side of the river. The only way this works is that sometime in the past the atoms interacted with each other. So even though they are spatially separated, they share the same quantum state. Since they have the same quantum state, they have quantum correlations, or entanglement, and by measuring them with classical physics measurement, it seems very paradoxical.

Any biological or physical applications of this concept?

There’s a debate right now whether we need entanglement and quantum correlation to explain photosynthesis, because photosynthesis is a remarkably efficient process for converting light into chemical potential energy. Can we understand that energy without the use of quantum mechanics? In terms of physical applications, one of the reasons people study this is that they’re hoping to make a new generation of information processing devices. For example, people talk about quantum computers, which solve certain kinds of problems regular computers can’t do; they’re called hard problems. For example, the way we encrypt financial transactions over the Internet is using something called RSA encryption, which is based on the fact that it’s really hard to write a computer program to factor large numbers into primes. If you have a big enough number, like a number with hundred digits, the computer can’t figure out its prime factors. It just takes too long. So you can use a code system based on secret knowledge of prime numbers of these big things. If you had a quantum computer, which could exploit quantum coherence and quantum entanglement, then it could factor these numbers exponentially faster. People also want to build quantum computers because you can do a more precise simulation of quantum mechanics, and there are many quantum mechanical systems. Every single computer is built on transistors that were designed using quantum theories. So if we can model quantum mechanics better, we can make better materials.

How long do you think we have until this becomes a reality?

Quantum computers have been fifteen years in the future for the last fifteen years, so there has been progress, but progress hasn’t been as fast as people expected. Now there’s been recent progress on things like quantum sensors, where you use entanglement to make precise measurements. But the biggest quantum computers are still not big enough to really solve problems. The system has to be isolated from its environment, but you still have to control the interactions externally; then you want the computers to have a bunch more quantum systems, because the more atoms and electrons there are, the more efficient they will be. So you’re trying to make it big but isolated, yet still able to control it. There are about seven or eight competing systems, and the computer is not sure which one will solve the problem first.

Are Microsoft and Apple investing a little bit in these technologies?

Well, Apple has at least one quantum project. IBM has a history of funding this kind of stuff. There was recently an article by someone who said that if you had a quantum computer, you could speed Google’s search algorithm, so Google is certainly paying attention.

So the search engine would be even faster and more precise?

Yeah, you could do a Google search with better precision and at a much faster time.

What made you come to AU?

I’ve been here since 2003. Before this I was at Rice, where I had a temporary job. I applied to 50 jobs, and I got the one at AU. I’m very happy. DC is a great place to be. AU is a research university, but has a great liberal arts department and great professors.

Is there any way AU could improve the representation of the physics department?

Yeah, definitely. They’ve improved a lot the past few years. We have a new building, even though it’s the Sports Center Annex, it means new facilities for us, and that feels nice. I think what we need to do is get more students. We need more professors, and to get more students, we need to get more people, more applicants in the sciences and raise the profiles of sciences on AU’s campus.

I read on your personal profile about the Scrabble Tournaments. So what were some of the winning words?

Oh, well. It’s so hard to go back. I actually have records of them all.  I haven’t played in tournaments since 2001. I figured out that I could be a good physicist, a good husband, and a good Scrabble player, but I could only do two out of three, and so I chose husband and Scrabble player. So in this particular game, my words are not particularly good, not a bingo. A bingo is when you have a pile. Oh I had two, ‘sliming’ and ‘tilting,’ those aren’t very good. But they’re worth a lot of points. That word was worth 72. The key in Scrabble is to play bingos, you want to play all tiles at once, because you get a 50 point bonus. If you want to do well, you have to know all the two-letter words and three-letter words. There are about 96 two letter words and three hundred and some three letter words. You need to know all of the j, q, x, z and k words up to four letters. And then you need to know the bingo words. The way I would study it is, for example, if you have the six letters ‘tirade,’ and if you have anything from this sentence: ‘Angry talk by PMS hag,’ any letter from there and you add ‘tirade,’ and you have a seven-letter word. I didn’t make up that particular mnemonic device—that was not a very flattering one.

So there’s actually a mathematical component to this linguistic game.

Oh yeah, absolutely. It’s all about finding patterns. Here’s another one: ‘bizzess’ is an acceptable Scrabble word.

Appalachia’s coalfields resemble the landscapes of dystopian science fiction. Each week, the explosive equivalent of a nuclear bomb is detonated in these mountains, leaving only black, jagged crags of upturned earth. The small communities surrounding these mining operations have suffered under corporate hegemony and oppression since the turn of the century; the region still struggles with overwhelming poverty, unsafe drinking water, astonishingly high levels of cancer and other respiratory and neurological conditions, as well as deep social tensions. Despite these problems there is hope to be found in the persistence and dedication of those struggling under coal rule. Dedicated activists continue to dismantle corporate hegemony through various non-violent tactics, making the Anti-Mountaintop Removal movement one of the strongest social movements in recent US history.

-By Nick Florko and Alexa Orndorff

Kayford Mountain, WV: Mountaintop removal sites scar the pristine landscape of Appalachia. With little regard for the diverse ecosystems throughout the region, coal companies detonate approximately four million pounds of explosives daily, exposing seams of coal hundreds of feet below mountain peaks. When the blasting is complete, the remaining rubble is dumped into neighboring valleys and streams — effectively destroying the ecosystems and poisoning the drinking water.

Signs like these litter mountaintop removal sites. They prevent coalfield residents from stepping foot on land that has been in their families for generations. The sign pictured above separates Larry Gibson from his family cemetery.

Sylvester, WV: Coalfield residents continually face the risk of disaster. Residents of Sylvester, WV live below the Brushy Fork Impoundment, the world’s largest coal slurry impoundment. Brushy Fork holds nearly nine billion gallons of toxic coal processing byproduct. With no emergency plan, the possible collapse of Brushy Fork spells disaster for those living in its shadow. Community coalitions, such as the Sludge Safety Project, continue to advocate against the creation of slurry impoundments through mass mobilizations and legislative lobbying.

Whitesville, WV: Signs allegedly reporting the safety of mining operations are often deceptive. The towns surrounding Whitesville, WV were forever changed in the wake of the Upper Big Branch disaster, which killed 29 miners on April 10, 2010. Despite numerous studies indicating that the disaster was caused by a failure to enforce federal mining safety regulations, only menial charges have been brought against the mine owner, Alpha Natural Resources (formerly Massey Energy).

Eolia, KY: Appalachians continue to fight back against the oppressive legacy of corporate control in the region. Coal companies utilized the “broad form deed” at the turn of the century to purchase the mineral rights of land — often by coercion or deceit. In modern day, these deeds, signed generations before, are used as the coal companies’ justification for surfact mining in and around private property. Kentucky Anti-MTR activists — Kentuckians for The Commonwealth — succeeded in banning the use of the “broad form deed” in 1985.

Twilight, WV: Large machines toil throughout the day, clearing debris and extracting coal from blast sites. This backhoe teeters just feet from the edge of a mountain, hundreds of feet above one of the few remaining homes in Twilight, WV — a town ruthlessly bought out by coal companies. The Ohio Valley Environmental Coalition continues to raise money to buy one of the last remaining privately owned parcels of land in Twilight, in effect preventing coal companies from taking over the town.

Without a doubt, the skills students gain in AUSG and similar organizations are valuable for “real world” politics. Student Government can prepare individuals to be leaders and have meaningful discourse on controversial issues.

These skills are applicable to most workplace environments rather than to specific public service careers. Employers in many fields seek staff members that have developed skills like leadership, public communication and interpersonal interaction, all of which Student Government positions hone. Along with these marketable and valuable skills, participating in Student Government campaigns can foster more unexpected talents like managing one’s public image, which can prove useful across the job market

“I’d say Student Government helps kids to be leaders and that benefits their future regardless of their career,” Class of 2015 President Conor Siegel said.

Generally, students seem to be more interested in these broad skills and how Student Government makes them appear to employers, rather than whether it prepares them for a career in public service. As the workforce becomes more and more competitive, young people are feeling pressure to set themselves apart from the rest of the application pool. Any activity in organizations beyond the classroom can help provide that edge.

American University history professor Allan Lichtman says he believes the key is not the activity an individual is involved in, but the position they hold within that structure. According to Lichtman leadership is one of the key qualities employers are looking for.

“Any time you take a leadership position, that puts you out there,” Lichtman said.

However, being in Student Government and being captain of the swim team both show leadership. Students can demonstrate they have taken initiative, worked with a group and been responsible for others in many more venues than just Student Government, although Student Government is, without a doubt, a great place to do those things.

“I think SG helps prepare people to be members of local, state, or national governments, non-profits, businesses, you name it,” AU Student Government President Tim McBride said.

AU has already demonstrated its ability to help prepare an individual from Student Government to break into “big kid” politics. Sophomore Deon Jones served in his high school Student Government, then the Undergraduate Senate his freshman year at AU, and then went on to run for DC Neighborhood Advisory Commission, where he won a seat.

Certainly there are issues that Student Government does not address, both in campaigning and holding an elected office.

On Sunday, October 23, the Undergraduate Senate spent several minutes of the session debating policy related to the door of the Senate office being open. While the debate may not be worthwhile, it is eerily reminiscient to our current Congress.

But in all fairness, Student Government just does not cover all of the issues faced in traditional politics. AUSG does not debate the debt ceiling, national marriage legislation, social security or abortion.  Additionally students running for Undergraduate Senate do not have to worry about justifying large campaign donations, polling or phone banking.

It seems Student Government is not meant to perfectly approximate the wider government. They have different goals, different functions and a completely different constituency than any local or national governing body and are as unique in their organization as the schools and students they serve.

“When you’re campaigning for a high school or college campaign it is primarily directed toward students who share your views,” said Youth and Government President Jonathan McCreary. “You do not have to worry about broad policy.”

Student Government clearly does not mirror broader politics; rather it uses the components and structures of politics to complete both political and non-political goals within the AU community.
“At the end of the day, we aren’t a government, we’re a programming and advocacy organization,” McBride said.

“Ed Carr called,” she said. “He wants you to call him back as soon as possible.”

Ed Carr was the new Chairman of American University’s Board of Trustees, and trustees did not normally deal with university presidents directly. President Berendzen thought it was unusual but “[Ed] was new to the job, so I thought maybe he had a different approach.”

Berendzen returned the call. Ed asked him to come to his office in downtown Washington immediately.

Within the hour, Berendzen resigned as president of American University.

Berendzen grew up in a tumultuous household in Dallas, Texas. His domineering mother verbally abused his father and controlled every aspect of her son’s life. But she had problems of her own.

“My mother was mentally ill for most of her life and for all of mine,” writes Berendzen in his 1993 book, Come Here: A Man Overcomes the Tragic Aftermath of Childhood Sexual Abuse. Berendzen, who had no comment for this article, said that as a child, “All I knew was that she was wildly unpredictable. Labels like manic, paranoid, delusional and psychotic came years later. Sometimes she would be furious for no apparent reason; then, in a snap, she could suddenly become incredibly loving, supportive and fun.” His parents’ relationship was equally tumultuous due to his mother’s controlling nature.

Yet where her domination of his father was meant to tear down and destroy, she nutured young Berendzen into exactly who she desired him to be. His mother fueled Berendzen’s intellectual development, giving him all types of fiction and poetry, all of which he devoured.

She wanted to inspire Richard and to render him completely dependent on her—and she wanted that dependence to be more than emotional.

Berendzen’s mother worked an assortment of odd jobs. One of her longer-term jobs was in a darkroom processing film related to medical studies. It was there that she first raped Berendzen on a metal processing table.

Richard’s abuse did not stop there. One afternoon not long after the darkroom, his mother again asked him to ‘Come here’—a phrase which inspired the title of his book.

Dr. Wanda Collins, the director of the American University Counseling Center, says pedophiles project inappropriate thoughts onto the child. “[They] can imagine the child is provocative and may want that kind of attention,” said Collins. “But it’s not true, its only because it’s coming from their own projections—none of which is from the child’s own needs and wants.”

Such was the course of many afternoons throughout Berendzen’s childhood: “It happened every few days, or once a week for a while, or not for a month.” But it happened, off and on over the course of four years.

“To experience pleasure and disgust for the same reason and almost simultaneously created overwhelming confusion and torment,” writes Berendzen.

“For someone who is abusing children, they can rationalize things for themselves but it doesn’t put the child’s best interest at the center of their behavior,” said Collins. “Children need affection but they don’t need sexual attention from adults.”

According to ChildHelp, a leading national non-profit for helping victims of child abuse, 7.6 percent of all child abuse cases are sexual abuse, and over 90 percent knew their perpetrator in some way.

Hard work, success and achievement defined Berendzen. He went to MIT as an undergraduate, then to Harvard where he completed his PhD in physics and education.

As president of American University from 1980 to 1990, Richard Berendzen accomplished an incredible amount, both for the University and for himself. He raised the average SAT score by 200 points, slashed admission rates and raised huge amounts of money. He did so with “a relentless personal PR campaign,” according to Washington Post reporter Peter Carlson. “He traveled the country, speaking to groups of teachers and students and appearing on any interview program that would have him, expounding on education or outer space or anything else that anybody wanted him to talk about.”

He shamelessly promoted American University and himself, and it produced results. Berendzen worked 100-hour weeks, and attended three or four parties every Saturday night. The effort was a good way to push the thoughts of his abuse away—he just stopped wondering about it, stopped worrying and went to work. He became so absorbed in that bubble of success that he believed he could wish away his past.

“If you work very hard, somehow you don’t remember it anymore. And I learned after a while that if you work 60, 80, 90 hours a week, 100, you don’t remember it,” Berendzen writes.
Collins agrees that it is possible to entirely repress memories throughout the course of a lifetime. “You could think of it as a degree of dissociation that would take place on a continuum,” she explains. “On one end of the continuum there is someone who has a bad weekend but then can go to class and be very present and separate the events—but you still remember what happened. But maybe on the other end of the continuum is someone who had a traumatic experience and completely represses the memories.”

On March 23, 1991, Susan Allen, owner of a home day-care service and the wife of a Fairfax county policeman, picked up the phone. A man named either Bob or John, a “gynecologist,” asked if she had an open family, if she let her kids sleep in her bed and if she let them see her naked.

“All of a sudden, it clicked: I have an obscene phone caller,” she told the Washington Post in a 1991 interview.

Allen told the unknown caller what he wanted to hear and that he should call back tomorrow.

“I answered his questions in the way I knew he wanted them answered,” she said. “So that he would be satisfied, so that he would think he’d found his true love in this world and he would call back. And he did. He fell for it, hook, line and sinker. And he asked, ‘Would we include his child in our sexual goings-on in the house?’ And I said, ‘Well, my husband’s the head of the household, and he makes those decisions, and I’ll have to talk to him. Next time I talk to you, I’ll let you know.’”

Fairfax police installed a tracking device and tape recorder in Allen’s phone before the man called back the next day. Over the next two weeks, the man called about thirty times, discussing sexual topics: incest, molestation and sex slaves. The man claimed to be keeping a four-year-old Filipino girl in a cage in his basement.

The calls were “filthy beyond your most horrible nightmares,” said Allen. “And 99 percent of it centered around children.”

The police traced the calls to American University. Public Safety traced the calls to the president’s office. The next day, the chairman of American University’s board of trustees called Berendzen.

In his original resignation letter, Berendzen cited exhaustion. A few weeks later, the allegations became public, and the police pushed formal charges against him. Berendzen had been forced to resign because of his lewd calls to home-care services like Allen’s. In less than a month, the gleaming reputation of the Harvard-educated university president had vanished.
The calls themselves were not those of a perverted man, but of someone searching for answers, someone trying to explain. The Washington Post interviewed Fairfax county prosecutor Robert Horan who said, “I don’t want to dignify the calls by saying they were sort of cerebral, but they were sort of cerebral,” he says. “They were probing. They were essentially, `We do a lot of togetherness, do you?’”

If Berendzen had addressed his abuse sooner, the calls might not have happened. According to Stop it Now, a sexual abuse mobilization effort, studies show when victims of sexual abuse receive treatment, the likelihood that they themselves will abuse is low.

Berendzen was treated at Johns Hopkins psychiatric hospital in Baltimore. Under the powerful drip of sodium amytal, he finally came to terms with his childhood; for the first time, he admitted what had happened to him as a boy.

“People who grow up in an environment where there is some type of trauma can spend their childhood and adolescence surviving it in whatever way they need to,” said Collins. “It’s often not until they get away from home for the first time—maybe when they’re in their first significant romantic or sexual relationships, or when they have kids who are the age that they were when the abuse occurred—that their own memories of abuse might be triggered.  They may also experience depression or anxiety that can motivate them to get into treatment.”

Berendzen’s fall from grace was meteoric. In his book, he writes of weeks, months, whole years of depression, even after Hopkins. Some of his colleagues didn’t return his calls. Nevertheless, his wife, Gail Berendzen, stood by him, and his children also allegedly understood. Even the AU community saw an outpouring of sympathy.
Berendzen had resigned the presidency, retreated to Virginia for a time, and it didn’t seem as though he would teach again. Until he wrote his book, until people knew what had happened to him as a child, he was isolated.

Berendzen eventually returned to American University to teach. After the media waves from the scandal subsided, he quietly continued his work at NASA—where he is currently the director of the DC Space Grant Consortium—and at AU. Though he retired from teaching in 2006, he still holds emeritus professor status.

When he returned, he was even more respected than before. One student who took astronomy with Berendzen remarked on RateMyProfessors.com in 2005, “Berendzen is a must for any person trying to fulfill their science Gen Ed.” Another student remarked, “Most inspirational class I have ever taken.” And yet another wrote: “Fabulous prof. One of a kind!”

If you believe a child is being abused, please call the Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline at 1-800-4-A-CHILD. It is staffed 24 hours a day, 7 days a week and offers crisis intervention, information and support. All calls are anonymous.

Kelcie Pegher contributed to this article. She is a senior studying print journalism and literature. She is co-editor-in-chief of AWOL.