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AN INDEPENDENT STUDENT NEWSPAPER SERVING THE GW COMMUNITY SINCE 1904

The GW Hatchet

Serving the GW Community since 1904

The GW Hatchet

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Officials name senior vice president, chief of staff
By Fiona Riley, Assistant News Editor • March 26, 2024

Staff Editorial: GW Report Card

Gender-neutral housing: A

In a triumphant victory for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender students, gender-neutral housing was passed last week and will be applied across all coed residence halls starting next fall. We are happy to see that the University supported this student-led effort for alternative housing options.


A safe community: A-

People have often considered GW’s community very accepting of all students, but this semester solidified that idea. With the creation of the LGBT studies minor and students’ “I’m Gay for Today” counterprotest against the Westboro Baptist Church, GW’s campus has proved to be a safe and accepting community for these students. And once the University hires a new director for the LGBT Resource Center, GW can do even more for these students.


Greek life: C

The reputation of GW’s Greek-life community has been somewhat marred by this turbulent semester. With allegations of hazing and problems within the community’s leadership, this facet of life on campus wasn’t the strongest it could have been. However, these were isolated incidents, and the community is still doing a great deal to play a large part in campus life and to give back through philanthropy.


Medical school: C

Last year, GW’s School of Medicine and Health Sciences was put on academic probation, and allegations of conflicts of interest against a top administrator surfaced. The school has since been taken off probation, and the structure of the hierarchy in the school has been changing. Vice President for Health Affairs John “Skip” Williams is taking a sabbatical and the dean of the medical school, James Scott, has resigned. We don’t know why these top two officials are leaving, but we hope that the school can finally move forward.


Dining: D-

J Street’s hours are still inconvenient. The quality of the food remains mediocre. Costs are just as exorbitantly high as before. Dining at GW did not make major strides this semester, save for a shift toward more environmentally sustainable utensils and containers. As mandatory spending for freshmen and sophomores is still a large percentage of their allotted food money, this system needs to be resolved. Until then, we recognize J Street’s efforts for improvement, but can’t give it a passing grade.


GW’s Response to Gelman: F

At its most peaceful, there has been a dull roar regarding Gelman Library from the GW community throughout the semester. But especially now with finals fast approaching, the complaints about the library continue to grow. The administration remains quiet on both its plans to secure the necessary funding to make renovations and its goals for Gelman’s improvement in the future. The community has asked for a change in Gelman enough times, and the refusal to improve the campus nucleus is a great failure on the University’s part.


Vandalism in Ivory Tower: F

The vandalism in the Ivory Tower residence hall and basement cafeteria continues. From eggshells splattered on windows to destroyed property in hallways, the destruction has reached new (see: pathetic) levels. That students continue to destroy an area where they reside is upsetting, but thankfully the University has been fair in its exploration of options to curb this trend. It’s a shame that GW must resort to placing cameras in Ivory Tower hallways to identify perpetrators of the vandalism, but we believe it is now the only way to end the immaturity.


Pass: &#10003

Colonials, even though your break may be short – here’s looking at those with finals on Dec. 22 – take the time to relax and recharge, and enjoy the time off!

Readers can visit the Forum to comment on this editorial.

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