It's difficult to miss the huge, pompous slogans plastered on the wall near the escalators in the Foggy Bottom Metro station.
“Here, a stroke of genius can become a stroke of the President’s pen,” one reads.
With such an obvious focus on politics, the slogan is a missed opportunity for the University to capture the essence of such a diverse student body and campus. Although it is clear GW wants to be known for more than just political science and international affairs, it fails to articulate the University's expanding focus on research.
The slogan should have been something with which all students could identify. It should have broken away from the University’s most obvious perk – its location in the nation’s capital. It should have pointed out that GW is more than just a place for politics and congressional hopefuls.
But instead, the new slogan leaves very little to the imagination. It focuses more on how we want outsiders to perceive us than how it pertains to our own student body.
What was wrong with the old slogan? “Something happens here," actually had meaning. Most students progress through their four years in college and experiment with classes. The old slogan left it up to students to figure out how to spend their time, reflecting the diverse opportunities available to students in the city and on campus – and made you want to find them. It left room for interpretation. It lacked specificity and was sometimes the butt of students' jokes, but implied limitless opportunity, encouraging students to explore their options and find their place at GW.
In another decade, when University officials sit down again to brainstorm a new slogan, it must be reflective of the entire student body.
Alyssa Rosenthal, a senior majoring in political communication, is a Hatchet columnist.
“‘Here, a stroke of genius can become a stroke of the President’s pen,’ one reads….it fails to articulate the University’s expanding focus on research.”
How do you think you develop and inform public policy? RESEARCH. Why NOT advertize one of GW’s strengths? It would be stupid not to.
I thought that the new slogan was “What we make is history,” along with a slew of supporting lines, all graphically represented on the gwu.edu homepage.
“It should have broken away from the University’s most obvious perk – its location in the nation’s capital…But instead, the new slogan leaves very little to the imagination. It focuses more on how we want outsiders to perceive us than how it pertains to our own student body.”
The thing about branding is that it’s supposed to focus on how we want outsiders to perceive us. And the fact that GW is located in our nation’s capital is our biggest selling point, and what sets us apart from the other market basket (NYU, BU, etc) schools – while we may not have the same reputation, we’re still in DC and they aren’t. And when attracting new students, where we are in relation to everyone else is exactly what makes us different, and what brings people here.
Furthermore, that specific line is just a tagline, it’s not the official “slogan” because if it were, it’s a)too long and b)sounds dumb anyway. I believe RJK is right….it’s “What we make is history.” Which implies that GW student do big things, and is not specific to any department or major or whatever. It’s evocative of a successful student and student body.
Journalism is that thing where you look into things and then write about them…get your facts in order before going to print.
I like turtles!
Moi aussi, mon ami!
Ich liebe Erdferkelen.
I denounce this article on the grounds that “Something happens here” actually had no meaning whatsoever, and was empty rhetoric.
Just like the new slogans.