Thursday, October 19, 2006

Campus Calendar

Thursday State Department Internship Panel Interested in working for the State Department? Get information from GW students who are current or former interns. 6 to 8 p.m. 1957 E St., Lindner Family Commons Sponsored by Delta Phi Epsilon, the Undergraduate Program of International Affairs and Career Center Friday Iftar Dinner Join Jewish and Muslim students in a meal celebrating Ramaddan.

Staff Editorial: Create an event for the whole community to enjoy

This weekend, thousands of parents and alumni will descend on campus for Colonials Weekend. A smaller number of those individuals will attend a headline performance by comedian Jerry Seinfeld. Having the creator of one of the most popular shows in television history come to perform will be a great source of entertainment for the GW community.

Juliet Moser: In praise of GCRs

by Juliet Moser

General curriculum requirements. C'mon folks, they're not that bad. At least you can rest assured that everyone else has to do them, too. As for me, I'm actually a fan of GCRs and think that we should have more of them here at GW. After you put away the pitchforks and douse the flames, I hope you'll at least take a minute to hear what I have to say.

Matthew Brokman: Take a stronger stance against State Plaza Hotel

by Matthew Brokman

Last August, the State Plaza Hotel was found guilty of coercing employees to oppose its workers' unionization attempt. Court documents showed that hotel management fired the employee who was leading the unionization fight and delayed negotiations to break up the union.

Letters to the Editor

We can understand the Gallaudet issue Why is it "unlikely" that elected student leaders at our University, which prides itself on community involvement, political awareness and international outlook, "can fully comprehend the complexities of the standoff at Gallaudet?" ("SA must leave Gallaudet issue alone," Oct.

Crime Log

Disorderly Conduct 10/14 - 600 Block of 21st Street- 1:07 a.m. - case closed A University Police Department officer observed a male student urinating in the bushes along the street. The officer informed the student public urination was illegal and told the student that a report would be written and forwarded to Student Judicial Services.

National Journalists make predictions for midterm elections on "Kalb Report"

by Harald Olsen
Hatchet Reporter

Panelists from four major news outlets debated which party will benefit most from November's midterm elections on the GW-sponsored "Kalb Report" Monday night. Normally hosted in front of a live studio audience with one guest, journalist Marvin Kalb's public affairs show featured reporters from CNN, CBS Radio, Newsweek and USA Today.

A Generation Underground: Documentarians explore quintessential DC genre

by Nicole Cairns

Politics, protests and punks are three things perfected in Washington. However, in our brief time at GW, we're primarily introduced only to the first two. D.C. punk was born in the late 1970s at the height of the punk revolution when The Clash and The Ramones were bringing this underground musical scene to the forefront of rock and roll.

Kronos Quartet blends classical and experimental at Lisner

by Hope Needles

A first listen to music from the San Francisco string four-piece Kronos Quartet provides an obvious recognition of talent and expertise of the classical string technique. But classical string sounds are only part of Kronos' musical package, which is primarily experimental - drawing on sounds from sights as diverse as Bombay, India and the German industrial music scene.

Comedy on Shuffle: "iMusical" mixes song and improv

by Rachel Baird

Whether you're in the mood for comedic improv or musical theater, "iMusical" will not disappoint you. Judging by the graphic on the show's promotional items, the show borrows the idea of an iPod on shuffle: you never know what you're going to get. "iMusical" blends singing and improvisational comedy to achieve a cohesive plot, as opposed to improvising a series of sketches.

$5 - $10 - $20: An entertainment guide for the cash-strapped college student

by Jeffrey Parker

If you have $5 Give it to our local religious organization, or your local chapter of the ACLU, and go to Politics and Prose on Tuesday for an appearance by Oxford biologist Richard Dawkins, whose new book The God Delusions again places him firmly within the center of the debate on the utility and rationale of religion.

Dormroom Awards: mtvU Woodies give you the choice

by Jessica Maloney
Hatchet Reporter

by Jessica Maloney Hatchet Reporter As a music snob, I'm tempted to dismiss anything MTV does as another marketing ploy to sell bad music to pre-teens and scenesters who don't know any better, but I stand corrected. On Nov. 2, MTV-U, a channel exclusively for college students, will premiere this year's MTV-U Woodie Awards.

Not of this world: Valient Thorr brings interstellar rock

by Ben Doak
Hatchet Reporter

A busy crowd of leather jackets, leopard print and snaking tattoos streamed into the 9:30 Club on Tuesday night. Valient Thorr was set to revive classic rock for one night only with Eagles of Death Metal and Joan Jett and the Blackhearts. Donning cut-off denim jackets and hair - beards included - that ran well past their shoulders, Valient Thorr savagely took the stage with rare energy for a rock and roll show.

Bar Belle: Kramerbooks & Afterwords Cafe

Fall of senior year is upon us, and last year's rush of piss-drunk 21st birthdays has slowed to a sad, sober trickle. But last Sunday, a friend drove down all the way from Massachusetts to party in the District on her last night of fun before she got too old for it.

In stores and on sale

From the first note of John Mayer's long-awaited third studio album, "Continuum," it is clear that Mayer has spent three years expanding his musical style. After a strong showing from his second effort, "Heavier Things," many believed that Mayer had burned himself out and couldn't live up to the hype he built for himself.

Sampling beats: J. Isaac tries his hand at rapping

by Amanda Pacitti

Following his August release of "Welcome to the Planet," rising hip-hop and R&B artist J. Isaac sounded off on the advantage of hip-hop as an outlet for musical expression in an interview preceding his performance at the much-anticipated Howard University homecoming last Saturday.

WEB EXTRA: "Mutual Appreciation" finds focus in the familiar

by Andrew Siddons

I bet if you asked a lot of people to play a word association game with the phrase "indie film," they would probably respond with nothing. Literally, "nothing." The major criticism of these films by the masses is that nothing has really happened by the time the credits role.

CRs, CDs volunteer for midterm election campaigns nationwide

by Nick Profeta
Hatchet Reporter

The College Republicans rallied last weekend in Pittsburgh, Pa., for Mark Harris, a 2006 graduate and candidate for state representative of Pennsylvania's 42nd district. With Election Day approaching quickly, the College Republicans, as well as the College Democrats and GW Democrats, have each stepped up their campaigning efforts and traveled to several states.

University offers weekly podcast of campus events

by Karelia Pallan

Students can now get information on the latest happenings around campus on their iPod. The GWeekly podcast, produced by Mount Vernon Campus Life, debuted Friday and includes information such as the location, time and cost of the week's events. "Over 10,000 students have read the e-mail each week and we hope to see interest in the Podcasts as well over the next few weeks," said Tim Miller, director of the Student Activities Center.

Teacher of the Year discusses educational inequality at GW

by Eric Roper

The 2005 National Teacher of the Year told students that inequalities within the nation's public school system can be mitigated by students volunteering to teach. Jason Kamras spoke to students Tuesday night in the Jack Morton Auditorium at an event hosted by GW's Teach for America chapter.

GW Hospital offers free HIV screening due to high rates in D.C.

by Jennifer Easton

Almost all inpatients are now being screened for HIV in the Emergency Department at GW Hospital. Since September, GW Hospital has offered 15,000 incoming emergency room patients free HIV screening tests, and about 60 percent of these patients agreed to participate and got tested, according to Student Health Services.

University mulls Gmail program as alternative to CMail

by Kaitlyn Jahrling

University officials are considering a new program from Google that would take over GW's e-mail system for free. The program, called Google Apps for Education, allows universities to partner with the e-mail provider for free e-mail, calendar and even Blackboard integration.

GSPM Professor studies loss of e-mail sent to Congressional offices

by Kara Wright
Hatchet Reporter

A dean in the Graduate School of Political Management completed a study that found that a large portion of e-mails sent to members of Congress never arrive at their intended destination. Dennis Johnson, a professor and an associate dean in GSPM, examined the success of vendors who coordinate prepared responses that lobbying organizations send to members of Congress from private citizens.

Sorority, fraternity hold bone marrow drive

by Marissa Bialecki
Hatchet Reporter

Two Greek-letter organizations are trying to help out a friend in need. Asian-interest Greek-letter groups Sigma Psi Zeta sorority and Pi Delta Psi fraternity hosted a bone marrow registration drive on campus Monday. The drives were held in hopes of finding a donor for Wincheng Lin, a Sigma Psi Zeta member who suffers from Leukemia in New York and needs a bone marrow transplant.

Report: Pops not starting in NBA

by Jake Sherman

Former GW standout Pops Mensah-Bonsu will not start the season with the Dallas Mavericks, the team's general manager told the London Times. Mensah-Bonsu was signed by the squad during summer league games and was set back by a cold in September. "He's got a very bright future; he's a great kid with tremendous upside," President of Basketball Operations Donn Nelson told the British paper.

Varsity Roundup

W. Tennis Freshman Rachael Hesling captured the Division I singles bracket Oct. 15 at the Hampton Roads Collegiate Invitational in Newport News, Va. Hesling beat James Madison's Kelly Maxwell for the championship (1-6, 6-2, 1-0, (10-5). In the semifinal, Hesling beat Shelley Murveit of Georgetown in straight sets (6-2, 6-1).

WEB EXTRA: Student organizations raise awareness about rape, sexual assault at annual event

by Sean Redding

About 50 students and several student organizations gathered in Kogan Plaza Wednesday night to raise awareness about rape and sexual assault at the annual Take Back the Night event. Sponsored by the Feminist Majority Leadership Alliance, the event was also co-sponsored by the Student Association, Program Board and Allied in Pride.

Greek Briefs

by Marissa Bialecki
Hatchet Reporter

Some Pi Kappa Phi members took a dunk this weekend for a good cause. The Pi Kappa Phi fraternity raised about $3,350 for its national philanthropic organization Push America with its first annual War of the Roses fundraising event, which ended Monday. The fundraiser began with a dunk tank in University Yard on Friday.

SA Notes

by Andrew Ramonas

The Student Association Rules Committee passed the new Joint Elections Committee Charter Act at Tuesday night's Rules meeting. The charter, which establishes the governing rules for voters and candidates during the spring election for SA, Marvin Center Governing Board and Program Board, and forms the Joint Elections Committee, will be brought before the Senate for a vote Tuesday.

Freshman loses Cosmo's Bachelor of the Year contest

by Kaitlyn Jahrling

Freshman Cory McCrummen, one of 50 nominees for Cosmopolitan Magazine's Bachelor of the Year, is taking his loss well. McCrummen and the 49 other nominees were invited to a party in New York City Tuesday night, when the winner was announced. A panel of magazine editors chose the winner out of six semi-finalists who received the most votes during the online voting Oct.

Senior runs against incumbent for local ANC seat

by Robert Parker

A senior is running against an incumbent for a seat on the Foggy Bottom/West End Advisory Neighborhood Commission, a group of residents that advises D.C. government on development issues. L. Asher Corson is running against current ANC Commissioner Anne Savage, who represents district 2A03 - defined as the area between Pennsylvania Avenue and N Street from 20th to 27th streets.

Students register to vote on Facebook

by Rony Rothken

Now, social networking Web site Facebook.com can add another function to its list of features - voter registration. With members including former Vice President Al Gore and Senator Evan Bayh (D-Ind.), "We Will Rock the Vote: Register Now!" is no ordinary Facebook group.

SA to use private funds for Gallaudet support

by Andrew Ramonas and Briana Myers
Hatchet Reporters

Student Association President Lamar Thorpe announced he will not use SA funds to provide materials for student-protesters camping out at Gallaudet University, heeding the calls of some senators.

Univ. prepares for more than 5,000 relatives, alumni at Colonials Weekend

by Ben Hyman
Hatchet Reporter

The University is making final preparations for thousands of families and alumni to descend on the Foggy Bottom and Mount Vernon campuses this weekend.

Athlete kicked off team after arrest

by Jake Sherman

A freshman on the water polo team was released from D.C. jail Monday evening after being charged with a misdemeanor count of possession of marijuana with the intent to distribute.

Trachtenberg roasts D.C. Mayor Anthony Williams

by Ryan Holeywell

Local political leaders and University President Stephen Joel Trachtenberg lampooned outgoing D.C. mayor Anthony Williams Wednesday night for what they called his bland personality and frequent travel at a roast honoring him in his final weeks in office. The roast was part of a gala to benefit Southeastern University, a private, non-profit school of 1,000 students that offers associate, bachelors and masters degrees.

GW learning just across the river

by Leah Carliner

"What's that?" said 40-year-old graduate student Dennis Comer when asked about his thoughts on Stephen Joel Trachtenberg. Comer is working toward a master's degree in publishing and takes classes at GW's Alexandria campus, a learning center with seven classrooms located in a Virginia shopping center.

WEB UPDATE: Pro and anti-abortion rights protesters square off near Kogan

by Brandon Butler

Posted Thursday, Oct. 19, 6:35 p.m. An abortion demonstration broke out on campus Thursday when three anti-abortion organizations came to Foggy Bottom as part of a nationwide tour. Nearly 150 GW abortion rights activists gathered throughout the afternoon to counter-protest several dozen anti-abortion activists outside Kogan Plaza.