Serving the GW Community since 1904

The GW Hatchet

AN INDEPENDENT STUDENT NEWSPAPER SERVING THE GW COMMUNITY SINCE 1904

The GW Hatchet

Serving the GW Community since 1904

The GW Hatchet

NEWSLETTER
Sign up for our twice-weekly newsletter!

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

Letters to the Editor

The struggle continues

The opinion piece Oct. 20 (“PSU enjoys protest right thanks in part to Columbus’ achievement,” The GW Hatchet, p.4) used half-truths and incomplete historical analyses to develop a political perspective that is a total lie.

The piece was a barely-concealed attempt to protect a racist vision of the world that gives credit for all positive elements of civil society to Western and European sources.

The writer’s attempt to marginalize the Progressive Student Union and his final implication that the PSU should be grateful for the Western tradition (“they shouldn’t raise this issue”), shows an utter lack of understanding of how society changes and how our rights have been won – through struggle.

The PSU’s teach-in was an attempt to continue a tradition of struggle that has demanded historical truth and a non-racist respect for all human beings. The writer’s article is also part of a long tradition: the attempt by those afraid of change to protect the status quo at the expense of truth.

-Barak Epstein freshman

Erg-o-thon thanks

The GW crew team would like to thank everyone who contributed to our “Erg-o-thon” last Tuesday on the H Street Terrace. Through the generosity of students, faculty and other innocent bystanders, we were able to raise much more money than we had planned, all of which will go towards buying new equipment and defraying travel expenses. The “Erg-o-thon” was a huge success.

For those wondering why we were sweating so much, our aim was to collectively row one million meters, which is really far. The combined efforts of the men’s and women’s varsity and novice teams equaled 1,158,226 meters, which is about 724 miles. This was well beyond our goal.

One hundred and ten crew members took part. Each person rowed in shifts of 45 minutes on one of the six ergs set up on the terrace. If you’re wondering what the heck an erg is, it is short for “rowing ergometer,” the rowing machine we train on during the winter when we are not out on the Potomac River. Our Million Meter Erg-o-thon began at 6 a.m. and ended at 10 p.m. We sure know how to have a good time. Some of our top ergers were: Justin Hutchinson, Tara DeRosa, Megan Doyle, Mike Litz, Colleen Carignan and Maura McCarthy.

Again, we’d like to thank everyone we solicited money from, and would like to apologize to anyone we frightened. Erging is usually mind-numbing drudgery, and being outside among real people for a change was a treat. Thanks for putting up with us, and, if you were entertained by our erging, then we hope to see you in the spring at our home regatta, the GW Invitational April 11. Feel free to mark you calendars now.

-The GW Crew Team

More to Discover
Donate to The GW Hatchet