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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

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Letters to the Editor

J Street distractions

In response to the “TV-free dinner” letter to the editor in The GW Hatchet April 9 (p.4), I would offer that, as students who are forced by the University to purchase meal plans until we have earned 60 credits, J Street is one of only two real dining halls where we can eat with these meals.

The creations that end up on our plates often contain uncooked meat, limp vegetables, badly piled sandwiches and/or left-handed cake. Sometimes watching television is the only way to keep from blanching at the sight of the still-living animals or microwaved leaves sitting in front of us.

I would additionally tender that, while everyone who wishes has the right to eat in our beautiful dining hall, including high school students, the homeless and the spouses of faculty members, J Street was created for the students of GW. As a college student, I would guess that, on average, I watch one hour or less of television per week, as do many of us that have homework. Beyond that, the J Street televisions are more than half of the time tuned to CNN or to the GW channel, which shows school basketball games and Student Association meetings, hardly mindless entertainment.

Without the televisions at J Street, many of us would be subjected to the truly drudgerous task of trying to keep up a conversation while wading through a diner meal in order to get to the strawberry cake at the end of the rainbow – truly a mindless form of entertainment.

-Chris Shawsophomore

Silence is shameful

I want to thank the writer of the opinion piece “Public silence over Clinton is shameful,” for his editorial in the April 6 edition of The GW Hatchet (p.4). The author expressed what I have been feeling for a long time.

The deafening silence that has greeted Clinton’s outrageous behavior is very saddening, especially from women’s groups, such as the National Organization for Women. I would like to add that for those who believe they are taking a moral high ground when they claim the president’s sex life is none of our business, they are mistaken. Clinton’s behavior is not about sexual preferences or peccadilloes. This, like rape, is not about sex, but abuse. Clinton is abusing his power as a man and a world leader to violate women.

The right-wing conspiracy theory is an interesting one. That is if you believe that all these women had nothing better to do than turn their lives upside down. What woman (or man for that matter) wouldn’t want to be raked over the coals by a relentless press and a vicious cadre of angry White House staffers?

As the writer clearly stated, our silence in this matter is shameful.

-Fatimah Balbed program manager, University Teaching Center

Recess a waste of time

I was simply outraged when I read the April 10 editorial entitled “Yes to recess” (p. 4). In it, recess was labeled as an “invaluable time of the day for developing children’s creativity and social skills.” It went on to say “schools should not become so caught up in standardized tests, long-division…” and other concrete skills, for doing so would amount to a loss of the child’s “unique charm.”

The editors, however, forgot to mention a few basic facts. As our educational system has grown fond of this more “creative” form of schooling, more children started to exit the system with less knowledge. Currently, American children are lagging behind so many other Western countries’ children that it is outright embarrassing.

Yes, creativity and other so-called “soft skills” should be encouraged in children, but not in school. That should be left up to parents. The role of school is to teach, and the best way to learn long division and master the standardized tests is to teach these skills directly.

The school should not be in the business of trying to protect a child’s “unique charm.” Thus, recess should be scratched, letting children spend more time at home where parents can pass on these valuable characteristics onto their children at their own discretion.

-Witold Chrabaszczfreshman

Just say no

I am writing in response to the opinion piece “Nixing Barry deal is short-sighted” (p. 5) in Monday’s issue of The GW Hatchet.

I recall a “Simpsons” episode when Mr. Burns hires a contract killer to knock off Grandpa Simpson. He calls a hitman in South America and says, “Hello, this is M. B.” The hitman responds, “Ahh, Marion Barry, is it time for another shipment already?”

This is the person who should be rewarded with a professorship? Some crackhead, political hack who has destroyed D.C.? I think the first issue that should be explored is why someone like this should be given a professorship at a prestigious university.

Of course, this really isn’t a reward. The truth is that for all Marion Barry has done for D.C., he would be reelected to office without a doubt. This only highlights the idiocy (sorry, but it is true) of the D.C. electorate. The professorship is merely a tool to lure Barry away from D.C. government in the hopes of salvaging some kind of home rule for this city.

He was reelected after smoking crack, so obviously he has some political savvy. The thing is, his brand of political skills is not what students need to learn in college. He is the kind of politician that has caused most Americans to be disgusted with politics. Through graft, patronage and out-and-out illegal activities, he has gained a political stranglehold on this town. Does any university want its students learning these kind of tactics?

I have lived here in D.C. for four years and I must say I understand the need to get Barry out of office. And I understand the ease with which this proposed professorship would accomplish this goal. But going this route shows a complete disregard for the reputation of higher education as a whole and a complete lack of respect for all the good professors that didn’t smoke crack.

-Chris Steinkesenior

NOW not silent

This letter is in response to the opinion piece “Public silence over Clinton is shameful” in the April 6 Hatchet (p.5). As a GW student interning at the National Organization for Women, I felt compelled to respond to the comments about a lack of a feminist reaction to President Clinton over the past year. Many other news organizations have made similar claims recently, all of which are unfounded and unresearched.

NOW never has been silent on the issue of sexual harassment. In the case of Paula Jones, she was neither open, nor interested in NOW’s support. NOW has issued several press releases concerning the president’s sexual behavior as of late, criticizing his possible abuse of the “aphrodisiac of power” in relation to Monica Lewinsky and charging the president with sexual assault if Kathleen Willey’s allegations are true.

Upon the dismissal of Ms. Jones’ case, NOW released yet another statement reminding the country that this did not mean it was open season on women in the workplace. All of these statements and others can be found on the NOW Web site, http://www.now.org.

Furthermore, the National Organization for Women did not endorse the president in his 1992 or 1996 campaigns. For many feminists, myself included, he has certainly not proven himself a feminist during his tenure in office. Feminists are not ignoring the president’s behavior; the media is ignoring feminists.

-Rebecca Kirkpatricksenior

Self-help

This is in regard to the story and editorial about GW advising that appeared in the April 13 issue of The Hatchet (“Columbian blues: Students pay for communications gap with advisors, p.1; “Advising blues,” p.4).

Granted, advisors could be a lot more helpful. However, GW students need to take personal responsibility for their own education. After all, it is the student’s name that appears on the diploma, not the advisor’s.

I don’t want to sound harsh, but if you can’t get your requirements straight, you really shouldn’t be graduating. In the real adult world, you can’t blame others for your lack of thoroughness and foresight.

Here are some tips that worked for me: 1.) read t
he Bulletin; 2.) ask the registrar or the dean’s office; 3.) periodically check GWIS personal info and/or GWizard student info; 4.) get a balance sheet and an unofficial transcript.

We all need to become proactive, rather than reactive, so that potential disasters are avoided. It’s just another part of the college experience, and the key to becoming an adult, both legally and morally.

-Maximillian Soongsenior

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