MSA kicks off the year

Sixty people attended the Muslim Student Association’s ice cream social and information session last week, the group’s first meeting of the semester.

MSA Vice President Amina Chaudary said attendees discovered the MSA is an enthusiastic club committed to bringing fun and religious understanding to campus.

Specifically, Chaudary said the MSA is eager to refute the negative stereotypes that have surrounded the Islamic culture in recent years.

“There is a lot of misunderstanding about Muslims and the Islamic culture,” Chaudary said. “One of the things we want to do is better enlighten those who have been misinformed about us by Hollywood or other places.”

The MSA is dedicated to providing a social environment for Muslims, Chaudary said. The organization plans to form committees to handle community service events, find outside speakers and plan social events.

“We offer a lot of different committees,” Chaudary said. “We try to meet on a common level of understanding that is open to everybody.”

In addition to lectures, discussions and social gatherings, the MSA provides accommodations for prayer and reflection. Rooms in the Marvin Center are prepared for prayer daily.

This year, the MSA hopes to encourage more involvement from the GW Muslim community, Chaudary said. Of the 2,000 Muslim students on campus, 800 are listed MSA members.

-Jason Sherman

Glamour brings fashion show to the Quad

Glamour magazine hosted a variety of events on the Quad this week as part of its “Ultimate Guide to Getting a Job” tour, including a fashion show that featured GW students.

“It’s been really successful,” said Ruth Kahn, merchandising editor for Glamour. “(The tour) gives students the tools they’ll need in making the transition from campus to career.”

Kahn said the fashion show gives students something that is not always available to them. The fashion show demonstrates the positive aspects of wool, including its durability, said Stephanie Garbarini, general manager of marketing and retail communications at Woolmark, a not-for-profit corporation that promotes the use of wool.

It was sponsored by Woolmark, MasterCard and the milk campaign, among others.

Many students reacted positively to the variety of sponsors and free services and samples.

“It’s good that the magazine companies can bring the products to the students to sample,” said sophomore Donlanda Pyles, while getting her nails polished. “I enjoyed everything.”

-Steven Postal

Latinos for Progress to promote culture

The Latinos for Progress’ first meeting Tuesday showed increased support for the group, President Eddy Lara said.

Lara said he hopes to continue the organization’s movement toward “establishing the Latinos as a community on campus and creating a voice to be heard,” while including more non-Latino students who wish to get involved.

Latinos for Progress is in its third year at GW and aims to increase awareness of cultural issues around campus during Hispanic Heritage Month, which started Sept. 15 and ends Oct. 15, Lara said.

Executive board member Carlos Hibbard said he has seen positive changes in recent years.

“In the beginning, there is usually a lot of excitement and then it dies down later in the year, so this year we have scheduled more events and activities to hold members’ interest and provide more opportunities for involvement,” Hibbard said.

Nearly 80 students showed up for the organization’s kick-off barbecue Tuesday.

Lara said the organization also promotes community service and political affairs, and encourages all students who are interested in learning more about GW’s Latino community to get involved.

-Russ Rizzo

CIRC experiences technical difficulties

GW’s RESEARCH database, used by graduate students and faculty members for research, experienced technical difficulties last weekend.

Students and professors were unable to access the UNIX-based RESEARCH system from Saturday morning until early Sunday evening.

The RESEARCH database is used “to keep large amounts of data needed during large statistical or technical studies,” said Computer Information and Resource Center official Steven Cohen.

Although the database is only available to graduate students in specific programs and faculty members, it provides important resources for its users, Cohen said.

A power outage Tuesday caused difficulties with back-up software. CIRC officials shut down the system for maintenance Saturday morning after the system was rebooted multiple times Friday for unexplained reasons, CIRC Director Brad Reese said.

CIRC shut down RESEARCH to back up the system this weekend, when the least amount of users rely on the research tool, Reese said.

No further problems have been detected in the RESEARCH system since it was put back online Sunday around 5 p.m., Reese said.

-Russ Rizzo