Responsible reporting

I must say Four freshmen hospitalized in alcohol incidents serves as a very effective headline (Aug. 31, p. 7). However, as one of the four taken to the hospital, I am outraged on how contradictory The GW Hatchet can be. I understand that The Hatchet aims to provide GW students with news pertinent to our community. However, this article involving the freshmen is hypocritical to other articles in this edition. These four separate alcohol incidents inclusively serve as one of your main news stories, but in the index box in the upper left corner of the front page, the main feature story is listed and nonchalantly entitled Meet the Bar Boyz. These Three Wise Men are going to give us three different perspectives on D.C. nightlife. The feature ends with a simple, yet catchy phrase: Bottoms up!

Remembering how Jos? began his drinking exploits early in his GW career, how Jack likes the wild life and, lastly, learning how Johnnie has worked hard over the past two years to become the kind of barfly his mama would be proud of, I cannot think of a better method of advertisement to promote more partying and alcohol consumption early in college. Secondly, on the adjacent page of the continuation of Four freshmen hospitalized, there is a large advertisement promoting Riverside Liquors, which touts their low prices and varieties of alcohol.

Your critique of the article regarding the freshmen incident is one-sided. By using quotes from uninformed freshmen, you dragged our names through the mud and exploited an already stressful situation. By presenting such a circumstance, The Hatchet is following the University’s lead of promoting the idea to have fun; just be cautious and don’t get caught.
-Tiffany L. Valeriano
freshman
Stop and listen
It was a pleasure to read the article by Joe Ardito and Christian Burle in the last edition of The Hatchet (Starting off fresh, Sept. 5). Now that freshman have been told what they need to do with their time at GW – or more accurately, you have told them what you do here with your time – maybe it would be nice for the two of you to hear what freshmen have to say. However, I am not really sure if you have managed to do so by now.

At the same time, I had an opportunity to hear their complaints, suggestions and concerns. Not that I am a senator or chairman of dining services or anything, but I thought the concept of listening to what my fellow classmates think about student life at GW sounds like a groovy idea. So, let’s see what kind of a fresh start students have gotten in the past weeks? Long lines in J street, missing textbooks at the GW Bookstore, a $7.95 buffet in Thurston Hall when all they want is a banana and a bowl of cereal and students living at the State Plaza Hotel and Thurston study lounges. Need I say more?

So, before you tell everyone who you are and explain your esteemed positions, it would have been much more appropriate to address some of the above listed concerns and tell everyone that you have accomplished something during your year in office. We have to thank the Student Association, Program Board and Student Activities Center, which have provided a variety of activities in the past weeks that have given students a chance to enjoy their first few weeks at GW and truly embrace the fresh college start. I have enjoyed many of those activities, but most importantly I have enjoyed meeting new people and listening to what they have to say about their college experiences.

Finally, when the two of you walk into J Street next time, tell them who you are, but please ask them how they are doing and what you can do to make their college experience better. After all, senators and committee chairmen are there to listen to their constituents’ concerns.
-Sasa Nikolic
Student Association director of special events

Wrecked real estate
It was almost funny to read on page nine of the August 31 issue the photo caption: The GW Law School building is expanding into a historic town house on 21st and G streets. Into a historic town house? What townhouse? The GW wrecking ball took care of that historic house some weeks ago, reportedly without a demolition permit. Funny? No, it’s terribly sad.
-Ellie Becker
Foggy Bottom resident
Rethinking rankings
The Hatchet has come up with a lot of verbiage regarding the U.S. News & World Report rankings. May I suggest a reading of the lead article in the current issue of The Washington Monthly? The authors very effectively put this game of chance in its place. They are waiting for U.S. News to find a way to measure what really counts: Is there any learning going on?
-Isabella Montgomery
Gelman Library