GW Commemorates Black History Celebration
The GW Black Student Union will observe Black History Month with a 2002 Black History Celebration, a series of events that began Jan. 21 and are scheduled until March 9.

The BSU will host a town-hall meeting in Marvin Center 403 Thursday at 8 p.m. The open meeting will discuss black life on campus and the role of black organizations for students.

“We hear a lot of buzz on campus, so we hope that students will come out and give feedback as to what we can do better,” said Tamika Smith, vice president and chair of the 2002 Black History Celebration Committee.

Friday the BSU will sponsor a “Soul Bowl’ from 8 p.m. to midnight in the Hippodrome. During the first two hours students will make make peanut butter and jelly sandwiches for Martha’s Table. Students also can make Valentine Day cards for patients at Children’s Hospital and the Beverly Enterprises, a convalescent home. After 10 p.m. there will be pizza, music and bowling.

Sunday the BSU is holding a Superbowl party in the basement of 2129 G St., which will include pizza after the game, Smith said.

Burst pipe causes Aston flooding
Sophomores Suzanne Jordan and Betsy Walters said they returned to their Aston Hall double Wednesday at 5:45 p.m. to find their furniture and belongings moved into the center of the room and a 4-foot hole in one wall.

The women said neither roommate had requested maintenance service by the Trammell Crow Company, the property managers for the building. Jordan and Walters said they received no notification or information of the work.

“It was pretty shocking,” Jordan said.

Trammell Crow engineer Mario Salazar said he created the hole in the room, Aston 300, to reach a pipe that had burst and caused flooding of rooms 801, 802, 701, 702, 601 and 602 on Wednesday.

“We did not have a chance to notify the residents of the room because the situation was an emergency,” Salazar said.

Salazar also said that Trammell Crow will return to the room Thursday to repair the hole.

Jordan was told at 6:30 p.m. by a property manager that a plumber would return Thursday to perform additional pipe repairs.

“This happened in November as well,” Jordan said. “The first time, it was an inconvenience. But twice is kind of bad.”

The first time the pipe burst, flooding rooms on the first through third floors, both roommates were in the room and were notified by Trammell Crow that the repair would be temporary. Jordan said she was told the final repairs were to take place this summer.

“Property Management said we would be reimbursed for any damage to our belongings,” Jordan said. She said the only damage was drywall and pieces of paint that still cover some of their belongings.

Recess kicks off spring sketches
Recess, GW’s improv comedy acting troupe, will perform Friday night for the first time this spring. The performance will take place at midnight in the Marvin Center’s Dorothy Marvin Betts Theatre. Recess, GW’s oldest improv group, performs once a month. Admission for GW students is $3.
-Amanda Mantone

Trachtenberg to participate in forum
GW will host a forum titled “American Education: Prospects and
Challenges” Feb. 4. The forum will be led by a panel of speakers, featuring University President Stephen Joel Trachtenberg, and will address education issues in society.

English Speaking Union (ESU) President Graham Down will host the event. Other speakers include Director of the Center on Education Policy Jack Jennings, Pulitzer Prize winner and Washington Post writer Laura Sessions Stepp and President of the Institution for Educational Leadership Michael Usdan.

The forum will address President George W. Bush’s education bill, which will require all public school students in grades three through eight to be tested in reading and math. Public schools that perform poorly on the standardized tests will be given federal education aid.

“It’s good that the American people discuss what has been passed and what else we need to do,” GW spokesman Eric Solomon said.

Down encouraged GW students to make their voices heard. The forum is free for GW students and staff, and there is $10 fee for the dinner buffet.
-Rachel Medwin