GW students work to protect environment

The annual Foggy Bottom Cleanup will be held Saturday, hosted by the Student Association Community Affairs Committee. The event includes cleaning up the neighborhood, a free lunch, a blood drive and free T-shirts and giveaways.

The cleanup will start at noon in the Marvin Center third floor terrace, where students will depart to clean up the community, and last until about 3 p.m.

E-mail [email protected] for more information.

MSA events raise Islamic awareness

The Muslim Student Association will wrap up its annual Islam Awareness Week Friday with a coffee night in the Marvin Center.

The “informal” coffee night, which MSA holds every year as part of its awareness week, will include skits, poems and other student performances, MSA Islam Awareness Week Chair Rizwan Khan said. About 30 to 35 students attended last year, and similar numbers are expected this year.

“Although it’s in the midst of exam week, there is a high expectation for a good turnout,” Khan said. “We have it every year and everyone knows about it. It’s a lot of fun.”

The event will take place at 7 p.m. Friday in Marvin Center rooms 413 and 414.

Howard University Chaplain Johari Abdul-Mailk is slated to speak about African American Muslim influence in the post-Malcolm X era Thursday.

Khan said MSA has had Abdul-Mailk speak before, and “everyone loves him.”

The event will be held in Marvin Center rooms 413 and 414 at 7 p.m. and is co-sponsored by the NAACP and the National Society for Black Engineers.

The week-long festivities kicked off with a bowling tournament Sunday, which charged three canned goods to enter a team in the competition. Khan said MSA collected about 85 cans and the group expects more contributions throughout the week. The food will benefit Martha’s Table, a local organization dedicated to providing homeless people with food.

Oktoberfest to hit Kogan Plaza

The traditionally German Oktoberfest, a fall festival of food, drinking and dancing, will come to campus Sunday.

Although there will be no beer, which is the traditional beverage of Oktoberfest, organizers said they aim to make the celebration as authentic as possible.

Three Alpine Dancers will give polka lessons and German foods like sausage, chocolate cake and “make-your-own caramel apples” will be served. There will also be a pumpkin carving contest. Winners will receive tickets to a Kennedy Center performance.

“We won’t have actual beer, which is what the festival is actually about, but we’ll have root beer,” said Program Board Arts co-chair Erica Phillips, who helped organize the event.

The PB Arts Committee and the German Club are co-hosting the event, which will take place from 12 p.m. to 4 p.m. on Kogan Plaza.

“Hopefully around 100 to 150 people will attend,” Phipps said. “It’s right in the center for campus so everyone can stop by and grab some root beer and a sausage and maybe dance a little bit.”

PB expands programming to graduate students

Gradiation 2002, a football tournament among GW graduate schools, will be held at the Mount Vernon Campus Sunday from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m.

The event is targeted at graduate students because, although all students are invited to PB events, the majority of participants are usually undergraduates, PB Chair Bryan Gless said. He said he encourages undergraduates to attend the event and cheer for their favorite teams.

“There will be food there for everyone and T-shirts for the players,” Gless said. About 50 to 60 players have already signed up.

The winning teams will receive a $200 co-sponsorship for its graduate school organization from the Program Board.

“We thought it would be better than (PB) going out and buying something (for the winners),” Gless said. “The money is something everyone can put to good use and gives everyone a reason to come out.”

-Blake A. Ehrlich