GW then and now
I am a 23-year-old sophomore here at the University. I matriculated as a freshman at GW in the fall of 1997, left in the spring of 1998, then returned in the spring of 2002. Those four years gave this University a facelift – no, make that a complete body lift – that comes close to justifying (at least a portion of) our sky-high tuition costs.
Fall of 1997:
No Kogan Plaza with pretty blue gazebos, fountains, benches and lights. We had a big field of pretty green weeds, leaky irrigation pipes, cinder blocks and used matches.
Noeasy-to-remember [email protected] e-mail addresses. We yelled impatiently into the phone, “That’s G-W-I-S-TWO-DOT-C-I-R-C-DOT-GWU-DOT-EDU.” It looks like [email protected] on paper.
No Ben & Jerry’s, Jamba Juice, Provisions, Provisions II Gourmet, Einstein’s, Pulse Copy Center. We had the MC grocery store where debit dollars could buy you a pack of Camel Lights, but good luck buying any groceries for the dorm.
No points – we had meal plans. Take your choice, 14, 10, seven meals a week, with no rollover from week to week. Plus, you could only get your pre-determined limited “meal” once per meal period (11a.m.- 2 p.m., 5-8 p.m., etc.)
No Starbucks, no Chick-Fil-A, no sushi. The sushi bar used to be a little diner area with honest-to-God “Blue Plate Specials.” No lie.
No Hippodrome. Yeah, we had two pool tables where the arcade is right now. Forget Big Burger, we might have had a vending machine.
No Subway. We had Itza Pizza for late night meals and the occasional video game Area 51.
No AIM. What is instant messenger? Without AOL, we had no chatting capabilities (the geeks had IRC).
No Cell Phones. Yeah, you actually used your dorm room phone and your answering machine. No free long distance, no freedom to talk in Kogan Plaza.
The list keeps going on.
It is crazy how much GW has changed over the years … hey, the people are still the same though. Same old crazy crowd.
-David Chung, sophomore
More student input
In “SA exec joins trimester team,” (Feb. 24, p. 1) Donald Lehman said “that he and Trachtenberg decided one student representative would be “sufficient.” This means, according to the administration, that only one student is needed to represent the entire student body.
In “Officials expect tuition increase,” (Feb. 24, p. 1) it is reported that another 4.9 percent tuition increase may be implemented again this year, which for many will mean more loans and/or extra job hours – detracting from the reason they came to college, to study subjects of intrigue.
The article later explains that the University is currently developing the academic excellence component of a three- to five-year strategic plan. But how can a man, who feels that less than .01 percent of the student population can represent the student body, have any idea what kind of component will create a better academic setting?
The administration should stop chasing money, realize that educational institutions are for learning and it is wrong to exclude students in the decision-making processes that affects our living and educational standards. Students, I ask you to demand that the administration care about your opinions, because we are the people they are supposed to be serving.
-Alex Freedman, junior
Think for yourself
Everyday we are bombarded with opinions on Iraq from the left and from the right, from television journalists, newspaper journalists, government officials, political analysts, washed-up government officials and our fellow students. “Hawks” and “doves,” protesters and protested, liberals and conservatives all want to tell you what to think.
Feel free to see both sides of the issue and to weigh the merits of each. We are college students, thinkers, seekers of truth and molders of the future – we are not simply agents of political parties, interest groups, corruption, deceit and lies. Do not just tow the party line, take this opportunity to think and formulate. Do not let yourself be just another mindless twit.
-David A. Curcio, junior
Hold the aesthetics
Before the University chooses to purchase any more multi-million dollar hallways (Marvin Center, 21st Street entrance), golden pillars or awnings that don’t even block the rain, it should consider both the students that benefit from pretty things and those that are hurt by the tuition raises. I would gladly live without the aesthetic renovations and keep the additional $1,300 in my pocket.
-Lesley Heffel, sophomore
