Boycott Bar
Friends, Romans, countrymen, lend me your ears. I come to bury McFadden’s, not to praise it. For years I’ve enjoyed going out to bars in D.C., but ever since the brute on Pennsylvania opened there has been something wrong with the bar scene, mainly a lack of people. At first I wrote it off to novelty, McFadden’s is a new place and everyone wants to try it out. I even went to see what it was like, but a month after she opened her doors, McFadden’s, or more appropriately McFascist’s, has gone too far. I go to Madhatter on Tuesday nights to enjoy $1.50 Amstel Lights and a lot of people, and this past week was to be no exception. I had high hopes for the night, it had been a beautiful day and I figured that the rest of the senior class would be out in full force to take advantage of our last month in school. But the Hatter was empty, at 11 p.m. there were maybe no more than 30 people in the entire bar, and most of them were professionals, not students. I knew where everyone was, so begrudgingly, I went, down to the pit of hell, McFadden’s.

I have never understood why people wait in line to get into a bar or club. People would rather wait outside for an hour and a half to get into the bar only to find once inside the night is almost over. To me, it is a self-defeating prophecy. The point of going out is to go to a bar, not to wait to get in. This is the paradox of McFascist’s, people would rather wait outside to get in rather than go to another bar. I tried to impart this concept to the people waiting in line, but it was no use. If all of us waiting in line, I argued, went somewhere else, we could actually have some fun by accomplishing the goal of the evening – to go to a bar! My pleas fell on deaf ears, so I am here to ask again, boycott McFadden’s!

The madness needs to end here. We need to stop glorifying the “one.” We need to become independent thinkers again. We need to stop buying into the mob mentality. That is what McFascist’s wants us to do, but we, the future leaders of this country, are smarter than that. We need to reclaim the bars! We need to take back the streets! This is our city; we paid for it with our sweat, tears and money. Please let us stop worshiping at the feet of a false idol. Let’s put the life back into the nightlife of this city and stop going to McFadden’s.
-Micah Kagen, senior

Respect student press
I never liked The Hatchet April Fool’s Day issue. It was not that it was crude. I just thought that there were more important issues that should be covered, rather than publishing humor aimed at fans of the American Pie genre. But I also know most people like it.

However, in light of the fact that Stetson University in Florida took the remarkable step of shutting down the school’s student-run newspaper, I would like to hope the GW student body acknowledges that an independent source of news is something that should not be taken lightly. The Stetson student paper began in 1887, and today its offices are closed. The school administration said they were appalled by the content of the April 1 edition. However, the newspaper and the administration had grown increasingly at odds, and their April Fool’s Day issue was justification for a decision that they otherwise would not have been able to defend. To all the people that complain about The Hatchet, and for all the people who say it’s only good for the crossword puzzle, another private university’s 116-year-old student newspaper was closed down last week because the administration and the editors were at odds.

If you do not like the quality, then do something about it. However, the institution of a student run newspaper is something that should be cherished, and the student body should respect the institution because it represents the voice of the very people who make this school what it is.
-James Meiersclass of 2002

Offer cheaper housing
Congratulations to President Trachtenberg, et al. for something I personally thought could not be done – drastically increasing housing costs for GW students. The addition of The Gallery is just another example of the administration catering to unreasonably expensive tastes at the expense of lower-income students.

Have they forgotten that most GW students rely on financial aid and student loans to attend this University? Do they realize that $3,000+ a month for a shared apartment is out of reach for many students?

I urge the administration to develop less expensive housing options for students. Because of high housing costs on the GW campus, I am forced to make a daily 45-minute trek from Friendship Heights to Foggy Bottom. Not only is it inconvenient, but my Metro bills add up to more than $90 a month.

Vice President Chernak said the administration seeks to “provide a lifestyle option that is different from what is readily available within the system.” I agree with him. He should work to develop plans for low-cost, basic housing without extravagant amenities that is financially realistic for more students.

I realize a putting green, heated pool and hot tub sound like a lot of fun. Be sure I will think about all that on my 45-minute daily bus ride to campus.
-Megan Robertson, junior