SA to evaluate Solomon Amendment
The Student Association and the GW Law School will host a forum on the Law School’s decision to join the Forum for Academic and Institutional Rights, a coalition of schools suing the Pentagon for alleged discrimination.
The Solomon Act prevents universities that do not allow the military to recruit on campus from receiving federal funding. The government passed the act after some schools attempted to ban military recruiters from campus because of the military’s “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy. FAIR members contest that the amendment discriminates against homosexuals.
The forum is scheduled for Tues., Jan. 20 from 5 to 6 p.m. in room L202 of the Law School building.
Sens. Anyah Dembling (U-ESIA) and Eric Koester (G-At Large) organized the forum to determine whether the SA should support the law school’s decision.
“(This forum) is a great opportunity for students to get more involved in SA resolutions and offer support for activities going on at the University,” Dembling said.
Hart delivers “State of the SA Address
Student Association President Kris Hart delivered his annual State of the SA speech Tuesday. Hart spoke for 15 minutes, reflecting on this year’s successes and current and future initiatives.
“Our three biggest priorities must be to foster a more united and vibrant student community, to encourage more student involvement and to gain the trust and support of the students” Hart said.
Hart addressed last semester’s budget discrepancy between the SA and the University, which involved thousands of dollars of financial questions. The firm PricewaterhouseCoopers is set to conduct an audit of the SA later in the semester.
Hart said progress in remedying the situation is slow because of the size of the institution but that he is in negotiations with the University.
He added that he is working on 17 new measures in conjunction with Student and Academic Support Services and the Treasurer’s Office so that “absolutely no mistakes occur in the future.” Measures include more communication between offices.
“I am committed to getting answers about last year’s books and I will not stop working to ensure that all of our questions are satisfied,” he said.
–Tiago Forte
