University to hand out GW Award

The University will honor three members of the community with the GW Award during Commencement on May 16.

The award is given to faculty, staff and students who have made significant contributions to the University.

James Ferrer, director of the Center for Latin American Studies; Mark Levine, senior assistant dean of the Community Living and Learning Center; and law student Ann O’Connell are this year’s winners.

Candidates were nominated by their peers and then evaluated by the GW Award Selection Committee of the Joint Committee of Faculty and Students.

The committee selected Ferrer for his efforts to expand the Latin American and Hemispheric Studies program.

Levine will be recognized for his contributions and changes to the CLLC, such as the Community Standards Initiative, which helps students manage their living environments.

O’Connell, a Law School dean’s fellow, will be honored for her work in the classroom and contributions to the GW Law Review and Moot Court Board.

Professor addresses gay marriage

Jill Joseph, professor of pediatrics, spoke in front of the House Judiciary Committee Thursday to oppose a legal ban on same-sex marriage.

Joseph explained that a ban on gay marriage could endanger children who are being cared for by same-sex parents, according to 365gay.com, a Web site devoted to gay issues.

In her written testimony, Joseph wrote that as many as a quarter of the 600,000 households with same-sex, unmarried partnerships are raising children, according to the Web site.

Joseph’s speech was in reaction to a proposed bill in the House to define marriage as the union between a man and a woman.

Joseph also works as a pediatrician at the Children’s National Medical Center.

GW to offer summer program on racism

GW will offer a summer programs that examines the contemporary role of racism 50 years after the U.S. Supreme Court passed Brown v. Board of Education.

The Brown v. Board of Education ruling allowed for the desegregation of public schools in the United States in 1954.

The summer institute, “50 Years After Brown v. Board of Education: The Ongoing Role of Racism in a Colorblind Society,” will offer courses, lectures and a film series. The sociology department and the Special and International Programs Office are running the program.

Courses are open to students and will bring in instructors from organizations such as the NAACP and the Urban Institute. Each course is three credit hours and has a $2,205 fee.

The lecture and film series are free and open to the public. Lecturers include William Winter, former governor of Mississippi, and Julian Bond, Chair of the NAACP.

James Loewen, author of the book “Lies My Teacher Told Me,” organized the film series. His book examines misconceptions about American history. The film series will feature post-movie discussions led by Loewen.

Interested students should contact GW Special Academic Programs at (202) 994-6360 or [email protected].

–Caitlin Carroll