Big stew, small rabbit

Zej Moczydlowski makes a very big stew from a very small rabbit. The underlying data for his recent shrill screed is that GW went from 51st to 52nd in the U.S. News and World Report rankings.

As U.S. News and World Report itself points out, such modest statistical distinctions are inconsequential and representative of little or nothing. That Mr. Moczydlowski ignored this, after I pointed it out to him, does not speak well for his journalistic standards, something we all need to be particularly sensitive about given contemporary events.

I myself don’t object to criticism from GW stakeholders. Indeed I can often learn from it. But when it’s merely somebody shrieking in order to see if his lungs work, it creates more noise than light. Alas, GW can no doubt be made better in a variety of ways. It would be nice if Mr. Moczydlowski would devote some of his special energies to actually thinking about the hard problems – the priorities, the trade-offs, the compromises, the resource allocations – questions that need to be answered to move us from strength to strength.

I’m sure he can do better. For now, he gets a grade of “okay to re-do.”

-Stephen Joel Trachtenberg, University President

Don’t Blame 7-Eleven

The recent decision by Mitchell Hall’s 7-Eleven to no longer accept GWorld as a form of payment (See story, p. 1) has prompted many to react negatively towards 7-Eleven. Freshmen in Thurston Hall especially, no longer able to shop at the convenience store, are forced to spend their mandatory $1,500 at other venues, none of which are as close, open 24 hours a day or as cheap as the Mitchell 7-Eleven. Throughout this spring semester, thousands of students will de disadvantaged between GW’s largest residence halls at Mabel Thurston and 1957 E. St. alone. But is it fair to direct our vehemence against what I’ve observed as a very customer-friendly 7-Eleven?

As a privately owned business, the owners of 7-Eleven have the right and responsibility to make decisions based on economic profit. As The GW Hatchet reported on Monday (Jan. 17, p. 1), GW charges four times as much as the store’s most expensive credit card system, American Express. If I were a business owner, I wouldn’t keep the GWorld system based on that statement alone. Does it make sense that the George Washington University, a non-profit educational institution, charges more than the multinational banking corporation, American Express?

It’s hard to believe that GW rivals AMEX in the surcharges it can assess, but that is a tribute to the power of 19,000 student consumers in about 16 square blocks. I find no fault in 7-Eleven for considering its operating expenses – in this case GWorld surcharges. While private businesses operate based on profit, it should be the business of GW to serve its students first. GW’s meal plan, based solely on the debit card known as GWorld, should not force students into the most pricey food venues. By placing an exorbitant GWorld surcharge upon the “GWorld Partner” vendors, GW makes it most difficult for the cheapest and most convenient vendors to stay open.

In making money via GWorld, GW shows itself to be acting like a business, rather than a non-profit university. In the case of 7-Eleven, I’m glad that 7-Eleven stood up for its business practices in eliminating the unreasonable GWorld surcharges. Now, if only GW stayed true to its commitment of serving students first, they would improve the university meal plan. To start, the plan should be made more affordable to the students by making it more affordable for the best vendors.

-Doug Buckley, freshman

Taking action

The article about student protesters (“A fall without protests,” Jan.17, p. 11) while true, missed a key point. Many students are involved in groups that focus less on GW policies and more on local and national policies. The Student Global AIDS Campaign (SGAC) is a perfect example. SGAC participates in one to two large demonstrations every semester with the intent of putting enough pressure on President Bush to adopt a real, comprehensive, effective global AIDS plan. Currently, SGAC is planning a large 8,000-person march on Washington, the Student March Against AIDS, which will be on Feb. 26. Students from around the country will converge on Washington to rally and march for their future. AIDS kills 8,000 people every day, and by 2010 more than 100 million people will be infected. These statistics make the future look bleak, but it is an alterable future. We know how to prevent the transmission of HIV (condoms, clean needles), we know how to treat HIV-positive people (anti-AIDS drugs cost $150 per year); what’s missing is the political will to do so. This is a cause that we must win, and students must take a stand. For more information on the march, visit www.studentaidsmarch.org.

-Kaytee Riek, senior, Student March Against AIDS Co-organizer