F Street plans released
The University, in partnership with D.C. Public Schools, released plans for the renovation of the School Without Walls and the construction of a new residence hall on the F Street tennis courts. The deal highlights GW’s commitment to local high school students and helps the University comply with the Campus Plan, which among other things requires GW to house 70 percent of undergraduates on campus.

Hillel director
Hillel Executive Director Robert Fishman forwarded an e-mail to the Hillel listserv accusing GW law student Fadi Kiblawi of being a terrorist without any evidence supporting the claim. This action reflects poorly on Hillel, and Fishman should do everything within his power to rectify the situation.

Sign language glove
GW is not known for its science programs. Still, a GW research scientist developed a glove capable of translating American Sign Language into English. This should help bring some much-needed publicity to the University’s science programs, which hope to be augmented by a new facility in the coming years.

Lulu’s closing
The closing of Lulu’s nightclub will mark a significant shift in GW culture. No longer will freshman girls have such an easy place to engage in promiscuous behavior, and freshman guys will have to work just a little bit harder for that first semester hookup. Now, memories of our poor judgment are all that remain of Lulu’s.

SMPA progress
The School of Media and Public Affairs narrowed its director search to four, moving quickly after the previous search ended without the appointment of a director. In addition, the school instituted new courses and requirements, which are more flexible and practical for SMPA students.

ANC enrollment challenge
The Foggy Bottom Advisory Neighborhood Commission has questioned whether GW is in compliance with a Campus Plan stipulation that requires undergraduate enrollment to remain under 20,000. In another petty maneuver to capitalize on a Campus Plan technicality, the ANC wants students living at the Mount Vernon Campus to count in the Foggy Bottom enrollment numbers. The ANC will serve its interests best by cooperating with the University in areas of mutual interest rather than perpetuating petty conflict.

Thurston not any safer
After a fire in Thurston last year threatened hundreds of students and sent one freshman to the hospital with severe burns, administrators talked up residence hall safety as a major priority. The University has allocated significant funds to improve fire safety in the residence halls and needs to show more tangible results.