SA hosts basketball tailgate barbecue

About 300 people joined the Student Association, Colonial Army and the Interfraternity Council in a Kogan Plaza barbecue to kick off the home opener of the GW men’s basketball game Tuesday night.

“It’s the first game, so we thought we’d start it off right – with food,” said SA President Lamar Thorpe, a senior.

“It’s exciting to have the basketball season upon us and this is our way of showing it,” he said.

The two barbecue pits ran out of hot dogs and hamburgers about an hour into the event. Thorpe and his cabinet and other SA Senators also gave away 100 free T-shirts, and students had an opportunity to get their faces painted.

Thorpe said he plans on hosting similar tailgate parties in the future, mainly before important games throughout the season. He did not say the cost of the event.

He said, “Basketball builds community and spirit at GW, so we’re out here getting people excited.”

-Brandon Butler

SA executive branch to see new faces

Student Association President Lamar Thorpe announced Tuesday night that he is shaking up his cabinet.

Thorpe, a senior, said at the SA Senate meeting in the Marvin Center that junior Elliot Gillerman has resigned from his position as vice president of academic affairs and that senior Steph Adelman, Thorpe’s vice president of financial affairs, will be resigning this December when she graduates.

Once Adelman resigns, Thorpe said he will nominate sophomore Ron Strasik to be the next VPFA. Strasik has been assisting the office of VPFA throughout this semester, said Andrew Cooper, Thorpe’s vice president of public affairs.

The SA executive has already nominated sophomore Tim Little to fill the vacancy left by Gillerman.

Little will be brought before the SA Rules Committee Nov. 29 for approval. If approved by the Rules Committee, he will face the SA Senate for confirmation Dec. 5.

Thorpe said Gillerman resigned because he was not fullfilling the basic duties of the job.

“There are some structrual things we ask all for the vice presidents to do, and Elliot and I agreed that he did not have time to perform these tasks,” Thorpe said at the meeting.

Thorpe said such duties include meeting with members of the executive on a weekly basis and meeting with Exectuive Vice President of Academic Affairs Donald Lehman. Thorpe said some initiatives he would like to have the SA VPAA work on include taking a stance on the University’s four-by-four proposal, a plan that would change GW’s credit structure to a four-credit, four-class system.

Also during the meeting, the SA Senate confirmed second-year law student Michael Gore, junior David Rosenbaum and sophomore Christopher Wimbush to the Student Court Tuesday night in the Marvin Center.

Once these students are sworn in by Chief Judge Christina Vamvas, a graduate student, all seats on the five-person court will be filled for next semester.

-Andrew Ramonas