Don’t welcome a one-sided president
After reading Jimmy Carter’s latest book, “Palestine: Peace Not Apartheid,” I quickly learned that Carter isn’t, as he claims, an “honest broker” for peace in the war-torn Middle East. Rather, he takes a one-sided approach on the current conflict in Israel with anti-Zionist musings that attempt to equate Israel’s policies to those of Apartheid South Africa. In addition, he purports that Israel’s actions go unquestioned and that Congress takes a biased approach to the conflict.
As a dignified Jew and Zionist, I am offended that GW President Stephen Joel Trachtenberg has invited former president Carter to speak at our school. Moreover, as a GW Colonial, I am worried for our school’s academic and financial well-being. After Carter spoke at Brandeis University in mid-January, some prominent donors, who were disgusted with the school’s invitation to Carter, spoke of withholding financial support. This could be a possibility for GW.
In addition, what does this invitation mean for the academic reputation of GW? When Carter recently spoke at both Brandeis and Emory universities, he refused to debate with Middle East experts Alan Dershowitz and Dennis Ross. Furthermore, at both universities, all questions for the question-and-answer period were sanitized and pre-screened. Carter even rejected the idea of any follow-up questions. Is this what he considers an academic dialogue? Why should we compromise our own standards with respect to academic inquiry?
Indeed, there are two compelling narratives in the Middle East, each with equally legitimate claims. Carter’s one-sided version offers no legitimate prescription for peace, and GW should not lend its name and reputation to someone who will not engage in a constructive dialogue on the matter.
-Aviva Berman, Junior
Our mascot is great, but some plans for the future aren’t
I would like to respond to Diana Kugel’s plea for a clearer sense of the GW campus and its symbols (“Beating the “buff and blue” blues, Mar. 1, p. 4). First, GW’s teams are the Colonials. Second, our official mascot is a Colonial, who closely resembles George Washington. The mascot, named George, traditionally has had an alarmingly large head. And third, those who wear the buff and blue are Colonials, not hippos.
President Stephen Joel Trachtenberg, in his eagerness to foster school spirit, introduced the hippopotamus to the campus after he was not allowed to put it in his home. My hope is that it soon finds a new home with President Trachtenberg at his new residence.
I agree with the need to further enhance the feel campus and to build on the many improvements made during Trachtenberg’s administration. While the GW campus plan contains positive aspects, one negative proposal involves new construction that would replace about a third of the open space in University Yard. This historic heart of GW’s campus should not be decreased in size – creating a strong sense of place for the University involves preserving what is important now while planning for the future.
And by the way, buff and blue are great school colors.
-Michael La Place, Alum
Gelman laptop policy is limited and rational
In response to Sean Murphy’s Feb. 22 letter to the editor (“Allow computers all over Gelman,” p. 4), Gelman Library has a no-laptops rule in effect for only one study room in the entire building – just the fifth floor graduate study room. To answer his point about consistency and potentially banning cell phones, that policy is actually in effect in the study rooms and the sixth floor.
As you may have noticed, there are not enough staff members to enforce these rules at all times. So, not arbitrarily, we have set room policies at the request of students themselves to provide options for the wide variety of studiers in the library. We post the policies in the rooms to provide backup for peer-to-peer enforcement of them.
After many requests for a truly silent study room, we implemented the no-laptop rule for the fifth floor study room, in an attempt to provide this service in direct response to student needs.
We definitely agree that the library is a place to do work, which is why we have created opportunities for the diverse student body to be successful in their studies in a number of ways. If any students would like to provide feedback on current library policies, please feel free to e-mail [email protected].
-Amber Marcellino, Graduate student, Gelman Library student liaison
Men’s basketball is not a product
Joshua Masayoshi Huff’s letter to The Hatchet (“No Obligation to Support a Bad Team” Feb. 27, p. 4) is embarrassing. It is more embarrassing than the kids cutting in line or those students who shouted inappropriate comments about Saint Joseph’s coach Phil Martelli’s wife. It is embarrassing because it shows that those kids do exist at GW – the ones we all fear.
Those are the kids we try to persuade our friends at home don’t really go to our school – the ones who are negative, whiny and most of all disloyal. For the freshmen that waltzed into GW last year and had a top-10 basketball team, I’m sorry. To be a true fan, however, you need to experience losing, because without it winning doesn’t mean anything. And this year we aren’t even doing that poorly.
Ultimately, men’s basketball coach Karl Hobbs says he is not expected to win a national championship at GW because of comments like the ones made in the aforementioned letter. Hobbs probably doesn’t feel that enough people believe in him.
Don’t view a basketball team as a product. Don’t view a group of men who work hard for a dedicated coach as somehow inferior to fans who appoint themselves as the arbiters of success. Finally, if you don’t support the team, don’t come at all.
-Tommy Newman , Senior
