Serving the GW Community since 1904

The GW Hatchet

AN INDEPENDENT STUDENT NEWSPAPER SERVING THE GW COMMUNITY SINCE 1904

The GW Hatchet

Serving the GW Community since 1904

The GW Hatchet

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Officials name senior vice president, chief of staff
By Fiona Riley, Assistant News Editor • March 26, 2024

Letters to the Editor

Sex column irresponsible at best

I am writing in response to The Hatchet’s continually disappointing and usually appalling sex column, most recently “enriched” by an article about anal sex (“Overcoming a sexual taboo,” Nov. 17, p. B1). It’s amazing to me that as a generation that was born amidst the AIDS epidemic and the explosion of sexually transmitted diseases that The Hatchet continues to publish such irresponsible filth in its publications.

In my time at the University, I have yet to see a responsible article written about the topic of sex on our campus. The Hatchet has a unique avenue to discuss relevant topics such as using protection, responsible sex and the risks of engaging in promiscuous sex. Instead, this newspaper produces such “hard-hitting” articles concerning flaccid penises after intoxication, what to do if your one-night stand tells you he loves you and now the benefits of butt sex.

Handling sex in such a glib manner is not only wildly irresponsible, but also dangerous in that it promotes the careless attitude toward sex that ruins lives and damages futures.
Sophie Zavaglia, Junior

True marriage equality

I was perplexed by Andrew Clark’s recent op-ed in support of Proposition 8 (“I voted ‘yes’ on Prop 8, Nov. 17, p. 5) in which he writes “theoretically, a gay person and I have the exact same right under California law: We can marry someone of the opposite sex who is older than 16 if we pay 40 bucks and get tested for HIV.”

This reasoning misses the very obvious point that he has no desire to marry someone of the same sex, while thousands of gay and lesbian Californians do. For these couples it is little conciliation to be told that they are “allowed” to marry people whom they could never truly love.

With $40 and an HIV test, Andrew can one day marry the person he loves. Meanwhile, all over the nation, gays and lesbians continue to fight in the hope that we too will one day have this simple luxury.
Rohmteen Mokhtari, Sophomore

Public service debt aid welcomed

As an alumna of the Human Services program at GW, I am thrilled to see that the University is considering the development of a program to off-set education costs for students who seek employment at a public service organization following graduation (“Promoting public service a worthwhile goal,” Nov. 17, p.4).

With more than $120,000 in loans at the undergraduate level, it was certainly daunting to find a job that would pay me enough to make the minimum payments on my loans six months after graduation and allow me to do basic things like pay rent and eat.

While my experience at GW was amazing and I had so many volunteer and internship opportunities, I ended up with a full-time and part-time job after graduation to begin to chip away at my debt.

It was during this time that I learned of the College Cost Reduction and Access Act (CCRAA). The CCRAA was passed in order to forgive federal loans after 10 years of public service. I hope that GW can investigate this new law and provide something similar to Loan Repayment Assistance Programs (LRAPs) offered at several law schools so that those of us who want to save the world can.
Amanda Bates, Alumna

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