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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

Staff Editorial: Thumbs Up, Thumbs Down

Thumbs Sideways: D.C. vote and gun control

The momentum behind getting the District a vote in the House is building again, but such a bill may include an amendment that would repeal many local D.C. gun laws. While we support the effort to give D.C. a vote, our excitement over the progress is marred by the prospect of relaxed gun laws in the District. We also can’t comprehend why giving D.C. a voice in Congress would mean repealing the local laws the District has worked so hard to pass.

Thumbs Up: Acceptance rate drops to record low

GW’s acceptance rate hit a record low this year, dropping 5 percent, and this is good news for current GW students. Not only can our school afford to be more selective with applicants, but the value of our degrees rises as the acceptance rate falls. Though we may not set a record every year, this is definitely a step in the right direction for both GW admissions and current students.

Thumbs Up: 16 people added to diversity council

Sixteen people were appointed to the President’s Council on Diversity and Inclusion, furthering GW’s effort to make the University more diverse. As the overall student body is currently 5.3 percent Hispanic and 8.6 percent black (though the national population is 15.4 percent Hispanic and 12.4 percent black), our University does not reflect the national composition. Hopefully, by expanding the council, GW will be able to both increase diversity and develop a better sense of community for current students.

Thumbs Down: Sophomores left on housing waitlist

While we understand that GW is not able to accommodate all students who request campus housing, we are perplexed that 150 rising sophomores were waitlisted for housing. D.C. law requires GW to house all freshmen and sophomores, so to place upperclassmen without first taking care of every underclassman makes little sense. After all, throwing a few more sophomores in Ivory Tower isn’t the worst option when compared to breaking city laws.

Thumbs Down: Metro considering cuts in service

The Washington Area Metropolitan Transportation Authority is considering making changes to Metrorail’s weekend schedules, and service could be altered for those commuting at night. Perhaps WMATA should consider implementing a peak fare increase, which would raise prices during rush hours, when riders tend to be less price-sensitive. Increasing the fare for this period would have a mitigated impact while alleviating the budgetary shortfall the agency currently faces.

Thumbs Up: Baseball hits its stride

After a big win against Richmond Sunday, GW’s baseball team currently sits in second place in the Atlantic 10 league. Additionally, the team’s pitcher, Eric Cantrell, is considered one of the best pitchers in the A-10 this year, and fellow teammate Tom Zebroski is among the top 10 for batting average leaders. These are all impressive accomplishments, and we are excited that the team has done this well throughout the season so far.

Thumbs Down: Departing Seniors

In an annual Hatchet tradition, we have started to print our departing seniors’ 30-inch reflections of their time at the paper. With every issue, we say goodbye to more of our GW and Hatchet family. The feeling is palpable around campus as we move into the last few bittersweet weeks of the school year, and prepare to watch our friends move on to the next phase of their lives. We know new GW students will soon be here, but we’ll miss you nonetheless.

Readers can visit the Forum to comment on this editorial.

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