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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Staff Editorial: Thumbs Up / Thumbs Down

Inauguration weekend

There were camouflaged U.S. Army trucks on Pennsylvania Avenue as security heightened in residence halls and thousands of visitors flocked to D.C. for President Barack Obama’s second inauguration. But the opportunity to witness the president’s inaugural speech and parade was well worth wading through the crowds. The excitement was palpable on the National Mall.

And despite the $9 drink prices and the steep $100 ticket price, GW’s Inaugural Ball gave new meaning to the “only at GW” catch phrase. There was ample food and students enjoyed dancing in the Omni Shoreham Hotel ballrooms.

Tulane’s unranking

Tulane University admitted in late December that its M.B.A. program sent inflated admissions data to U.S. News and World Report. The magazine unranked Tulane last week, two months after GW’s unranking for botching admissions data.

But unlike GW, Tulane pledged to release a comprehensive review of multiple years’ worth of admissions data, and officials there said the employee at fault was no longer on their staff. GW spent a month keeping Kathryn Napper – who led the admissions office for 15 years – out of the public eye as opposed to making her available for interviews. And five weeks after administrators disclosed that GW incorrectly calculated certain admissions data, they said she would retire at the end of the calendar year, but would not respond when asked if she was told to leave GW.

Administrators have said the Board of Trustees did not even ask auditors for a written report of the checks performed on admissions data after it realized that the information was incorrect. But The Hatchet’s editorial board hopes Tulane’s written report will be an impetus for GW to create and release its own.

Men’s basketball wins

Students were on their feet in the Smith Center Saturday afternoon as the men’s basketball team beat the Charlotte 49ers, who began the game tied for No. 1 in the A-10, 82-54. It was a huge win that capped a three-game streak for GW, the only Division I college basketball team that starts four true freshmen.

This momentum could not only mean an impressive finish to the season, but also fresh hope for seasons to come.

With the season still relatively young, and tournament play still far in the distance, it’s too soon to jump to conclusions. But GW is on a roll, and we’re looking forward to watching the rest of the season unfold. Raise high!

GW School of Business

The GW School of Business announced plans this week to offer a bachelor’s degree for finance majors, which would in turn decrease the number of required business administration courses from 13 to three.

This would give finance majors more flexibility in their schedules, and students will have the option to take more courses of their own choosing.

After a series of complaints from professors in the business school about Dean Doug Guthrie’s leadership style last semester, it is encouraging to see the faculty getting behind an initiative that will give business students access to a broader education.

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