Sarah Blugis, a senior majoring in political communication, is The Hatchet’s opinions editor.
In case you missed it, here’s the best and worst news from around campus and the District this week.
Thumbs up:
Finally, there’s a chance that GW and Georgetown will face off in a men’s basketball matchup.
Yesterday, the D.C. Council was supposed to host a roundtable to discuss the possibility of creating a tournament featuring GW, Georgetown and other teams in the District like American, Maryland, George Mason and Howard. Unfortunately, the panel was postponed, but that doesn’t mean the proposed legislation is off the table.
We can’t be sure that coaches and athletic directors will agree to the tournament if the legislation gains support. And even if they do, we don’t know if GW-Georgetown would even be a matchup, since GW could play any of the teams included.
But we can still keep our fingers crossed, since our rivalry with Georgetown runs deep – even off the court. It’s not uncommon to see students from both schools taking jabs at one another online or on apps like Yik Yak. And a lot of GW students have likely rolled their eyes after being mistaken for a Georgetown student by a family member.
A matchup between the two men’s basketball teams would give students a tangible – and enjoyable – outlet for this competition. It might also introduce more students to the basketball program, since the game would likely be well-attended.
And it would be a great opportunity for alumni involvement, too. Given the University’s low rates of alumni donations, a GW-Georgetown matchup could be hugely beneficial for that effort if it ignites alumni enthusiasm. If GW beat Georgetown, alumni might jump at the chance to support their University again.
In any case, the tournament would bring some basketball pride to D.C., regardless of who GW plays. A fun, competitive game against Georgetown would certainly excite both students and alumni, but overall, the tournament is a great idea.
Thumbs down:
It looks like we won’t be getting as many opportunities as we thought to ride in the brand new Metro cars that rolled out last month. If the Federal Transit Administration doesn’t approve retiring around 200 old cars, officials in D.C. likely won’t be purchasing new ones.
It hasn’t been an easy year for the Metro. One woman died due to smoke inhalation when the L’Enfant Plaza station filled with smoke in January, and since then, the Metro has had a few more smoke incidents. Plus, the subway system is one of students’ and residents’ favorite things to complain about, given the near constant track work and delays.
To top it all off, the Metro has faced congressional funding cuts this month, leaving many questions about whether there are sufficient funds available to address safety concerns.
Though sleek new cars might not be as high of a priority as safety and repairs, it’s still disappointing that they might not become a reality. And it’s also frustrating that the Metro has faced so many setbacks while also losing federal funding.
For many students, the Metro is an important part of their experience at GW: Students use it to travel to internships and part-time jobs, and some use it to commute to campus from more affordable apartments outside of Northwest D.C.
It would be great if our primary form of public transportation had more support so it could be safer, cleaner and faster. But for now, we’ll just have to wait and see.
