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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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Best and worst from this week’s headlines

One alumnus is proving that GW still educates politicians, even if we’re no longer the most politically active campus. But some current students may still want to get loud this fall when they won’t be able to move straight into their Fulbright Hall rooms.

Here’s the best and worst news from around campus and the District this week.

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Alumni aren’t only involved in politics on Capitol Hill.

After a parliamentary vote this week, Shahid Khaqan Abbasi, who received his master’s degree in electrical engineering from GW in 1985, took over for ousted Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif. Sharif was removed by Pakistan’s Supreme Court Friday after an investigation into his finances revealed unreported income.

Abassi, who is currently serving as minister for petroleum, was proposed as interim prime minister by Sharif.

Abassi will likely only serve as interim prime minister until Sharif’s brother, Shahbaz, takes over. He is expected to win a by-election and start the transition to prime minister within the next 50 days.

But, it sounds like Abassi will be making the most out of his brief time in the role, he said that he plans to “continue the mission” for Sharif.

Abbasi isn’t the only one making waves in politics outside the U.S. Last month, two-time alumnus David Burt was sworn in as the youngest premier of Bermuda.

GW may no longer be the most politically active campus in the nation, having dropped to 10th place on this year’s Princeton Review college ranking, but it’s good to see alumni still earning high-ranking political positions around the world. Without a title for bragging rights, hopefully we will still be able to read about alumni making their way up in the political world.

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Move-in is going to be an even longer process for some students this fall.

The University announced in a release Monday that about 100 students assigned to Fulbright Hall will stay in nearby hotels while renovations are wrapping up on the residence hall.

The announcement came after contractors ran into unexpected problems while the building was closed during the summer for upgrades. Students living on the top four floors in Fulbright will stay in either One Washington Circle or Renaissance Dupont Circle hotels. These residents will move into their assigned rooms in Fulbright between Sept. 2nd and Sept. 16.

Those living on the lower floors of Fulbright won’t be able to move into their assigned rooms until Aug. 26, and will have to deal with “potentially disruptive work” throughout the first three weeks of the semester as final repairs are completed.

But these students aren’t being left uncompensated – the University is providing pre-paid laundry and $50 worth of additional dining cash to thank residents on the lower floors for their patience.

Finding out a month before classes start that you won’t be able to move into your residence hall isn’t ideal. Needing to move out of a hotel and into Fulbright will probably cause anxiety for some students as they settle back onto campus. By the time they move into their assigned room, classes will have begun, the school work will have started to accumulate and parents will no longer be there to help out. But the University has lined up good temporary accommodations in these hotels, and is also offering a nice gesture to students living on the lower floors of Fulbright who will be bothered by final renovations.

For any inconveniences these students will have to experience from moving in twice, at least they will have a chance to live out their childhood dreams of living in a hotel.

Irene Ly, a senior majoring in psychology, is The Hatchet’s opinions editor.

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