In the interest of preserving the financial vitality of The GW Hatchet, we are moving to a new townhouse at 609 21st St. this weekend. The move will ensure that The Hatchet’s focus remains on the journalistic mission of the organization.

In June, The Hatchet released a letter informing readers and the community of our financial situation. Despite continued journalistic success, The Hatchet has faced financial obstacles in recent years that have made it difficult to afford the mortgage on our F Street townhouse that we purchased six years ago. The Hatchet has been unable to bear the costs of the townhouse we own at 2148 F St., even after a final fundraising push this past summer.

The fundraising goals we set in our final call were not met this summer, despite hundreds of donations from the community, so The Hatchet will be moving its headquarters to a townhouse located at 609 21st St. this weekend.

The Hatchet greatly appreciates and thanks every person who donated to or promoted our fundraising campaign on social media. Those funds and donations will now go toward our rent in the new townhouse and to expand our operations budget.

In our new location, The Hatchet will have two floors of a townhouse with 24/7 access to allow our reporting and production schedule to remain unchanged. The townhouse is a University-provided space that we will be renting. Moving into rented space instead of owning a building will allow staff to have more funds for equipment, to travel for game coverage and to attend conferences in the future.

The Hatchet’s commitment to powerful and independent student journalism remains uncompromising. The Hatchet will remain completely independent from the University, as preserving the editorial and journalistic mission of the organization is – and will always remain – our mission and priority. The Board of Directors has sold the F Street building and signed a contract with the University that ensures our independence while in our new on-campus location.

This decision was made to guarantee the long-term financial and editorial security of The Hatchet. The new space offers generously sized rooms and will accommodate all staff departments. As editor in chief and a student who has been a member of The Hatchet for three years, I can say that our building at 2148 F St. has become my home. The townhouse at 2148 F St. has become a home, but not because of the building. It’s because of the talented and dedicated people who work there and the important work we are all able to accomplish.

Those factors will remain unchanged in our new location. Although this may not be what we originally hoped for, our location will not affect our reporting and the work we do for the community.

This new location will take away a financial burden The Hatchet has faced since purchasing the F Street townhouse. Moving to 609 21st St. will not hinder production but instead will provide current and future staff members with more opportunities to grow. The Hatchet will host an open house at our new location in the coming months, which will be open to all alumni and community members.

Thank you to all of our loyal readers for continuing to follow our coverage and for supporting the work we’ve done over the years. If you have any questions, please reach out to the Board at [email protected] or to me at [email protected].