WRGW NEWS

Deadline Nears for Bernanke Class Applications

2012-02-12T11:29:00.004-05:00

Students interested in learning about the Fed directly from Ben Bernanke have less than a week left to register for "BADM 4900, Reflections on the Federal Reserve and it's Place in the Economy Today." The application deadline is Friday February 17th at 6 p.m.

The business school class will focus on the history of the Federal Reserve as well as its role in the 2008 financial crisis. The University announced on January 26th that Chairman Bernanke would be a guest lecturer for the 1.5 credit course, but details of the registration process did not emerge until late last week. Interested students must submit a resume as well as write a one page statement addressing their motivations for taking the class and outlining what questions about the Federal Reserve are most important in today's economy.

Completed applications must be submitted to Larry Fillian, the Director of Undergraduate Advising for the business school, whose office is located in Duques Suite 456. Applicants will be notified of their acceptance into the class by March 9th. Although there are only 30 spots in the class, the entire GW community has the opportunity to virtually sit in on Chairman Bernanke's lectures. The class will be live streamed over the internet.

The half-semester class will meet on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 12:45 p.m. to 2:00 p.m. and will run from March 20th to April 26th. Business ethics professor, Timothy Fort, will teach the course and Chairman Bernanke will lecture during the March 20, 22, 27 and 29th meetings of the class.

Students Celebrate Prop 8 Demise

2012-02-11T16:04:00.002-05:00

To some people, February is considered the month of love. Shops are decorated with hearts and flowers, student organizations host date auctions, and a lot of weddings are scheduled during this month. The Judiciary system usually does not participate in these activities, but the recent decision of the 9^th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals is making an impact that will affect not only February, but also American culture.

A California panel of judges struck down the state’s ban on same-sex marriage, known as Proposition 8, as unconstitutional. The justices concluded that the law’s only purpose was to deny homosexual couples the right to marry. The state of California does grant them the rights and benefits of marriage if they register as domestic partners. The ruling will not take effect until the two-week deadline passes for supporters of Proposition 8 to appeal to a larger panel of the 9^th Circuit Court.

College students across the country have expressed their outrage against Proposition 8 since it was approved in 2008. GW students have been especially vocal about this legislation.

Michael Komo is a GW graduate student completing his five year master’s/bachelor’s program in Political Science and Legislative Affairs. As the president and founder of Allied in Pride Graduate Students, Komo was “elated” with the announcement on Tuesday.

“This victory will help us move toward marriage equality for everyone,” he said.

Alesandra Lozano, a senior at the Elliott School studying International Affairs and Women’s Studies, was “disgusted” when Proposition 8 passed in 2008.

“Prop 8’s mere existence, in my opinion, is a shameful case of a deliberate intent to discriminate and an embarrassing example of a majority being permitted to trump the rights of a minority,” said Lozano, a student coordinator at GW’s LGBT Resource Center.

Demonstrations against Proposition 8 have taken form in protests and social media campaigns.

“I protested immediately after the passage of Proposition 8 in November 2008,” said Komo. “GW students joined several other groups of students from other DC universities. We protested from the White House to the Capitol and had great coverage and support from very diverse groups and communities.”

In 2009, Washington, DC passed the same-sex marriage law. There are currently six states that allow homosexual couples to wed: Connecticut, New Hampshire, Iowa, Massachusetts, New York and Vermont.

Komo believes that “the struggle to legalize same-sex marriage is the twenty-first century version of the struggle to legalize interracial marriage.”

“This has sent the message that our relationships are just as valuable,” said Lozano, “that our relationships are not inferior and that our families deserve the same amount of dignity and recognition as heterosexual families.”

Money flies at Martha's Marathon

2012-02-11T15:58:00.000-05:00

"Don't be stressed over $4100," Dean of Students Dr. Peter Konwerski said soothingly to several auction bidders.

The comment came from Konwerski towards a group of bidders at the end of an hour-long live auction on the final item up for bid, an Ivory Tour quad, at Martha's Marathon on Wednesday night in Columbia Square inside the Marvin Center.

A moment later Konwerski and fellow auctioneer Courtnay Oddman, a Senior and member of SA President John Richardson's cabinet, were congratulating the bidders on pledging the highest amount of the evening and wishing them well next year in the Ivory Tower quad they had won.

The Ivory-Tower quad was one of nine rooms up during the live-auction portion of Martha's.

Martha's is a GW tradition that was in its 46th year.

Student Keystone Pipeline Debate

2012-02-10T17:16:00.006-05:00

On Tuesday, February 7, in the Marvin Center Grand Ballroom the College Democrats and the College Republicans hosted a student debate on the Obama Administration's stance on the Keystone pipeline debate.

It may have been a student debate, but the discussion almost immediately took on a tense air. On one side you had the College Democrats and the other the College Republicans. The room was divided with members of each party on opposites sides of the room. Moderators walk around the room offering each person a small piece of paper to write questions for the debaters upon.

The Democrats slightly outnumbered the Republicans, but from the intensity of the debate, you wouldn't know it otherwise. The Democrat debaters each read an opening statement about why they opposed the Keystone pipeline-among which dealt with environmental impact and the fact the the jobs that it would create would only two thousand temporary jobs. The Republicans quickly countered with an estimate that the jobs wouldn't be temporary and would be numbered as many quarter million. Each cited different reliable sources.

However, once the debate quickly began to ignite with the Republicans going on the offensive. They began a very cohesive offensive on Keystone Pipeline and criticized the Obama administration. With one of the debaters referring to the President as "Your President" towards the College Democrats, with which one of democrats "He is your president too." This elicited a round of cheers from the College Democrat members present.

The College Republicans continuously assailed the Democrats bringing up the the Alberta Clipper Pipeline. This is a oil-sands pipeline that Obama previously approved in 2009. They stated that it was similar and that the only reason that Obama refused Keystone Pipeline was because it was in key swing states. The way it came was if the College Democrats hadn't heard of the Pipeline, but it may have had something to do with the fact that they had such little response time.

The College Democrats were calm, cool, and collected. They had asked the other side for a moment to respond, but they weren't readily granted it. The result was that they barely were able to successfully defend their views, much less counter what the Republican debaters were bringing up. The Republicans dominated the speaking time- command a significant about more time than them democrats themselves received.

The arguments and statements began to get slightly out of hand during an attack on Obama's decision with one of he Republicans stating "Now I understand why Obama went to Disney world, he's in fantasy land." The Republican side all cheered, but you could feel the silent shock on the Democrats side that such a brazen attack. Members of the Democrat audience even got involved when one of their debaters tried to respond to a comment the Republicans had just made, just to be spoken over. They wanted the debater to be able to speak and the Republican who had just interrupted told the audience members to let him finish.

It continued to get out of hand when the moderator attempt to stop the debate in order to ask a question. One of the Republican's continued to speak and interrupted him multiple times. The moderator stated when he was able to speak "now just let me interrupt this crazy circus."

The Republican displayed a significant amount of passion and knowledge about the subject and thus made a lasting impression. However, sometimes the interruptions and the passionate comments began to hurt there argument. It hurt their credibility. You could tell that they are both incredible intelligent, but there is a certain point where the passion begins to be mistaken for emotion. And if you speak on emotion, rather than facts. The argument is already lost. They just need to reign it in a bit.

The College Democrats had almost the opposite problem- if it is possible they came across as almost to respectful. They let the republicans speak when they asked, but were not rewarded with the same privilege. The Democrats really earned a significant amount of credibility, just from how they acted. However, you could feel that they might not have been able to make their whole argument in the limited time they had to speak. This is one case where they should have spoken up a lot more. They made valid points, but if debate team has half the time, then they won't be able to make an effective argument.

Both sides made this debate feel like the real thing- meaning it felt like they are elected officials off of a CNN debate. And most importantly, both sides made good points and displayed the best of there respective organization. It was an impressive debate.

Re-Introducing Ames Hall

2012-02-06T21:22:00.000-05:00

Bright smiles and proud faces filled the newly renovated Ames Hall on Friday as the University officially re-opened the building in a ceremony held with administrators, members of the Board of Trustees, alumni and students at Ames' first floor sky box. The celebration for the completion of the $19 million renovation project on the Mount Vernon campus featured several speeches, tours of the building and a reception with samples of food from the building's new cafe.

The renovation of Ames Hall from a dining facility to an academic building began in November 2010 after the completion of the renovations to West Hall, which resulted in the campus dining hall located in Ames to be moved to West. The renovation process took just over a year and has resulted in a facility that is aiming to be a certified LEED-gold building. The construction included a new roof for the building and water fountains placed throughout the building designed specifically for filling water bottles.

Besides sustainability, the building boasts five floors filled with state-of-the-art class rooms, faculty offices for the University Writing program, six glassed study rooms which can be used by students on a first-come, first-served basis, and a cafe located inside the first floor entrance called Zebi's. The Mount Vernon division of the University Police Department is located on the bottom floor and there is a sky box on every level overlooking the softball field allowing for students to watch games from a great vantage point.

The University intends Zebi's Cafe to be a place where students can grab a quick bite to eat on their way on and off the Vern Express or in-between classes. The cafe serves breakfast sandwiches from 8 - 11 AM and then switches to a lunch menu that includes sandwiches, soups and salads. Coffee and pastries are available all day.

The addition of Zebi's means Pelham Commons Dinning Hall will no longer serve breakfast. Nancy Haaga, the Managing Director of Campus Support Services, says the reasoning is based on the numbers, since on average only five to seven students were buying from Pelham between 8-11 in the morning.

"Pelham was not convenient [for breakfast] or not what students were looking for," Haaga added, "Students were voting with their feet."

The University expects that the addition of another academic building and the additional presence of the full University Writing Program as well as the Honors Program will enhance the Vern.

"This [the addition of Ames] has shifted the center of gravity back onto the quad," Shelly Heller, Associate Provost for Mount Vernon, said.

Now, with Ames Hall open, Provost Steven Lerman said that "there is more than adequate classroom space on Mount Vernon."

As a result, the University has to decide what to do with some of the new empty space in Post Hall, the Vern's other academic building. Some options include adding more studio space for the interior design program or moving offices into the building that service students.

More is on the way for the Mount Vernon Campus academically. University administrators said today that they are set to launch a faculty fellows program next fall where professors who are on sabbatical will have the opportunity to spend their sabbatical on the Vern teaching an Honors class and working on their research.

Dr. Cornel West speaks on Democracy and What it Means to Be Human

2011-12-05T17:41:00.000-05:00

The audience provided a standing ovation as the keynote speaker took the stage. “I hope I say something about democracy that unsettles you,” he said, dressed in his signature black and white suit with a scarf.

Dr. Cornel West spoke at the Charles E. Smith Center on Thursday for the University Writing Program’s forum on democracy and public argument. The forum was created to “contribute to a broader conversation for public debate on global society,” said Derek Malone-France, the executive director of the University Writing Program.

West’s lecture focused on the question ‘What does it mean to be human?’ and referred to many subjects, such as poetry, the Occupy Movement, Socrates and the upcoming presidential elections.

Referring to what society teaches youth about success, West commented that the primary goals seem to be “material toys, social status, a trophy husband or wife and to be well adjusted to injustice.” He proceeded to explain the importance of seeking the truth and paying attention to those who are suffering.

Defining poetry, he said that real poets “use critical imagination to try to make the world a better place.”

West emphasized how crucial it is to focus on the impact your life has on others.

Engaging with an audience diverse in age, gender, and ethnicity, West described the economy and the government as “survival of the slickest.” He called the recent bank bail out “hypocrisy” due to the discrepancy between the elite and the poor in the US.

“How many Wall Street employees have been investigated and arrested. Zero. How many Jamals and Latishas have been incarcerated. Hundreds and hundreds.”

As members of the audience roared with laughter and exclamations of agreement, West clarified his position. “I’m not anti-American. I’m anti-injustice in America,” he said.

The University Writings Program decided to organize the question and answer segment by randomly selecting audience members. A number of post cards with a pen were attached to the bottom of selected seats in the Smith Center. Those who had the lucky seat could write their question and pass the post card to an usher.

Responding to a question about the predominately white participants in the Occupy Movement, West described the movement as “magnificent and desperate.” He then explained that “40% of black children are poor and 15% of blacks are underemployed.” Due to this reality, West commented that “it is hard to find time to sleep in tents.” However, he explained that if blacks are asked about the concerns the Occupy Movement is raising, they think very highly of it. He added that the lack of participation also “signifies relative failure of black leadership who are not focused on poverty but obsessed with getting elected.”

“Last thing I want to see is a take over of the White House by mediocre, mean-spirited individuals,” said West responding to a question about supporting President Obama’s re-election. “I don’t support candidates, I support principles.”

Mentioning Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s portrait in the Oval Office, West said Obama must be authentic to what he is talking about if he wishes to uphold Dr. King’s legacy. “Respect, protect, but also correct,” he said.

West concluded his lecture with the last question, which referred to the contradiction within people who do not realize they are the problem. West explained that “all of us are part of the solution and the problem,” but it is up to us to choose which side we contribute more to. “Wrestling with the contradiction with us, the only thing that breaks it is the love of wisdom and justice.”

Federal Budget Cuts are Made... By GW Students!

2011-12-04T01:25:00.019-05:00

GW students were able to accomplish a task Congress hasn't been able to do in over a year. Groups of students were able to agree to trillions of dollars in cuts from the Federal Budget over the next ten years. The only caveat: it was only a simulation.

Students from the GW Graduate School of Political Management and GW undergraduate students from the Political Science Department and School of Media & Public Affairs woke up early on Saturday morning to join professors from the Graduate School of Political Management, former members of Congress, and staff from The Concord Coalition to participate in an activity where they simulated the federal budget process.

The event titled: "Fixing the Federal Deficit- A Simulation" was sponsored by the Graduate School of Political Management. The Graduate School partnered with both The Concord Coalition, a nonpartisan Arlington, Virginia organization that examines the federal budget, and the United States Association of Former Members of Congress.

The activity consisted of the students being divided into ten groups of anywhere from three to six students. In each group there was at least one former member of Congress who offered their own thoughts and discussed with the students the different aspects of each item that could be added to or cut from the budget.

The students were using an activity packet created by The Concord Coalition called "Principles & Priorities Group Budget Exercise Workbook." The book split items that could be cut - or in a few cases added to the budget- into five categories. One of these categories included "General Government Spending," and included items such as creating an infrastructure program to repair public schools across the country. The groups were forced to weigh the pro of improving schools with the con that it would increase the debt by 30 billion dollars over the next ten years.

Some current federal expenses surprised students. Under the same category of general expenses the groups had to decide whether to reduce the federal subsidy for the AMTRAK rail company and other rail companies. The group I watched decided to agree to reducing the subsidy and thereby cut the deficit by 45 billion dollars.

Other major categories included Defense and Homeland Security, Health Care and Social Security, and revenue and taxes. One of the most debated issues in the group I watched was whether to increase the gas tax by 25 cents. The students wanted to do it but were concerned about how it would, if they were real politicians, affect them politically. In the end, they decided not to. Other major decisions the group made included not repealing The 2010 Affordable Care Act (known by some as "Obama Care") because a repeal would add 124 billion over ten years to the deficit according to the Concord Coalition's calculations. The group also decided to cut a major portion of Homeland Security's budget.

In total, the group I watched cut 4 trillion dollars from the federal deficit over the next ten years. 62% of the cutting was through tax cuts and 38% was through gaining new revenue. Almost all of the ten groups were able to meet the goal of cutting at least 1.2 trillion dollars, which was the goal of the Congressional Super Committee this fall. In the discussion that followed the exercise students mentioned that they learned how insignificant discretionary spending, spending that does not include programs such as Medicare, Medicaid, Social Security, and defense, is in comparison to the total budget.

During the discussion Political Management Professor Michael Cornfield, who organized the event, asked the students at the program their thoughts on whether the budget cycle should be every two years rather than the current annual cycle. All the students who responded to the question said they thought this would be a good idea because it would help politicians focus their attention on the budget rather than on how their choices in the process would affect their chances of reelection. Others said it would also help with long-term fiscal planning.

Former Congressman Dennis Hertel, a Democrat from Michigan who served in Congress from 1981-1993, believes that the best hope for solving the budget debate is educating the public more on the issues involved.

"The public is not engaged [in the details of the budget], but when they become informed they'll be able to reach the decisions we did," Hertel said.

He added, "It's taking way too long in this information age, ironically, for the information to come out."

Obama, Bono, Alicia Keys on Campus for AIDS Event

2011-12-02T00:27:00.009-05:00

President Obama speaking at GW's Jack Morton Auditorium

President Barack Obama introduced new goals for the worldwide fight against HIV and AIDS at the Jack Morton Auditorium Thursday morning as part of "The Beginning to End AIDS" event.

Reassuring those in the audience and those watching live via YouTube of the country's devotion to the worldwide fight, President Obama set a new target for the treatment of HIV and AIDS and further monetary contribution on World AIDS Day 2011. With an original goal to provide treatment to 4 million people, President Obama raised the number to 6 million and committed a $50 million increase towards the treatment for HIV and AIDS

President Obama urged the support of the global community. "Make a pledge" he said to those countries who have not yet committed, and for those who did commit, "Donate the money you promised."

He also called for countries like China, who were once receiving donations to fight HIV and AIDS, but are now in a position to give back, to switch roles at the global level.

"To all Americans, we got to keep fighting," Obama stated.

Other notable speakers such as former President George W. Bush, Senator Marco Rubio, R-Fla., and Congresswoman Barbara Lee, D-Calif., all resonated that where much is granted, much is expected.

"To whom much is given, much is required, " former President Bush said alongside President Jakaya Kikwete of Tanzania via satellite feed.

President Obama asked Congress to continue working together on this issue and put aside party lines. In a panel alongside singer Alicia Keys, co-founder and global ambassador of Keep a Child Alive, ONE cofounder and U2 frontman Bono and Senator Rubio stated, "Our example has been as much as a source of greatness as anything else."

Lindsay Maines, of Germantown, Maryland traveled to Kenya as part of ONE Moms, a group of American mothers who meet with other mothers in HIV-stricken countries.

"I took a picture of a mother and a father with their little two year old, and they said take this to your president and tell him thank you." Maines was "very proud" with President Obama's recommitment to the global fight on HIV.

Although tickets were not made available to GW students, some tickets were given to GW administrative offices, allowing a handful of students to enter the event. One of those students was junior Brian Steele who was reinvigorated by Thursday morning's event. "I signed up for the ONE campaign a while back, actually at a U2 concert, and I've done things for them like send emails. Like they said, I let it fall off so I hope to get involved again and be a part of this movement."

The event honored those who died from the disease, but took an optimistic look toward the future.

"We are going to win this fight, but this fight is not over, not by a long shot," said President Obama.

Dr. Patricia Nkansah-Asamoah, Alicia Keys, Bono and Senator Marco Rubio

To see more pictures from the event, head to the WRGW Twitter page.

-Jorge Gadala-Maria

Chuck Todd Interview (audio)

2011-11-28T17:17:00.002-05:00

SMPA Director Frank Sesno's November "Conversation Series" continues at 7:30 tonight with NBC News Chief White House Correspondent and Political Director Chuck Todd. Sesno and Todd will discuss the chances of President Obama and the Republican candidates in the 2012 election, as well as the 24-hour media coverage around it. The Jack Morton Auditoriun will open its doors at 7:00 pm. The event is sold out, but all unoccupied seats will be given on a first-come, first-serve basis to early comers who join the standby line. The event is free and open to the public.

Todd gave WRGW News' Jorge Gadala-Maria a live, on-air preview of tonight's event earlier this afternoon. Listen and download below.

Chuck Todd on the GOP Primaries and 2012 Election - Nov 28th, 2011 by WRGW News

http://www.mediafire.com/?z0f30ypj0pqmsf6

J Street U and Students for Justice in Palestine Talk about the Future of Israeli-Palestinian Conflict

2011-11-19T14:54:00.015-05:00

GW students are following the developments in the ongoing conflict between Israel and Palestine. On Thursday night two students groups dedicated to discussing the conflict presented two very different solutions to how the conflict should end.

J Street U, a new student organization on campus advocating for a two-state solution to the Israeli-Paletinian conflict, co-hosted an event with Students for Justice in Palestine in the Marvin Center to explore possible solutions to the conflict.

Both student groups had three of their members represent their organization. The evening was moderated by Jeff Richards, a GW student majoring in Middle Eastern Affairs. The evening began with Richards asking for people in the audience to gather in groups of three or four people, preferably with people they didn't know, and talk about why they had come to the event.

Following the small group conversations, Richards revealed the purpose of the evening was to talk about the two-state solution that J Street U is advocating versus the one-state solution SJP is in favor of.

Group founder Rory Silver read J Street U's opening statement. In it he said a two-state solution would return the borders of Israel to 1967 lines and would include land swaps and the sharing of Jerusalem. Silver also said that J Street's stance was that you could still support Israel overall while being critical of it at the same time.

In Rosshandler's opening statement for SJP, he spoke of a one-state solution where Palestinians and Israelis lived together in the same state under the same laws with no discrimination, "religious hierarchies" or "illegal occupations" of Palestinian communities.

From the beginning tensions in the room were high. After Silver described the event as a "discussion" in J Street's opening statement, Akkad, in his first remarks of the night for SJP, said that he disagreed with Silver's characterization that the evening was a discussion but that he believed it was a "debate." He explained this was how the event had been "presented to SJP." As Akkad said this, Silver could be seen slightly shaking his head. Silver later said that on the Facebook event page the night was described as a "discussion."

Both sides said that their solution would be the best one for sustaining a long-term peace in the conflict and agreed that the one- and-a-half state set-up currently in place was not acceptable. SJP, however, felt that the two-state solution was very similar to the current situation. They argued throughout the more than two hour event that the two-state solution was supported by Jews as "a last ditch effort to preserve Zionism."

SJP also argued that a two-state solution would hurt Palestine because of the geographic separation of the two Palestinian territories in a two-state solution: the Gaza Strip and the West Bank. They used the unsuccessful separation of Pakistan from India into West Pakistan and East Pakistan (which later became Bangladesh) as an example.

Meanwhile, J Street U argued that a one-state solution would not work because of the built-in tensions between the two groups. They used the tensions in Belgium, a county where Dutch and Flemish people have had many conflicts over the years as an example of how a one-state solution would not be successful.

Tensions reached their peak during the Q & A session. Instead of questions, however, supporters from both sides began to comment on and question the validity of points made during the evening by the other side. Several times Richards reminded both sides to ask fair questions and to "keep it friendly" but both sides had a difficult time following this request.

Despite the tension, both organizations later commented that they hoped this was only the first of many events they would co-sponsor together to discuss solutions to the conflict.

GW School of Business Partners with DC Public Schools

2011-11-18T15:36:00.000-05:00

The George Washington University's School of Business has partnered with local District public schools as part of a new mentor program between business students, local business professionals and students from Anacostia High School.

Labeled the 2+2 Mentor Program, it will bring together high school students in the 10th through 12th grade and mentors to develop ideas and minds to help make an impact on their communities.

Liesl Riddle, the associate dean for MBA programs, said the plan was to focus on an area in the city challenged by unemployment.

"Dean Guthrie, Mayor Vincent Gray and the D.C. Economic Partnership have been working closely to identify ways to stimulate job growth in the District, with a particular emphasis on Ward 8," Riddle said. "We are piloting our 2+2 mentor program concept with Anacostia this year. We are hoping to extend this model to other high schools in the District in the future."

The program will allow GW business students to apply their knowledge as co-mentors while also receiving guidance from a local business leader.

"Our innovative MBA students and alumni inspired us to initiate this program," Ridde said. "Our MBA program focus on the positive ways business can impact society attracts a special kind of student, one who likes to give back to the community, utilizing business knowledge and skills to make a difference."

Riddle also mentioned that the business students benefit from the emotional and intellectual satisfaction of seeing how their business knowledge and skills translate into making a difference in a young person's life.

"All mentors who were selected are passionate people seeking to commit themselves to a valuable volunteer program," Riddle said.

Riddle also said that after the pilot, the business school hopes to extend the model to other District high schools in the future. The plan is to pilot the program for at least three years to give it a chance to grow.

Not Your Stereotypical Speakers featured at Hunger and Homelessness Event

2011-11-18T15:17:00.001-05:00

Jackie Grimball has a masters degree from GW. Donald Whitehead is a published author and Emmy winner. But both are homeless.

Grimball and Whitehead were the featured speakers Tuesday at a GW College Democrats and Amnesty International co-sponsored event called, "Faces of Homelessness Panel," just one of the events and activities the University hosted in recognition of National Hunger and Homelessness Week.

According to the organizer of the event, College Democrat Community Service Director Dietra Backup, Whitehead and Grimball's stories were emblematic of a growing problem in America.

"The main point of tonight was to dispel misconceptions," Backup said, "that homeless people aren't stupid and lazy. That's something we [students at GW], being very fortunate, don't always realize."

Grimball and Whitehead spent the evening telling their life stories, including how they ended up homeless.

After a divorce, Grimball was left with three children and not a lot of money. She decided to go back to school at GW for her master's in special education.

She had never worked before in her life, but after receiving her master's she ended up working in a DC school district advocating for students with disabilities and juevenile delinquents who were in trouble with the law. Grimball's talent for advocacy led her to take a job with a private law firm while still working for the school district. Grimball began to charge steep prices for her services. Business at the law firm was going so well that she quit her job in the school district, a decision she later realized was a big mistake.

Shortly thereafter, the law firm began to see less cases and decided to pay her less as a result. Grimball suddenly wasn't able to pay her rent and was kicked out of her apartment. She lived an anxiety-filled ten days on the streets, sleeping on a park bench, before finding another job at a home for the mentally ill, where she was the only caretaker employed but not paid the amount she had been promised. She decided to leave the poor working conditions in April 2010, but that meant she was once again homeless.

She finally found the courage to tell her now adult children her predicament. However, she did not receive the help and support from them she expected. They were "ashamed" that their mother had become homeless and upset she was hurting the "family's name," she said.

At this point, Grimball decided to go to a shelter, despite her past reluctance. From that day in April 2010 until the present day she has been living at the Open Door Emergency Shelter for Women in DC. At the shelter, Grimball has met many different women from all different backgrounds.

"It has been enlightening and it's been wonderful, as weird as that sounds," Grimball commented.

Grimball said she has found the love and support at the shelter that she did not receive from her children, adding that it built up her character.

Grimball quickly discovered that telling potential employers that she was homeless was not a good job strategy. This past summer, she found a job as a DC-appointed advocate for the mentally ill. She said she's glad to be back in the court room, but still cannot afford to rent or own a home and remains at the shelter.

Donald Whitehead grew up a straight-A student in Cincinnati, Ohio. Throughout his early education, and then at the University of Cincinnati, Whitehead continued to be kicked out of school due to an addiction illness. His addiction then led to him living under bridges. Whitehead learned about homeless shelters and soup kitchens from a couple of other homeless men.

The worst part about being homeless is that "no one would look you in the eye or say your name," Whitehead said. "It becomes very lonely when no one calls your name."

Whitehead's life turned around after he was named the outreach coordinator at the Cincinnati shelter where he was staying. From there, he became the director of the Cincinnati Coalition of the Homeless, and later the national chapter, before his current position working for a non-profit program in Orlando that works with homeless Veterans.

Whitehead also wrote a book based on his life story called "Most Unlikely to Succeed," and received a regional Emmy for his performance in the Showtime movie "Open The Sky."

Despite his success, Whitehead never forgot about the tough times he once had.

Whitehead demonstrated a penchant for theatrics. He started his speech wearing a black winter coat which was unzipped revealing a yellow plaid shirt and blue jeans. He wore dark black sun glasses and some black rags around his neck, accenting his long black hair. At the beginning of his presentation he only introduced himself as "Donald" and spoke in a very quiet voice that made the audience lean forward in their seats to hear him.

As the presentation went on, though, Whitehead's voice became increasingly louder as he told the part where his life improved at a shelter in Cincinnati. He took off his jacket to reveal the plaid shirt. Later, as he began to tell the audience that he had been the director of the National Coalition for the Homeless, he took off his jeans and plaid shirt to reveal that he was wearing a suit, followed by removing the sunglasses, rags and wig, revealing his true bald self. Whitehead told the audience that besides his affinity for acting, he "dressed-up" like a stereotypical homeless person to show how he looked when he was homeless and that anybody, even those who are smart, can become homeless.

GW Professor Wins Prestigious Research Prize

2011-11-18T14:26:00.001-05:00

GW Political Communications Professor Robert Entman

Once again, GW faculty are leading the University's push into a new generation of research. This past week, Professor Robert Entman received the the Alexander von Humbolt Research Award for his research and contributions to the field of political communication. Professor Entman, who serves as the Shapiro Professor of Media and Public Affairs and as a professor of international affairs at the Elliot School, is the first recipient of the prize in his field and now holds the distinction of being the world's first political communications scholar.

“I am delighted to be the first Humboldt Award recipient recognized for contributions to political communication scholarship,” said Dr. Entman. “I appreciate this acknowledgment of the media’s fundamental role in shaping politics and democracy.

The award is given to a researcher for “discoveries that have a serious impact on their profession,” according to the Humbolt Award website. Given the vast application of the award across a variety of fields, Professor Entman’s honor is very distinguished. He will spend the next year at the Free University of Berlin researching the effects of the media on social inequality in Europe, and how it consequently contrasts with that of the United States.

“Inequality hasn’t been on the agenda” he said regarding U.S politics and media coverage. Professor Entman went on to state that the decline of workers unions and the rise of globalization are two possible factors for the disparity in inequality in the Untied States as opposed to those of Europe.

Professor Entman began his career in media research while writing for his student newspaper at Duke University, where he received his B.A. in political science. He stated that this experience allowed him to see the large affect that media had on politics, leading him to develop interest in what is now the field of political communication.

For those who are prospectively looking to devote their lives to research as he did, Professor Entman gave this advice: One must be “fascinated by the human purpose” and “making the world better.”

Students Pitch Business Ideas in an Elevator

2011-11-16T18:51:00.001-05:00

A bright idea, two thousand dollars and an elevator. These are the integral parts that made up the fourth annual Pitch George Competition this Saturday. The competition was open to all graduate, undergraduate and even high school students.

The competitors started the primary portion of the competition by pitching their business idea to a room filled with judges and fellow competitors. They had to support their idea with market statistics and demonstrate a legitimate demand or use for their product or service. After they had finished, the competitors received some constructive criticism from the judges.

The event also served as a networking luncheon, giving competitors the chance to exchange business cards with the judges and fellow contestants.

The final round featured five contestants pitching their plans in an elevator which included a three-minute pitch in an elevator.

Prizes for the top three places were awarded in each age division. College students received $2,000 for first place, $1,500 for second and $1,000 for third. High school winners received $750, $500 and $250 respectively.

In addition, all of the finalists received prizes such as legal assistance setting up their businesses.

Pitch George is just the first major competition of the year. In January GW will hold their Business Plan competition with more than $50,000 in prizes up for grabs. For more information on the competition or if you're interested in entrepreneurship visit GW's Office of Entrepreneurship.

Breaking: White House Shooting Suspect Arrested

2011-11-16T16:26:00.003-05:00

A suspect in Friday's White House shooting is now in police custody.

Police arrested Oscar Ramiro Ortega-Hernandez, 21, this afternoon in connection to the shooting. Two bullets struck the White House, one cracking a window in the Obama family living quarters, the Secret Service said Tuesday.

President Obama was traveling to a summit in Hawaii at the time. No injuries have been reported.

The Secret Service discovered an assault rifle registered to Ortega-Henandez on Friday, minutes after hearing shots fired near the White House. ABC7/TBD reports that Ortega's family in Idaho Falls, Idaho reported him missing on Oct. 31. He has an arrest record in three states, according to U.S. Park Police.

GW Soccer Reaches A-10 Championship

2011-11-11T14:52:00.000-05:00

For the first time since 1992, GW’s Varsity Men’s Soccer team will play in the Atlantic-Ten Conference Championship. Last Sunday saw the team continue its undefeated home record, securing a 1-0 victory over Duquesne. The finals of the A-10 Conference, to be held this weekend, will be the last shot for Coach George Lidster, who is retiring after 24 years the University, to win a championship.

Senior Yoni Berhanu scored Sunday’s crucial goal, a 25-yard free kick in the 72^nd minute that earned Coach Lidster his 200^th win. Yoni has scored 3 out of 4 goals in GW’s last few matches, adding to his impressive record within the A-10 [10 goals and 23 points] and his overall career record [19 goals and 52 points] that places him just outside the programs overall top-10.

Berhanu and Coach Lidster have both received recognition within the Atlantic-10 Conference, securing both the 2011 Atlantic-10 Men’s Soccer Coach of the Year and Midfielder of the Week award this season. This is the third-such award for Berhanu, who in 2008, was named the conference’s Rookie of the Year.

The defeat against Duquesne marked a considerable turnaround for GW men’s soccer; the team began the soccer pre-season ranked 13 out of 14, but is now ranked the number two seed at this weekend’s championship. Seniors Berhanu, Mike Burke, Brice Carr and Jake Davis had a similar experience their freshman year, having to win one of the last games in order to qualify for the A-10s and hope to bring home the championship title in their final year.

A link to a free live video streaming of Friday's match can be found at GWsports.com. Weather permitting all five matches will also be streamed through the A-10's online home.

--Alida Wuenscher

Fraternities Crack Down on Hazing and Underage Drinking, Hope to Change Nature of Greek Life on Campus

2011-11-10T12:07:00.001-05:00

Some of the University's Greek life organizations have started taking measures to protect pledges and the school community from the perils of hazing and underage drinking. The Greek letter associations' move toward more stringent anti-hazing and anti-underage-drinking policies comes one year after hazing and underage drinking allegations were leveled against four of the school's most recognized fraternities and sororities.

Last November, four Greek chapters came under fire after being accused of violating the University's no-hazing and no-underage-drinking policies. These chapters included fraternities Pi Kappa Alpha (also known as "Pike") and Sigma Phi Epsilon, along with sororities Delta Gamma and Kappa Kappa Gamma.

Other Greek letter organizations expressed their thoughts on the issue and also hope that the allegations leveled at the chapters serve as a learning experience.

"At the end of the day, unfortunate situations can happen to anyone and have greater consequences," regarded Sigma Chi Public Relations Chairman Cody Scott. "I believe that going forward, fraternities and sororities alike will be working to strengthen their institutions promoting the safety and well-being of all their members."

According to the Center for Student Engagement's website, hazing is defined as "any action taken or situation created, intentionally, with or without consent, whether on or off campus, to produce mental or physical discomfort, embarrassment, harassment, or ridicule."

Additionally, any student who takes part in hazing activities faces conviction on a misdemeanor, and may also be subject to a fine of $1,000 or six months in prison.

The allegations leveled at the University's chapters proved alarming given the growing influence of Greek Life on campus. As of 2011, 25% of the University's students are Greek-affiliated, a figure that is growing steadily as the appeal of these organizations increases among the student body.

Fraternity hazing, a longtime staple of the pledging process at many universities, has been the subject of heated controversy in past years. Many fraternities require pledging members to submit to a series of degrading activities, including paddling, branding or pledge sneaks, a ritual which involves leaving potential members stranded in desolate areas.

Hazing has long been considered a rite of passage for many young men and women involved with Greek Life. Unfortunately, however, the effects of hazing have proved disastrous to many families, some of whom have lost children as a result of these often-brutal activities.

In 1959, Richard Swanson died while pledging the Kappa Sigma fraternity at his university. The fraternity's brutal act of hazing required pledging members to swallow whole pieces of liver without first chewing the meat. Swanson attempted to abide by the guidelines of the inhumane ritual, but he unfortunately choked to death on the piece of liver. Swanson's tragic story is depicted in the 1977 drama Fraternity Row.

Time has proven women are not immune to the catastrophic effects of Greek Life hazing either.

In 1970, Donna Bedinger died while pledging the Alpha Gamma Delta sorority at Eastern Illinois University. After being tossed out of a car while out on a pledge sneak, Bedinger attempted to throw herself back onto the moving vehicle, after which she fell and hit her head on the ground. Bedinger died several days later after complications from her head trauma.

Even after thousands of hazing-related deaths, these barbarous activities still define the pledging process at many college campuses.

In 2003, Walter Dean Jennings III lost his life while pledging the Psi Epsilon Chi fraternity of the State University of New York. Jennings was forced to drink excessive amounts of water over a ten day period, which ultimately contributed to the swelling of his brain. Thirteen SUNY students were charged with and plead guilty to negligent homicide.

While many universities have since instituted stringent no-hazing policies, these often-detrimental activities still persist on college campuses. This University's is no exception. Some of the Greek letter organizations on campus are taking preventive measures to ensure that their pledges and the University community as a whole are protected from the cruelty of hazing and the dangers of underage drinking.

"Specifically within Sigma Chi, we are working to instill a zero tolerance culture for hazing," noted Public Relations Chairman Cody Scott. "Since the days of being recolonized a few years back, that has been one of our major tenants which has proved to be widely successful with the quality of brothers we attract."

Sigma Chi, as well as other Greek organizations on campus, have also realized the importance of educating its members on the hazards that underage drinking poses.

"Brothers are required to be RAM [Responsible Alcohol Management] trained by the University in order to serve as monitors at social functions to mitigate risk," said Chairman Scott. "We have been tremendously successful in our approach so far."

The University's newly-recolonized chapter of the Kappa Alpha Order also intends to crack-down on hazing and underage drinking. At the induction of the fraternity's first pledge class last Thursday, the Regional Commander of the DC-Maryland-New Jersey area warned new members of the grave punishment that would be distributed if any brothers engaged in either illegal activity.

Brothers were also informed that they would be subject to random drug tests throughout the year, a stern measure the national organization is taking in order to keep brothers and their respective college campuses safe from the reckless behaviors that accompany hazing and underage drinking. The brothers of the Kappa Alpha Order, through the values of reverence, service, and gentility, also hope to change the nature of Greek Life on campus.

Occupy DC Movement Grows (video)

2011-11-09T12:19:00.001-05:00

Created by Joseph Rabinowitz and Jen Wolfe

GW Students Become Involved in Occupy DC Movements

2011-11-09T12:18:00.019-05:00

Ever slept in Freedom Plaza?

Miles Milliken has. The GW Sophomore majoring in Environmental Studies has slept in the plaza, located at 13th Street and Pennsylvania Avenue, more than once over the past couple of months.

He has become involved in a movement that goes by several names, an offshoot of the Occupy Movement that calls itself "October 2011," the month its participants began to "occupy" Freedom Plaza. The other most common name for the movement is "Stop the Machine: Create a New World."

Milliken was there from the beginning of the occupation of Freedom Plaza, when the movement was originally given a four day permit to set up camp. Besides sleeping outside in the plaza at night a couple of times in either a tent or under a tarp, Milliken helped in the movement's food tent where he prepared pots of soup and coffee to keep more than 200 protestors warm.

Milliken says he is passionate about his time supporting the movement and it's 24/7 occupation of the plaza.

"To be there [at Freedom Plaza] continually is to show that we are truly fed-up with the situation of this country," Milliken said. "That being there, spending our time there, giving our time to this cause, means more to us than going to school, than going to work, than taking care of our standard responsibilities of life. Our common lives don't matter as much as the issues of corporatism and profiteering across this country and in the political system."

Milliken met a number of different people who came to Freedom Plaza to become part of the movement from all over America, including one man who drove all the way from California to participate in the DC protest.

"It's an awesome community. You wake-up with the sunrise when you're outside and there's people already up, around, making some food," Milliken said. "There's already people getting ready for the day's action. It's just, in general, a great atmosphere to be in."

Other GW students are joining the protests as well. Sam Nelson, a sophomore majoring in History, became involved with the official "Occupy DC" movement at McPherson Square, just blocks from the GW campus at 15th and I streets. Nelson first went to McPherson Square just days after the initial occupation, looking for a movement that would represent his political ideology.

"In the past few years or so I've become disenchanted with both major parties," Nelson commented. "I've always developed my own political ideology that was not necessarily mainstream in many cases.

"There hasn't been a real left in this country since the 60's and a real organized active left since even the 1920's, and I feel like this is a chance to build off things like the union protests in Wisconsin and create a new identity for the American left."

Nelson participates in the McPherson Square general assemblies, public meetings built around building consensus on issues facing the movement. Facilitators lead the discussions on issues and operations, including approving an action, such as a protest, spending of the movement's funds and removing someone from the movement. People participating in the assembly are encouraged to speak and voice their opinion. It takes more than 90% approval for any vote to pass and take effect. Nelson feels this slows down the process of taking action but has many benefits too.

"I feel like it does take a longer time but we hash out our problems and in the end people agree on something so there is a lot of commitment and also unity with the decision we make," Nelson commented.

The general assemblies are not the only characteristic the Freedom Plaza and McPherson Square occupations have in common. Both Milliken and Nelson agree that although the occupations are technically not related to each other, many people are participating in both occupations.

Nelson also recently joined in a DMV student march from McPherson Square to the headquarters of Sallie Mae, a financial company that specializes in giving out federal student education loans. The protest included people from many of the different Occupy groups in DC, who marched with signs and fliers in hand, addressed to the head of Sallie Mae. They protested over their frustration with the amount of student loans they have to take out. The protestors ended up surrounding the building, posting the fliers on its outer walls and windows.

GW Sophomore Jesse Schaffer, majoring in International Affairs and Environmental Studies, also participated in the Sallie Mae protest. Schaffer became involved with the Occupy movement in McPherson Square, he said, because not protesting would be accepting the status quo.

Schaffer said the education system in the United States needs to be fixed.

"We [The United States] clearly have a broken system," Schaffer said. "Education is a human right and higher education is so expensive that we are creating divides in our society that makes some people get an education and some people don't. I see that as unfair."

Besides participating in some of the large protests, Schaffer has also spent time at some of the cultural events sponsored by the new McPherson community, including Jewish religious services.

Sam Free, a senior majoring in Sociology, attended the Square's Yom Kippur service (the highest holy day in the Jewish religion). The service's diverse demographic impressed her the most.

"You had everybody there from college students, to the people who had just gotten off from work, to families out- that's what really struck me," Free said.

Free says she can't devote as much time as others in the movement, but as a supporter she believes one of the main goals is to let the public know what the protests are about.

"I think the big thing is raising awareness," Free explained. "What I find is nine times out of ten, a lot of people don't really know what the occupy movement is. It's really about educating people as to what it is.

"At it's core it's really simple. It's about making sure people have enough money to make ends meet."

Still, not everyone is supportive of the Occupy movements. Protestors have faced opposition from Government officials and law enforcement in other cities, as well as some in the general public.

Milliken claims he is not concerned about the possible legal consequences of his actions.

"The police have been very kind to us," Milliken said. "They have not threatened us ever in any way, and I trust that they will maintain that stance."

Both local movements have plans in place to help those arrested while protesting. Legal teams from the National Lawyers Guild Association, a major supporter of the Occupy movements, often supervise the Occupation sites and major protests. Many protestors wear the phone number of the Lawyer's Guild on their arm when they protest. Some fill out Guild risk arrest forms, which include an emergency contact in case of arrest.

Schaffer, though, is more cautious about the possibility of legal trouble.

"I'm watching my back and making sure I'm not going to get arrested," Schaffer said. "I do worry about violence but not from protestors."

Schaffer hopes that the Occupy movements won't be uprooted anytime soon and his concern won't stop him from participating in the movements, which plan to remain in McPherson Square and Freedom Plaza through the cold winter months.

"We should occupy this country until we create a world that I want to raise my kids in," Schaffer said.

Lara Logan Talks Foreign Correspondence, War, Journalism on Kalb Report

2011-11-09T11:36:00.000-05:00

Lara Logan (center) joined The Kalb Report at the National Press Club.

While other kids were at the beach, she worked at the newspaper. Such was the upbringing of CBS News' Chief Foreign Affairs Correspondent Lara Logan during the year's final edition of the Kalb Report last night.

Logan, a correspondent for 60 Minutes from South Africa, spoke of how the injustices of apartheid instilled within her values to stand up against what she believed was wrong. As an embedded journalist, Logan has spent years with soldiers in areas ravaged by war and would gladly trade the comforts of a hot bed for covering a story that puts a fire in her.

"War coverage asks more of you," Logan said. "The story is bigger than you. I didn't do it because I'd become famous, I did it because I wanted to."

On embedded journalism, Logan discussed the rules embedded journalists abide by given the amount of judgment calls reporters must make and the bond of trust they develop over time. She said she never encountered a story that was more important than her integrity.

"Your job is to be a true journalist, not be vilified for giving your opinion when asked," Logan said.

Earlier this year in February, Logan was sexually assaulted in Cairo during the fall of former President Hosni Mubarak. In spite of the experience, she still continues to report, but with a new fear that not many journalists have spoken up about.

"You carry the idea of 'It's not gonna be me' and then one day it is. I hadn't thought of that before," Logan said. "I went back because journalists are anarchists. We don't like to be told what to do."

Logan spoke of giving a voice to the unheard stories in order to give them a place in history. This is part of what has motivated her to remain embedded in war zones for long periods and not be a "parachute in, parachute out" reporter.

She gave parting advice to aspiring journalists in the audience trying to break into the field in light of advancements with social media and quick access to news.

"One thing that's endured is people's demand to know the truth," Logan said. "Believe in the truth, find your niche and don't expect someone to do it for you."

Metro's Upcoming Military Open House Offers Employment for Veterans

2011-11-08T20:34:00.000-05:00

As the economy struggles onward, many Americans are still unemployed. By the end of the year, more people will attempt to join the workforce. Along with the high school and college graduates, there will also be an influx of returning veterans. The impending departure of all American military forces from Iraq by the end of this year will leave those who choose not to remain with the military jobless.

The Washington Metropolitan Transit Authority, better known as Metro, will be hosting the second annual Military Open House. The event is scheduled for this upcoming Monday, November 14 in an effort aimed at helping retired, former and transitioning military service members find employment and gradually re-adjust to civilian life.

On October 21, President Obama announced that after nearly nine years of war in Iraq, all but 160 of the approximately 40,000 soldiers will return home by the end of next month. The few who remain will provide security for the American embassy in Baghdad.

According to the United States Department of Labor the unemployment rate dropped last month to a six-month low of nine percent. Since April, the DOL announced that an average of 90,000 jobs have been added per month. Even so, many Americans are having trouble finding steady employment.

Metro has announced it is looking for hundreds of new employees to fill current and upcoming vacancies within the agency in a massive hiring effort known as “Metro Forward." The positions include:

Civil engineers
Mechanical engineers
Electrical engineers
Architects
Construction inspectors
Construction project managers

Metro is also looking to fill open operations positions including:

Police officers
Bus operators
Information technology workers
Signal/Communications employees
Electrical technicians
Fare technology workers
Bus mechanics
Rail car maintenance employees

The open house will be located in the lower lobby of Metro’s headquarters on 600 Fifth Street, NW, Washington D.C. All veterans interested in attending should register by Thursday, November 10 at wmata.com/military. Special assistance will be provided for disabled veterans.

GW Overrun with Western Business Clad Middle Schoolers

2011-11-07T13:22:00.000-05:00

This Saturday was the sixteenth annual Greater Washington Conference on International Affairs, or GWCIA. GWCIA brings middle school students from throughout the Mid-Atlantic and beyond together for an educational debate about major international issues.

GWCIA is designed to provide a valuable educational experience for participants. Debate is conducted in a professional manner and atmosphere according to parliamentary procedure. Delegates interact with their peers while they gain valuable experience debating current world issues. The conference, held at GW, emphasizes diplomacy and negotiation as a means for solving conflict.

GW students staff the event. As members of the International Affairs society, the staff is equipped with experience and knowledge of international relations and Model United Nations.

“I thought the conference was really well organized. I had a lot of fun, this was my first time staffing a Model UN conference,” said Grace Aucella, a GW freshman who worked the conference as a crisis staffer for the African Union committee.

This years conference highlighted a variety of topics, both historical and contemporary, covering diverse sets of interest and regions of the world.

"It was a good experience, since I usually compete in Model UN, it was good to get a new perspective of how a conference is run. I really enjoyed working with the middle school students because it is nice that they are so interested in international affairs at such a young age,” said Avani Singh, another freshman staffer.

GW Unveils New Emergency Alert System

2011-11-07T13:07:00.001-05:00

Two suspects were arrested on campus after a deadly Halloween last Tuesday morning. Concerned students spread the word to their friends, but the University's emergency communication system failed to let students know about the shootings around DC, the suspects' proximity to campus or the suspects' arrest on 24th and New Hampshire. The first official word from GW came hours later, via a tweet, and later an email explaining, “GWPD was notified of armed suspects on the I Street mall area. Both suspects have been caught by MPD.”

The next day, GW Executive Vice President and Treasurer Lou Katz sent out a message explaining that technical issues delayed the notification system. He also announced that a new system would be implemented to improve communication and notifications on campus. GW activated the new system Friday, incorporating GW’s Banner System, which already has students' email and phone numbers, and serves as the basis for sending communication and notifications in case of an emergency.

In a phone interview with WRGW, Senior Associate Vice President for Safety and Security Darrell Darnell told WRGW that with the new alert system, students should look for texts and emails whenever a credible threat is identified on campus. Once an alert is sent out, students are to follow instructions and stay calm, he said. Responding to the delay in notification last Tuesday, Darnell cited server problems at Division of IT that prevented the alert from being sent. He stressed that while the new system cannot be 100 percent foolproof, thanks to multiple ways of sending out notifications, alerts will be sent out as quickly as possible.

Darnell recommends students follow a motto of, "If they see something, say something," and call UPD or 911. Students can keep up to date with campus advisories by going to http://campusadvisories.gwu.edu/ and information about being prepared for an emergency can be found at http://www.gwu.edu/safety.

Students are invited to a Safety and Security Forum at the Jack Morton Auditorium this Thursday at 6:30 pm, where Mr. Darnell and other GW security personnel will be on hand to answer questions and listen to feedback. The forum will be broadcast live via webcast; further details will be released this afternoon.

On a related note, this Wednesday at 2 pm there will be a nationwide emergency alert system test. Throughout the country, and even in other countries, FEMA, in coordination with the FCC and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration will be issuing a 30-second emergency broadcast through all radio and television channels as a first test of a nationwide emergency system.

Youngest Congressman Shares His Story

2011-11-04T13:03:00.002-04:00

Aaron Schock is the youngest serving Congressman.

Rep. Aaron Schock (R-IL) spoke to a group on GW students Tuesday at a College Republicans and Young America's Foundation cosponsored event. Schock, 30, told the Marvin Center crowd about his journey to becoming the youngest serving U.S. Congressmen.

"It's great to be back on a college campus," Schock said. "Most of the days I get to spend with people that are three times my age, so it's kind of fun to come back to a place, where people kind of look my age."

He then launched into a brief version of his impressive rise to Congress. Schock got off to an ambitious start at an incredibly young age working by forming his own company, working with DOS formatting software and doing database management, at a book store chain. The impressive part was, Schock was only in the fifth grade.

Many other impressive accomplishments followed, including working a ticket-brokering job that would net him nearly $18,000 annually when he reached seventh grade, and began investing the money that he earned with an online trading account. He was relatively successful until the tech bubble burst and his portfolio bottomed out.

Schock got his first taste of politics when he attempted to graduate a year early from high school and was held back by the school board. Schock earned all of his high school credits by the end of his junior year and attempted to go off to college a year early. Shock said the school board prevented his early departure because of the state money the district would receive for his school attendance.

When he realized it was about the money, Schock said he showed up at the next school board meeting with a personal check for $8,400 written out to the school system, the exact amount of the school's state aid. The board turned him down and forced Schock to take gym for his senior year for a single credit hour.

He wanted to change the rules. Schock decided to jump in the race against the previously unopposed Peoria school board president. He managed to collect the necessary number of petition signatures, but the school board member hired an attorney and challenged his petition. Some of the signees simply wrote ditto marks and not a full signature, and the court decided this invalidated Schock's petition.

Determined to win, Schock still ran as a write-in candidate. He defeated the incumbent president, and three years later, Schock became the youngest Illinois school board president at the age of 23.

He later followed up his early election victory by successfully running for a position in the Illinois House of Representatives in 2005. He served for four years, quickly moving up the ranks in the Democratic state legislature.

Schock joined Congress in 2009 at the age of 28. Two years later, he was reelected with nearly 70% of the votes.

GW to host GOP Foreign Policy Debate

2011-11-01T22:18:00.002-04:00

WRGW has been given a tip on Tuesday night by a GOP candidate campaign representative that the George Washington University has in fact been chosen to host a GOP debate on foreign policy.

More details will be released tomorrow.

Stay tuned to WRGW News for more info.

UPDATE on Shooting Near Campus

2011-11-01T00:06:00.008-04:00

GW's official Twitter has announced: "At approximately 11:15 PM, GWPD was notified of armed suspects in the I Street Mall area. Both suspects have been caught by MPD."

Reports continue that dorms and streets are blocked off.

No GW Alert or campus-wide Crime Alert has been issued.

WRGW has obtained some raw footage and pictures from the scene. (used with permission by Anna Hoover)

Please stay safe out there as there have been at least 6 shot tonight in DC.

UPDATE on Shooting Near Campus

2011-10-31T23:52:00.003-04:00

Dorms are blocked off, and MPD has swarmed campus as a suspect in a shooting that occurred near 28th and M streets. The suspect(s) were caught at 24th street. There are unconfirmed reports that dorms are being blocked off, and traffic (both foot and car) are being diverted from the scene.

At this point, almost an hour after the event, there has been no official GW Alert, Crime Alert, or Campus Alert. Stay tuned to WRGW News for more information as this story develops.

BREAKING NEWS: Suspects caught in 28th and M Shooting

2011-10-31T23:17:00.004-04:00

BREAKING NEWS-

Unconfirmed reports that the suspects in the Georgetown shooting have been caught at 24th street in Foggy Bottom, near campus.

GW has yet to send out a Campus Alert.

Stay tuned to WRGW News for more information.

Cinematic Titanic Hits GW

2011-10-31T17:45:00.000-04:00

Mystery Science Theater 3000 comedians reunited for a live screening and performance.

The comedian alumni of Mystery Science Theater 3000 reunited for a live performance of their famous riffs Thursday at Lisner Auditorium, taking on the notably bad 1976 film "Rattlers."

Cinematic Titanic is the new feature-length movie-riffing show from the creator and original cast of Mystery Science Theater 3000, which earned a place on Time's list of "100 Greatest TV Shows of All Time." Like MST3K, the show was created by Joel Hodgson and features the same team that first brought the Peabody award winning cult-classic series to life: Trace Beaulieu, J. Elvis Weinstein, Frank Conniff, and Mary Jo Pehl. Cinematic Titanic continues the tradition of riffing on the horribly great and just plain cheesy movies from the past.

In "Rattlers," a herpetologist must team up with an attractive war photographer to uncover the mystery behind a spate of killer rattlesnake attacks.

The Show began with introductions and stand up performances by the stars. Despite several technical difficulties with the movie pausing, the comedians kept the nearly packed auditorium laughing.

Joel Hodgson and the rest of the cast met with fans after the show to sign pretty much anything with a smooth surface.

Controversial Kuwaiti Filmmaker Talks Middle East and More

2011-10-29T13:37:00.000-04:00

An event titled “Turning Motion Picture into Emotion”, sponsored by GWU’s Institute for Middle Eastern Studies, saw award-winning Kuwaiti filmmaker, Walid Al-Awadi, discuss his documentaries on 9/11, Iraq and Afghanistan Wednesday. Walid’s 1995 chronicle of the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait earned him the "Best International Film" award at the Houston Film Festival and his latest film, "Tora Bora," recently premiered at the 2011 Cannes Film Festival.

Initially trained as engineer, one of the two jobs deemed acceptable by his parents, Walid found his true inspiration through filmmaking. Inspiration, he argued, is the most important thing in life and despite facing a “red” bank account on more than one occasion, he remained committed to the trade.

Walid spoke about his determination to cover the events of September 11th despite voiced concerns that, as a Kuwaiti national, such an undertaking would be too controversial. Despite the success of his initial project, PR reps told Walid to expect 100 people for his screening of ‘Dreams Without Sleep’ at the Lincoln Center in New York City. However, Walid played the film to a packed audience.

Well-received in the West, Walid nevertheless faced some criticism back in Kuwait for a perceived ‘pro-American’ approach.

For Walid filmmaking is about the characters. "Dreams Without Sleep" told the stories of five people’s different experiences during the events of 9/11. Walid’s recent film ‘Tora Bora’ followed the story of two parents searching for their son who fled to Afghanistan to join a terrorist network.

More information on Walid’s latest project, ‘Tora Bora, can be found here.

GW Alum Discusses Social Change

2011-10-28T13:55:00.001-04:00

The Inspirational Lecture Series made its debut on Wednesday with Justin Zorn, a 2008 GW alum, current Harvard scholar and founder of Banaa.org. Zorn led a discussion about sparking social change in Funger Hall with about twenty people, including GW students and faculty.

“I came to GW without ever really being at the center of a movement before,” said Zorn. His story began in 2004, when he entered GW as a freshman and the Darfur crisis began.

Zorn started a student group on campus and spoke to people who had been in different movements and grass-roots initiatives in DC. He found out that, “U.S. citizenship is the most powerful of all tools,” he said. “You can walk into a congressman’s office and ask them to co-sponsor a piece of legislation.”

The group also wrote op-eds for small local newspapers. “We held some rallies,” said Zorn, “but after all that excitement we realized there’s only so much we can do at 19 years old.”

The group's focus then shifted to targeting GW and former President Stephen Joel Trachtenberg to not provide revenue to the government of Sudan. They were able to get 36 student organizations to have a rally on campus. Zorn and his group got the president’s attention, but it was not what they expected.

“We had a good conversation, but we felt like we lost,” said Zorn. Trachtenberg offered to provide a scholarship to students of Sudan. The group agreed and decided to expand on the idea by creating a program to bring a large number of Sudanese students who can “contemplate what they can add to peace globally,” Zorn said.

The group created a how-to kit for other campuses to establish the same scholarship program. They were able to get eight schools to provide full scholarships. The group also created a modified Common Application. They received 170 applications, “which totally blew us away,” Zorn said.

There are currently three Banaa scholars, one at GW and two at Rochester University. Makwei Mabioor Deng is the Banaa scholar at GW. He spent 16 years at a refugee camp in Kenya and wrote the first Dinka language textbook for grades 1 to 3. The first half of the book was published in 2009 when he started at GW. The second half was published this year.

“Education is one thing that can bring change,” said Deng, “and this is why this program is very important.”

Even though the Banaa program has experienced some successes, Deng and Zorn were honest about its shortcomings.

“The purpose of this program was to bring all Sudanese together as scholars because there is nothing common among us in Sudan,” said Deng. “We haven’t done as much as we need to, but at least we’ve done as much as we wanted.”

Zorn said the group is trying to keep GW actively engaged in the program and that University has fallen behind in its commitment.

To learn more about Banaa, visit their website.

Claiming Your NetID is Not a Trap

2011-10-26T16:19:00.000-04:00

GW students know how to spot spam. However, for the past month, many have been confused by emails from the University seemingly asking for confidential information to secure their NetID and change their password. Some students were reluctant to make the switch.

"The password they want us to make is overly complicated," said Ben Laman-Maharg, a sophomore in the Honors Program. "And the emails they sent us to make the change seemed like spam. I had to call them to be sure that it was not spam."

According to GW's Division of Information Technology, the emails are legitimate and necessary as the university is tightening web security. The emails ask students to claim their NetID Account by accessing a linked webpage and inputting their GWid, birthday and last name. Then, students are asked to change their passwords into longer and more complicated codes that must include an uppercase letter, a lowercase letter, a number and a symbol. This complicated password is to help prevent hackers from acquiring sensitive data, and even access to GW's servers. After creating the new password, all GW related log-ins are affected, from GWmail to Internet access through the GW1X or GWireless networks.

DIT's Rachel Belvins said in an email to WRGW News that the identity and access management program is the first part of a phase to "allow for simplified account creation and deactivation, password synchronization across IT applications and improved self service user account management services such as a reset process for forgotten passwords."

Ms. Belvins said that through GWToday articles and targeted emails towards users that have not yet switched, DIT will be able to meet the December 1 goal of first switching all students over to the new system so that they can focus on switching the staff then faculty.

DIT hopes to have the entire program finished by March, and they want to remind students that for more information on account claiming, the new identity and access management program, or other IT-related questions to please contact division of IT at 202-994-4948, email them at IThelp@gwu.edu or go to their website http://ITsupport.gwu.edu.

Huntsman Brings Campaign to GW

2011-10-26T13:30:00.007-04:00

John Huntsman, Jr. discussed his economic and foreign policy with students.

Republican presidential hopeful Jon Huntsman spoke before a packed Jack Morton Auditorium Tuesday night, marking the first visit by a 2012 presidential candidate to the GW campus since President Obama's in April.

The former Utah governor and ambassador to China spoke on fixing an ailing economy, reducing the "heroin-like addiction to foreign oil" and strengthening diplomatic ties with allies like Israel and India.

"All I want... is a foreign policy that says we're going to lead with economics," Huntsman said.

His plan for economic recovery would include the repeal of the Dodd-Frank Act and "Obamacare," a focus on domestic natural gas production for transportation and the adoption of a flat tax like the one his "good friend Rick Perry" talked about earlier in the day. He criticized President Obama's handling of the economy, including bailing out businesses seen as too big to fail.

"Capitalism without failure is not capitalism," Huntsman said.

Huntsman vocalized his support for continued counter-terrorism initiatives, claiming, "We must remain vigilant." But he also announced that he would bring home the 100,000 troops currently serving in Afghanistan.

Looking towards the general election, Huntsman attacked President Obama's "hope" campaign as a message of style over substance.

"You can win on a mantra, that don't mean you can lead," he said.

Though critical of the current president, Huntsman made no apologies for leaving his job as Utah governor to accept President Obama's nomination for ambassador to China.

"I worked for President Reagan, I worked for President Bush, I worked for President Bush," he said. "I'm of the firm belief that when your president asks you to step up and serve in a time of war, during a time of economic hardship, you stand up and put your country first."

Jack Morton quickly reached its 260 person capacity for the College Republicans-sponsored event. CR members could RSVP for priority seating prior to the event, while coordinators granted non dues-paying members entry on a first-come, first-served basis.

Huntsman spokesman and GW alumnus Tim Miller said his candidate does well with youth voters because of the sense that he includes them in the debate on topics such as the national debt.

"He's doing a lot of college visits," Miller said. "He has a positive message that resonates with young people."

Following the speech, students swarmed to the front of the auditorium, clamoring for a picture with the presidential candidate.

"I liked how moderate he was," GW senior Veronica Brown said. "He really spoke to me as a less right-wing Republican."

Despite polling below 2 percent in most national Republican primary studies, Huntsman maintains a focus on youth voters. He appeared on the popular Colbert Report Monday and jokingly requested that Stephen Colbert join him as his vice presidential running mate.

Huntsman is the second 2012 presidential candidate to campaign at GW this year. President Obama revealed his budget deficit reduction plan in the Jack Morton Auditorium shortly after announcing his candidacy in April. Republican candidates Herman Cain and Newt Gingrich both came to campus in February, several months prior to officially announcing their runs for the Republican presidential nomination.

"I don't think this is his year," GW sophomore Daniel Ceisler said, "but I don't think this is the last we'll see of Jon Huntsman."

Restaurant Review: An Asian Chipotle?

2011-10-25T22:20:00.000-04:00

When I went to visit the new Asian Chipotle restaurant in Dupont Circle, I ended up walking right past it. Like an idiot.

That's, of course, because its name isn't actually "Asian Chipotle" (although I still intend to refer to it as such). No, the restaurant's real name is "ShopHouse Southeast Asian Kitchen," and it's a brand-new spin-off restaurant owned by Chipotle. If you're worried that a restaurant whose specialty lies in delicious, gut-busting, assembly-line burritos couldn't possibly deliver good Asian food, think again, for I have been to the top of the mountain and have experienced ShopHouse firsthand.

Now, time for a quick disclaimer: ShopHouse's menu is based on cuisines from Thailand, Malaysia, Vietnam and Singapore. As I have never visited any of these countries nor tasted their food, I can't attest to ShopHouse's authenticity. What I can attest to, however, is the fact that they serve up some very tasty food.

If you've ever been to a Chipotle before, ShopHouse will feel instantly familiar to you. The layout is almost identical to Chipotle's signature bare-bones, functional design. Ordering should also be a familiar process. You walk up to the counter and make one fundamental decision: do you want chicken, steak, chicken-pork meatballs or tofu? Once you've made your choice, everything else falls in place. Type of rice (or, if you prefer, rice noodles), vegetables, sauce, and crunchy toppings. And with that, you have your meal.

For my first meal, I requested grilled chicken on jasmine rice, with grilled green beans and caramelized onions, spicy red curry sauce, green papaya slaw (it's okay, I had no idea what it was, either), and crushed peanuts to top it all off. While there was something distinctly Chipotle about the food, it was also a wholly new and unique taste experience, and I enjoyed it very much. Be careful, though, the spicy red curry sauce is in fact very spicy, and unfortunately, ShopHouse doesn't sell any milk to neutralize the burning (which I feel is a major oversight). I was still feeling it on the Metro ride home ten minutes later. Be warned.

To those of you who find the idea of a simple bowl of rice and toppings boring, ShopHouse also offers sub-like sandwiches. I have yet to try one, but my roommate ordered a chicken-pork meatball sandwich and informed me that it was actually better than the bowl. I intend to order one on my next visit.

When it was all said and done, I walked away from ShopHouse with a full stomach and a very satisfied feeling, even in spite of my burning mouth. I would definitely recommend this brand new restaurant. The best part about it? The DC ShopHouse is the only one in the country (so far), so make the trip, enjoy the food and gloat about it to your friends at other schools. That's what I did, anyway.

Science and Engineering Hall Groundbreaking Ceremony

2011-10-23T15:23:00.000-04:00

This past Thursday the University broke ground at the location for the future Science and Engineering Hall. GW President Steven Knapp, faculty, students, and neighborhood partners took part in the special ceremony that occurred in the now open lot on H and 22^nd Streets NW at the site of the old University Parking Garage.

With an expected completion date of 2015, the new building will have 400,000 square feet above grade and 290,000 square feet of space for teaching and research laboratories for faculty and students. Not only will faculty and students of the Columbian College and School of Engineering and Applied Science (SEAS) be conducting research in the new building, but so will researchers from the School of Medicine and Health Sciences.

The Science and Engineering Hall will be the first new building the School of Engineering and Applied Science has received in more than 50 years. One reason for building this new facility is that the current classroom space for the SEAS is spread over multiple locations around campus and includes many outdated classrooms and labs.

Despite losing the University Parking Garage, GW will still maintain a minimum of 2,800 parking spaces around campus at various lots and garages. The new building will have 380 parking spaces underground, something very important in an area already lacking in parking.

At a cost of $275 million, the new building comes at a time when the cash strapped University is already more than $1 billion in debt. Fortunately, GW will avoid slipping further into debt, as the new building will be financed by lease payments from The Avenue apartment complex, research contracts, and philanthropic gifts from the GW community.

Click here to view photos from the ground breaking ceremony.

Professor Reveals Findings on Child Development

2011-10-23T15:17:00.001-04:00

Dr. Rochelle Newman gave a lecture this past Thursday in Funger Hall on how early perceptual abilities from infants can later affect how they process language. Newman, an assistant professor at the University of Maryland, received her bachelor's in speech pathology and now studies language processing in adults.

Dr. Newman discussed how one thing infants often recognize when they are four and a half years old is their name. This serves as a sign that their auditory system is in development.

"What happens is you use a sound that an infant knows and see if they can recognize it," Newman said. "They may not know what it means to them, but they know it's a sound pattern they hear fairly often."

When sounds are funneled down the ear canal, they strike the same area. According to Newman, this differentiates from sight because when something hits our eyes, it reaches different sensor receptors.

However, because an infant's auditory system is not as well-developed as an adult's, an infant cannot separate different sources of sound. This is especially noticeable when infants are in noisy environments.

"We might expect that infants would have difficulty in noisy environments," Newman said. "We know that second language learners who have less knowledge about the language have problems in noisy environments. Infants will suffer the same problem."

Newman demonstrated this with the headturn preference procedure. A child would sit in a parent's lap, a light would flash and a voice would say the infant's name, often over noise. In cases where the infant would recognize the sound as familiar, they would pay more attention to it.

"When testing with older infants around nine months to 13 months, the amount of time they spent looking at the source saying their name increased," Newman said.

The results of this experiment, Newman explained, showed that infants younger than nine months may not be able to acquire useful speech information in real world settings. By developing perceptual skills over time, they can better develop their language skills.

One of these particular skills is segmentation, which is an infant's ability to separate streams of speech into individual words.

"This is important because parents don't just talk to babies," Newman said. "There aren't pauses in the words when speaking the same way there are breaks when typing a sentence."

The other skill is statistical learning: an infant's ability to recognize consistent patterns in what they hear.

Newman's ongoing work includes a large, longitudinal study with infants that critically examines what skills that develop during infancy are particularly important and how they correlate with sound.

White House Opens Gates for Garden Tours

2011-10-21T11:40:00.000-04:00

On any given day in Washington, one can see crowds of sightseers gather outside the White House’s age-old gates for a glimpse of what lies beyond. This past weekend, however, those gates were opened for the Executive Mansion's 39th annual fall garden tour.

The event, which has been a little-known staple in Washington, was started in 1972 by First Lady Patricia Nixon as a way to showcase the White House grounds to the nation and the world.

Visitors strolled around the South Lawn driveway, passing by magnolia trees planted by President Andrew Jackson, the Kennedy and Rose Gardens and informational placards telling the tale of the ever-evolving White House landscape.

The newest addition to the grounds, the Kitchen Garden, was prominently showcased. Planted by First Lady Michelle Obama in 2009, the garden now supplies the vegetables for all of the Obamas family dinners as well as for meals at Miriam's Kitchen in Foggy Bottom, an organization devoted to feeding the Districts homeless.

The President’s Own Marine Band provided the public with an assortment of music to add an air of officialness to the event that only the White House can provide.

Although no numbers are available for how many people actually attended the tours, press liaisons noted that they expected bolstered attendance compared to previous years because of people in town for the Dr. Martin Luther King Memorial Dedication, as well as the George Washington and Georgetown Universities parents weekends.

For those who missed the tours, The White House will open it’s gates again for its annual spring tours in April.

Ex-Democratic Congressman Critical of Obama at SMPA Event

2011-10-18T22:12:00.000-04:00

A few notable politicians, journalists, and a political scientist sat down for a discussion as a part of the Center for Innovation Media’s Conversation Series at Jack Morton Auditorium Monday evening. The discussion, entitled “Broken Politics, Mixed-up Media: Can This Be Fixed?," focused on the current divided government and its coverage by the media.

Moderated by SMPA Director Frank Sesno, the panel included CNN’s senior congressional correspondent Dana Bash, former Utah Republican Senator and SMPA Distinguished Professional Fellow Bob Bennett, former Tennessee Democratic Congressman Harold Ford Jr. and GW political science professor John Sides.

During the opening questions, Sesno asked Bennett and Ford about the health of our government.

“[Government is] broken. The people are not happy,” Bennett said.

Sesno pressed the question on Ford: “Do you think this president is leading?”

“I don’t think he’s leading. I don’t think he’s been an effective [leader],” Ford replied.

Dana Bash, a journalist covering the day-to-day Congressional activities, commented that “adults” are hard to find in Congress.

Bennett commented that his father, Wallace Bennett, a former Utah senator, would have fellow legislators at his apartment during his tenure in the Untied States Senate. Nowadays, Bennett says legislators are too busy to get to know each other.

At the heart of the problem, Professor Sides said that the “[political parties] have become further apart than before,” noting the increased polarization. To have success in the polarized political environment, Sides suggested, “Get your brand of crazy on the ballot.”

While Bennett sees the root of the problem as being the congressional redistricting process every decade, Ford claims that legislators are learning more about electioneering than policy.

Bennett says it is a “reaffirmation of what the Republican Party was founded on,” but called the Tea Party a movement without any “real solutions.” Ford said the Tea Party has a “manifesto that isn’t all that bad.”

Bennett was defeated by now Senator Mike Lee at the Utah Republican convention in 2010. He claims he ran a traditional campaign, but recognizes the lack of a social media aspect that led Lee to win the Republican nomination for Bennett’s senate seat. In order to fix our broken government, Ford says, “Obama has to be more of a leader. The best time to solve big issues is when government is divided.”

Local Independent Theater Strives for Younger Audience (video)

2011-10-18T16:56:00.001-04:00

West End cinema, on 23rd and M, shows independent films, shorts and documentaries. The local community has embraced the theater, but the ownership claims many GW students don't even know it's there. Recently, the theater has tried to draw in college students with special promotions and online advertising. To see a list of show times and special offers visit their website.

Created by Joseph Rabinowitz and Bridgett Lynn

Thousands Gather on Mall for MLK Memorial Dedication

2011-10-18T02:10:00.000-04:00

Spectators enjoyed performances from artists like Stevie Wonder.

As of recently, the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial has been the talk of the town. Standing 30 feet tall and surviving an earthquake and a hurricane, the dedication ceremony on Sunday had even more to celebrate.

Thousands gathered at West Potomac Park to attend the ceremony, filled with numerous speakers and performances. Many of the speakers mentioned that the initial date for the

ceremony would have fallen on the 50th anniversary of the "I Have a Dream" speech.

Notable speakers, including President Barack Obama, Rev. Bernice King, U.S. Representative John Lewis (D-GA) and Rev. Al Sharpton, emphasized the importance of commemorating Dr. King not only as an icon, but also focusing on his ideals.

Rev. Bernice King, Martin Luther King Jr.’s daughter, considered the rescheduling of the event to be more than weather interruptions.

“Could it be perhaps that the dedication not taken place on the anniversary of that great speech is indicative of God wanting us to move forward to look at the rest of King,” she said. “Perhaps the postponement was a divine interruption to remind us of the King that moved us beyond the dream of racial justice to the action and work of economic justice."

Some drew parallels between Dr. King’s “I Have a Dream” speech and the election of Barack Obama. U.S. Represetative John Lewis of Gerogia said Obama’s election was just a “down payment” on King’s dream.

“We’re not there yet,” he said.

The Obamas and the Kings had a private tour of the monument before President Obama made his speech.

“Change has never been simple, or without controversy,” Obama said. “Change depends on persistence. Change requires determination.”

Many performances throughout the program stayed on message and kept the audience engaged, including the Ebenezer Baptist Church choir, Aretha Franklin, Stevie Wonder, Sheryl Crow and Sweet Honey and the Rock.

“The ceremony was inspiring to me because as we were honoring and celebrating an individual whose ideals transformed a nation," said Zahara Naki, a junior at GW who woke up at 5:00am to go to the ceremony.

"I couldn’t help but think of how far America has come, but also how far we need to go. What I got from it is really to take action against injustices and to speak up against what is wrong in society.”

To learn more about the memorial and the story behind its creation, visit the MLK memorial website

President Knapp Plays Surprise Drum Solo (audio)

2011-10-17T21:26:00.000-04:00

President Knapp playing drums on stage with the Jazz All Stars

President Steven Knapp took the stage at WRGW's annual jazz brunch Sunday morning with the GW Jazz All Stars in front of an audience of students, faculty and administrators including Provost Steven Lermen and Global Media Institute Director Michael Freedman.

Veteran radio host and GW special assistant Dick Golden asked Knapp to stay on stage following a brief speech to join the jazz ensemble on drums. Not only did the University president help anchor the rhythm section, bassist Dominic Martinez, senior, passed off to Knapp for a lively solo. Check out the performance below.

WRGW Jazz Brunch - Pres. Steven Knapp on the Drums 10/16/2011 by jorge-a-gadala-maria

Saving School Lunch

2011-10-14T14:12:00.002-04:00

Students who attended a public school that provided meals might have a vivid memory of their school's cafeteria at lunch time. Along with meeting friends, sharing gossip and doing the homework due next period, food was the back drop. For some, the lunch tray included tater tots, buffalo wings and chocolate milk.

But with 17% (12.5 million) of children in America suffering from obesity, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, school systems across the nation have tried to reduce that percentage with extracurricular activities, physical education programs and menu changes.

In Washington, DC, the Healthy Schools Act of 2010 is doing just that.

On Wednesday, GW's Urban Food Task Force, an organization of GW faculty, students, staff and volunteers that promotes healthy eating, sustainable food production and food policy, held the first of three University Seminars on Food. Jill Sankey hosted a panel, including Council Member and GW law professor, Mary Cheh, Director of Food Services of DC Public Schools, Jeffrey Mills, and Assistant Research Professor of Health Policy at GW, Janet Phoenix, to discuss the components of the Healthy Schools Act, how much has been implemented and what changes have been made.

Mary Cheh explained why she wrote and passed this piece of legislation.

"Half of the children in DC are either overweight or obese," said Cheh. "Unless we get obesity under control, we may face the first generation that lives a shorter time than the previous generation."

She discussed how this Act does not only focus on changing the food schools serve, but also seeks to educate children on healthy lifestyles.

"When a child comes into a school system we are responsible for the whole child," Cheh said. "They learn about what good food is, they learn where good food comes from, its an education in itself."

To illustrate this, Cheh told a story of how some schools now have gardens where students help harvest fruits and vegetables. One particular school introduced a class to squash soup by displaying a whole squash to the students, some for the first time, and teaching how the soup is prepared.

Jeffrey Mills, who was a top chef in New York City before taking the director position two years ago, described the process of adapting the act and the issues with the transition.

To create the new menu, Mills and his team had to try a lot of different food from many vendors.

"We tried many different chicken and were clucking exhausted afterwards," he joked.

According to Mills, the transition was difficult at first due to product shortages and lack of employee training.

"They couldn't explain what hummus was and why they should eat it," he said, "so what was on the menu wasn't being served."

Thanks to the Act and Mills, DCPS serves three meals a day to its students. Breakfast in the classroom has prepared students to learn and reduced tardiness. They also created the Breakfast Helper Program, where students volunteer to help prepare and serve breakfast. In 2010 DCPS was voted as the country's largest after-school dinner program, which has increased after school enrollment, according to Mills.

Mills said there is still much to do. This year DCPS will host four international food days to "promote children to learn about food and culture," he said. "It's critical to help children adapt healthy habits."

Janet Phoenix gave a presentation for the implementation analysis of the Healthy Schools Act. She discussed what it would take for this Act to succeed, such as inter-agency cooperation.

The audience of approximately fifty people comprised largely of GW graduate students.

"I really thought it was informative," said Ashley Cheung, Public Policy graduate student at GW. "It is good to see people talk about these challenges in school."

Public Policy graduate student Alicia Mazzara agreed. "I thought it was really well put together," she said. "It's really good GW is focusing on this issue because we don't get much of this in class."

Find out more about the University Seminar on Food here. And click here to learn about GW's Urban Food Task Force.

DHS Secretaries See National Security As An Enterprise

2011-10-14T12:19:00.001-04:00

Secretaries Ridge, Chertoff and Napolitano spoke before an SMPA audience

The three recent secretaries of the Department of Homeland Security met for a panel discussion about the department’s evolution and future at SMPA’s Jack Morton Auditorium Tuesday evening.

The panel included the first, second and current secretaries of Homeland Security, Tom Ridge, Michael Chertoff and Janet Napolitano, respectively, marking the first time the institute had all three secretaries at GW on the same panel. Admiral Thad Allen, distinguished professor of practice at the Trachtenberg School of Public Policy and Public Administration, moderated the panel.

“I saw a decade of my life collide simultaneously,” said GW’s Homeland Security Policy Institute Director Frank Cilluffo.

Tom Ridge viewed the DHS like a “holding company.” As the first secretary of the department, Ridge saw infrastructure and integration as key components to building DHS. Ridge said the current challenge is consistency with other cabinet departments.

Chertoff claims there are several challenges that the department faces today. Some of these challenges include joint culture and the ability to share information, lack of a finite leadership structure laying out who exactly is in charge and overall expectations.

“The need to bring together a department that embodies a new doctrine and one that spans across several departments was a challenge in and of itself,” said Chertoff.

Napolitano says DHS is all about building the department, adaptation to the cabinet, and identifying threats. Napolitano claims the creation of DHS was the largest reorganization since Department of Defense and other departments are still accommodating the creation of DHS.

Looking into the future, Napolitano commented on the budget and how it has strained the development of the department.

“The budget has put a premium on what [DHS] can do,” Napolitano said.

When determining budget priorities, Napolitano often finds herself asking, “What is the right mix between manpower and technology?”

In response to whether a divided government negatively impacts national security, Chertoff said the situation is twofold. Divided government does not negatively impact national security, “But it presents challenges [in which] surprise agreement happens on the basis of security,” Chertoff said.

The other secretaries offered more criticism of government polarization.

“Separation of powers has created a problem with the creation of the department,” said Napolitano, adding that the government lacks strategic oversight for the DHS.

Ridge concluded that divided government acts as on obstacle slowing down Congress and the executive branch.

Senator John McCain Greets Students At Starbucks

2011-10-10T19:12:00.001-04:00

John McCain posted this picture with GW students to his Twitter account.

John McCain apparently likes his coffee from the Gelman Starbucks.

Senator McCain (R-Ariz.) was featured on the Oct. 2 edition of the CBS Sunday morning news program "Face the Nation." The show is broadcast from a studio at 2020 M St. NW, approximately seven blocks north of Gelman Library.

Following his interview with host Bob Schieffer, McCain passed through the George Washington University campus and decided to stop at the Starbucks in the ground floor of Gelman. Students recognized the former presidential candidate, and many requested to take photos with him.

McCain was on "Face the Nation" to speak about the ongoing conflict in Libya and the nature of a continued U.S. involvement. McCain recently returned from a visit to the North African country, in which he met with revolutionary and NATO leaders to assess the situation on the ground.

Asked about his thoughts on the nature of NATO's role now that the conflict is winding down, McCain was quick to point out the "enormous challenges" still facing the Libyan people.

"There's significant areas where they haven't gained control," he told Schieffer. "They have no national army... they've got thousands and thousands of wounded. They say that they've lost 25,000 killed, 3,000 that have been maimed, 60,000 injured."

McCain stressed that while he agreed that NATO's military role in the conflict was coming to an end, he believed they could help the Libyan people in other ways.

"They don't have the medical expertise and talent to take care of these people," he said. "We should be either helping them by sending some of them to Landstuhl, our hospital in Germany, maybe even thinking about sending a hospital ship to Tripoli. If that's too dangerous, maybe to Malta. But we can help them."

Schieffer also asked the senator about his thoughts on the current selection of Republican presidential candidates. Specifically, they discussed the potential for Governor Chris Christie (R-N.J.) to enter the race. Speaking from experience, McCain warned that "the swimming pool looks a lot better until you jump right in. The water may not be quite as warm as you think." Christie has since announced that he will not be running for president.

McCain later shared tweeted about his visit to the GW campus: "After @facethenation I met these awesome GW students at the Starbucks." He included a photo of himself surrounded by students outside Gelman.

A World Without Steve Jobs

2011-10-07T16:23:00.002-04:00

As the world mourns the passing of Steve Jobs, former chairman and CEO at Apple, Inc, his influence on technology, social connections and pop culture frame his legacy.

According to CNNMoney, in 2010 70% of incoming University freshmen owned a Mac. Between iPhones, iPods and Macbooks, one can usually find multiple apple product users on campus at any given time.

Following the news of his death, members of the GW community reflected on how Jobs impacted their lives.

"He capitalized on how products have to be aesthetically appealing and technologically sound," said Carl Dickler, second year GW medical student. "He created the cool factor in products."

"I think Apple iPhone hands down impacted the way we interact with each other and the interface with the world," said Lawrence Mann, AV specialist at GW, "I think Steve Jobs set us on a trajectory that will forever change the world that is far better than it would have been if he had never existed."

Jobs was also the former CEO of Pixar Animation Studios and served on The Walt Disney Company's board of directors starting in 2006. In particular to the generation that is currently pursuing undergraduate and graduate degrees, Pixar movies bring back many memories

"Toy Story was a very moving force in my life," said David Grabski, second year GW medical student, "It reminds me of Billy Collins' poem 'On Turning 10' and brought me back to my childhood."

Jobs stepped down as Apple CEO in August after years of battling pancreatic cancer. He died from the disease Wednesday at age 56.

Free Depression Screenings Promote Mental Health

2011-10-07T15:59:00.000-04:00

The University held free screenings Thursday to educate and increase the public's knowledge of depression and mental health treatment. As part of National Depression Screening Day, the the Community Counseling Services Center at GW's Graduate School of Education and Human Development allowed students to talk privately with mental health professionals.

Dr. Monica Megivern, the director of Community Counseling Services, said that the center is a place where students do not have to feel afraid to speak openly about their feelings. She said that she sees herself as a mentor to the graduate students who work at the center.

"Counseling is not a stigma," Megivern said. "This is a place where you can be safe. You don't have to feel like you're going crazy just to come here."

The CCSC is a training clinic for grad students in the Department of Counseling and Human Development. Student counselors serve D.C. metro area clients under faculty supervision.

Megivern said that the clinic takes cases from individuals ranging as young as high school students with their parents to people in their 80s and even returning war veterans. Despite the taxing, emotionally draining nature of the job, Megivern said she still enjoys her work.

"We practice compassion fatigue," Megivern said. "Through that, we educate the grad students here to take care of themselves when dealing with clients."

Since the 1990s, there has been a growing trend of students seeking help for mental health problems at campus counseling centers. With the many hurdles college students face, such as freshmen being away from their parents or seniors about to head into the competitive job market, symptoms such as depression, anxiety or suicidal tendencies have made it difficult for some students to function.

Megivern noted that there is a huge gender gap in the amount of females that come in for counseling compared to men; about 70 percent are female compared to 30 percent male.

"Raising kids is still very gender specific," Megivern said. "Men are still being raised to not be very open about their feelings, almost as if they have to be given permission to open up."

Andrew Campbell, a counselor involved in the two-year program at the Center, said that there have been plenty of intense and stressful situations, especially for new students, but the job is still rewarding.

"I've had a great learning experience working here," Campbell said. "There are lot more positives among the negatives."

Campbell, who used to teach high school and will soon be working on his dissertation, said it helps to be used to interacting with people with certain circumstances.

"I think that GW has done a good job raising awareness of this issue," Campbell said. "It helps dispel the notion that counseling is weird."

Tana Schywstell, an intern who received her bachelor's in Family Development and Human Studies, also called the job challenging and draining, but still gratifying. The screenings are a good way to get the Center's name out there, she noted.

Megivern said that for the screenings, it helps to be a genuine person and know how to sit and talk with people in need.

"You need to be able to sit with people's pain," Megivern said. "We play the part of the backseat driver at the center and make a big difference in people's lives."

Students and residents of the D.C. metro area can contact the CCSC by calling 202-994-8645 or visiting their website.

GW Hospital Raises Breast Cancer Awareness

2011-10-07T14:11:00.000-04:00

October marks Breast Cancer Awareness month. Filled with fundraisers, marathons, and seminars, this month is dedicated to awareness of the disease and fundraising for research into its cause, prevention, diagnosis and treatment.

George Washington University Hospital held a seminar Wednesday night to discuss its new Breast Imaging technology and the services that are available at GW's Breast Imaging Center.

Dr. Rachel Brem, director of Breast Imaging and Intervention, conversed with a group of about twenty women in GW Hospital's basement auditorium about the risk factors linked to breast cancer, truth behind mammograms and the new clincial trial study GW Hospital is conducting.

"Breast cancer is not a disease that does not impact everyone," said Dr. Brem. "One out of eight women will get it and it is the second largest cause of death among women."

Dr. Brem also spoke about the Imaging Center's clinical trial study for dense breasts. The procedure is called Automated Whole Breast Ultrasound. Compensating for the difficulty mammography has with detecting cancer in dense breasts, which is determined by the density of cells in breasts not the size of the breasts, the procedure captures multiple images within three to five minutes and reconstructs a full 3-D image on the computer. The process is quick and pain-free with no injection or radiation, Brem said.

The trial will close in sixty days, followed by a proposal for FDA approval.

"Here at GW, 100 percent of mammograms, biopsy, and surgery are only done by physicians who do 100 percent breasts," said Dr. Brem. "My hope is that one day I won't have a job because there won't be anymore breast cancer."

According to Dr. Brem, there is no way to prevent the disease, but one can decrease the risk. "You have to be your own advocate in terms of breast cancer," she said.

Referring to the myth that leaving a water bottle in your car and drinking from it after it is heated causes breast cancer, Dr. Brem stated there is "no hard data" to prove that. On the other hand, "there is data that if you drink two glasses of wine a day you increase your risk," she said. Dr. Brem further noted that there is proof that one glass of red wine a day decreases the risk of heart disease.

She gave an additional example with birth control pills.

"Five years of taking birth control pills pre-menopause can increase the risk of breast cancer, but markedly decreases ovarian cancer," she said.

With these examples and other explainations, Dr. Brem demonstrated that avoiding risks will not prevent any disease, it depends more on what you deem important.

"Mammograms absolutely save lives," said Dr. Brem, shifting the focus of the discussion to GW Hospital's technology, "however, mammography is absolutely an imperfect examination due to the dense breast issue."

Even though the majority of the audience belonged to an older demographic, Dr. Brem mentioned the importance for young women to be informed about breast cancer for themselves and their family.

"We love the power of women," she said, "GW students have done so much for fundraising and raising awareness. We are very grateful for that."

For more information about GW's Breast Imaging Center or Dr. Rachel Brem, call 202-741-3003 or visit http://www.gwhospital.com/breastcenter

To read the article about GW surgeon Christi Teal's decision to protect herself from breast cancer, visit http://gwtoday.gwu.edu/people/asurgeonsdecision

Science and Engineering Hall Coming Soon

2011-10-06T16:56:00.002-04:00

Construction projects are nothing new for GW students and the Foggy Bottom community. In the past decade, GW has seen the building of Duques Hall, Ivory Tower, Potomac House, West Hall and more. Now you can add another building to the long list of GW’s construction boom: Science and Engineering Hall.

Although GW has been busy building recently, the School of Engineering and Applied Sciences has not received new facilities in more than 50 years. Current lab and classroom space is outdated and spread across multiple locations around campus. School officials expect the new science center to boost the science and engineering program's appeal.

"Having a strong, vibrant engineering program at GW will position GW as the engineering and science hub in the heart of the nation's capital, allow us to attract the best and brightest students and faculty and help GW grow into a top tier comprehensive institution," said SEAS Dean David Dolling.

The new building will incorporate teaching labs that use new methods for hands-on learning, breakout spaces for students, as well as several highly specialized research laboratories including a three-story-tall high bay. The high bay is one of five facilities to be built in the new building and will include a crane capable of moving 20 tons of material from a loading dock throughout the building and a “strong floor and strong wall,” structures that can withstand intense material testing.

Located between 22^nd and 23^rd and H and I streets, the new building will replace the recently torn down University Parking Garage. Despite losing the parking garage, the University will not completely lose parking space as the new building will have four floors of underground parking.

In April, the University began moving UPG parkers to spaces in The Avenue’s parking garage and the Kennedy Center. The University will add 380 spaces under the Science and Engineering Hall to accompany 178 spaces under South Hall and 362 GW spaces at the Avenue. Overall the University will have a minimum of 2,800 parking spots at various locations.

Conceived in 2007, the idea for the project was approved by the University’s Board of Trustees in a unanimous vote. Before voting, the board reviewed design and cost estimates and listened to university leaders about how the complex will affect essential University functions such as recruitment, research, and learning. The demolition of the parking garage began in June of this year and will continue into the fall. When all is said and done the building should be open for use in January 2015 at a cost of $275 million. Although the University is now more than $1 billion in debt, the project will be funded by lease payments from The Avenue, contracts supporting research and various philanthropic gifts from the GW community.

Theophilus London Performance (video)

2011-10-06T14:18:00.001-04:00

Check out this clip of Theophilus London's Sweetgreen performance shot by
Jorge Gadala-Maria:

Theophilus London Plays sweetgreen Foggy Bottom from Jorge Gadala-Maria on Vimeo.

Green: the Original Vogue. Welcome to Eco Couture

2011-10-06T02:50:00.001-04:00

Washington, DC designer Elizabeth St. John follows the philosophy of eco couture.

Her most recent showcase was for the Art Soiree/Nuit De La Mode event at the Hillwood Estates. With a background in environmental studies and a childhood surrounded by fashion and construction, Elizabeth St. John designs bridal and evening wear and is president of the Universal Strategic Services Foundation.

Some consider fashion as something celebrities waste money on and tween girls waste time on. However, its impact on society is undeniable. There is a deeper layer to this impact that not many are knowledgeable about. Eco couture. A design philosophy that supports environmentalism and sustainable responsibility, eco fashion has been nourishing our planet way before the current green trend.

“I like the challenge of greening a business,” St. John.

Defining her collection as “Refined. Glamorous. Green,” she tries to dispel the negative connotation of green collections.

Some people may think eco fashion is just a fad. The designer considers them to be misinformed with a limited vision of green collections as recycling old pieces to new pieces.

“Couture is French for hand dressmaking,” said St. John. “There is nothing more green than doing things by hand.” Eco fashion is based on the roots of apparel production and also moving forward due to its environmental impact, she added.

Referring to her design process, St. John considers herself unorthodox. She sources her material first, such as finding a piece of silk she really likes. Then she develops a design around that piece of material.

“I actually don’t sketch,” she said, “so I do it kind of in reverse.”

To enhance her background and interest in the environment, St. John and a few of her colleagues founded the Universal Strategic Services Foundation in Washington, DC to establish green projects for businesses in third world countries.

“I used to work for conservation organizations in the Amazon for inventory on plants and animals,” she said, “and I started to miss direct hands on work with countries overseas and other subjects that are important.”

The foundation is currently developing two initiatives. First, bringing solar energy to very remote parts of the world, such as villages in West Africa, which allows them to run schools, internet, and refrigeration for medicine. Second, establishing a vocational school for women in Afghanistan “to provide life skills they won’t have other wise to support their families,” St. John said.

They are partnering with some government organizations so that these women will be hired to guarantee employment.

As for the fashion initiative in the United States, St. John remarks that the current economic situation has moved a large part of the industry’s apparel production abroad, primarily to Asia. As of late, a lot of those companies are slowly moving back to the U.S. due to the problems with production quality and shipping from Asia, according to St. John.

“I think going forward you will see more ‘Made in the USA’ labels,” she said.

St. John is a fan of the Louis XVI of France era, claiming, “The skill involved in making those pieces is just spectacular.”

She said she also likes “the clean and feminine lines of the late 1950s and early 1960s. The tailoring is timeless.”

Looking forward, St. John is very excited about her upcoming evening collection, due to premiere October 31.

“I get to be more creative and ratchet up the sexy factor,” she said.

Visit http://www.elizabethstjohn.com/ to view her collections and learn more about her work.

Iraqi Ambassador Speaks On Rebuilding

2011-10-04T17:05:00.002-04:00

The Iraqi Ambassador to the United States spoke to an audience of students, faculty and diplomats Monday night at the Jack Morton Auditorium. His Excellency Samir Sumaidaie spent about a half hour addressing the audience about how Iraq has arrived at this point in history and his thoughts on Iraq's continued reconstruction.

The International Affairs Society and The Elliot School's Institute for Middle East Studies cosponsored the event. Elliot School Professor and former United States Ambassador Edward Gnehm introduced the speaker of honor.

Sumaidaie's speech came just weeks before he is set to step-down-from his post. He began the speech by reflecting on the history of Iraq. He also told the audience about his own life, which included growing up in Baghdad and living in The United States for 26 years, from 1977-2003, while in exile from Iraq.

"I was not prepared for what I saw when I returned," Sumaidaie said of his 2003 return to his homeland. "I did not even recognize the people as the people when I left."

Iraq has been making progress in reconstructing the country since then, according to the ambassador.

"Iraqis are beginning to feel and exercise their power of choice," he commented.

Sumaidaie spent the second portion of his speech, and the question and answer session following his talk, describing where he thinks Iraq is today. With just a few months until the scheduled removal of the last remaining U.S. troops in the country, His Excellency said that Iraq will reach its ultimate goal of becoming a strong country, but it still has challenges. Interference from neighboring countries and internal problems like corruption, violence, ignorance, education and health care currently pose obstacles on the path to recovery.

"We have a good chance but we're not out of the woods yet," Sumaidae bluntly said.

His Excellency also discussed his vision for the future of the relationship between the United States and Iraq. He explained his belief that the United States and Iraq will reach a deal before the end of the year that will keep a small number of U.S. troops in Iraq to continue training Iraqi forces. He also feels that the relationship between the United States and Iraq won't be affected going forward, even if there is a change in US presidency.

The ambassador did emphasize that he wants to see the U.S.- Iraq relationship extend beyond a military partnership.

"We need American companies to come [to Iraq]," His Excellency commented. He suggested American companies could begin to do this by establishing business relationships with Iraqi companies as a way to become more involved in the Iraqi economy.

He explained that he wants to see continued and further engagement from United States politicians, diplomats, reconstruction experts and businesses in the country.

The Iraqi people's demand for democracy has a direct link with the Arab Spring, Sumaidaie said.

"There is a feedback loop [between Iraq and the Arab Spring]. Iraq has affected the Arab Spring and the Arab Spring has affected Iraq," he said.

Following the event, the ambassador stayed to meet audience members at a reception.

Sweetgreen Presents Surprise Theophilus London Concert

2011-10-04T13:31:00.000-04:00

Theophilus London performing outside Sweetgreen

Theophilus London stunned Foggy Bottom dwellers on Monday with an impromptu performance hosted by Sweetgreen. The up-and-coming Brooklyn native is currently on tour promoting his first official album, "Timez Are Weird These Days." On his Twitter account, London referred to his sweetgreen performance as a "pre-game" for his concert that took place later that evening at the 9:30 Club on U Street. London's growing fan base was in full force and crowded along Eye Street to catch a glimpse of his set.

In the past three years, London has released three mixtapes; "Jam!", "This Charming Mixtape" and "I Want You" in 2008, 2009 and 2010 respectively. In 2009 he released an unofficial album entitled "This Charming Man," and earlier this year he released the "Lovers Holiday" EP.

This is not Theophilus' first collaboration with Sweetgreen. On May 1, he appeared amongst other artists such as The Strokes, Girl Talk and Lupe Fiasco for Sweetgreen's "Sweetlife Festival" at the Merriweather Post Pavilion in Columbia, MD.

Sweetgreen is becoming known for bringing refreshing, "genre-bending" artists to perform in-store, leaving students to wonder what artist will grace Foggy Bottom next.

Students Respond To Party Dorm Rankings

2011-10-03T17:49:00.001-04:00

According to an online college question-answer site, two of America's biggest party dorms can be found right here on our very own Foggy Bottom Campus.

CampusSplash.com, a website aimed at answering any and all college-related questions, released its second annual list of "America's 15 Biggest Party Dorms" last week. GW's Thurston Hall and Ivory Tower both made their way into the top 10, with Ivory coming in at number eight and Thurston coming in at the number three spot.

According to Campus Splash, Thurston is "the quintessential freshman experience at GW. Partying 24/7." Thurston, commonly known as "Thirsty Thurston," has a national reputation as a huge party dorm. However, when asked to comment on Campus Splash's rating, surprisingly few Thurston residents thought they deserved it.

"Given that the top [party dorm] is located in the middle of the fraternity section and the second consists of six 5-story buildings, there's no way Thurston could reasonably be next up," said Zack Humayun, a freshman living in Thurston this year. "It couldn't be as crazy as a freshman-sophomore mixture in the center of a bunch of frats or the equivalent of three Thurstons stacked on top of each other."

GW Housing offered space in the freshman dorm for substance-free living and honors students for the first time this school year. Some students say they have noticed a change in the overall Thurston atmosphere.

"I think that it is hyped up," said freshman Evin Feldman, another Thurston resident. "Though there are a lot of parties here, the parties are more like a dozen friends drinking together together rather than 30 people in a room with loud music. I think most people rather go to frats, clubs, or out somewhere else to drink. A lot of kids here don't want to party in Thurston because of the constant threat of UPD walking in."

In Campus Splash's 2010 rankings, Thurston came in at number twelve. The site writes that "the quality of the party scene seems to match up to the quality of the dorm itself."

"The fact that I get in an elevator on a Sunday morning and there are beer cans everywhere and, once, vomit in the corner, and I tried to reach the door and the handle was ripped off, says something about my dorm," said Ivory Tower resident Johnny Carmona. "People party here all the time."

Ivory Tower also made Campus Splash's most recent list of "The Best Dorms in the Country," coming in at number seven. The list did not include Thurston.

WRGW Show Lets Students Speak With Administrators

2011-10-01T17:15:00.005-04:00

WRGW District Radio's “Ask the Administrator” series provides an opportunity for dialogue among a variety of GW's administrators. In an effort to engage with the student population, GW students are encouraged to call or tweet in their questions or concerns for the guests.

Our first episode includes a conversation with the GW Dean of Students and “Ask the Administrator” co-host, Peter Konwerski, and Jorge Gadala-Maria, WRGW District Radio General Manager. Topics include an introduction about Konwerski's time at the school, an analysis regarding GW's US News & World Report rating and visible changes to the university throughout the summer.

Associate Dean of Students Tim Miller and Student Association President John Richardson joined Gadala-Maria and Konwerski for the second episode to discuss housing issues and student org allocations and collaboration.

Both episodes covered an overarching theme of student outreach. In addressing the noise issue of the parking garage demolition at the future site of the Science and Engineering complex, Konwerski mentioned a little-known fact about the university.

“Every morning this week, there was a crew of staff and students out on the worksite monitoring the work that was happening, not only listening to what was the noise level, but advocating for 'think if this was happening and it was too loud, we're going to intercede,'” he said.

Moreover, Tim Miller continued to reassure students of the “power of their voices.” He went on to tell them that they “really do have the ability to make change not just here, but in the world...use that voice.”

This is a live and interactive talk show that will air every other Wednesday from 3:30pm-4:30pm (10/12, 10/26, 11/9, 11/30) . The easiest way to listen is at www.gwradio.com, and click the “Listen Live” icon for a pop-up player for your browser. Moreover, WRGW District Radio is also available in the iTunes Radio Directory under the “College” tab.

Click below to download the first two episodes:

Ask the Administrator - September 14th, 2011:
http://www.mediafire.com/?1agjompm3mrl36p

Ask the Administrator - September 21th, 2011
http://www.mediafire.com/?4iokawisfv9axi2

Some Twitter personalities for you to follow:
Hosts:
@porquejorge – Jorge Gadala-Maria & @GWPeterK – Peter Konwerski

Guests (so far):
@JRforGW – John Richardson, @GWTimMiller – Tim Miller

-- Jorge Gadala-Maria

GW Student to Play Rock and Roll Hotel (video)

2011-10-01T14:00:00.001-04:00

Is And Of The, a band led by GW student Drew Bandos, will perform at the Rock and Roll Hotel tonight at 9:00 pm. Click here for more info and watch the video below.

Le Pain Quotidien (Restaurant Review)

2011-09-29T23:17:00.000-04:00

An authentic French patisserie in the heart of Dupont Circle? This might sound too good to be true, but it's exactly what Le Pain Quotidien brings to the table. With a wide variety of organic choices for breakfast, lunch and dinner Le Pain Quotidien is about as authentic as they come. The friendly wait staff provides good advice and suggestions for any meal of the day.

For those of you who are probably more familiar with Founding Farmers when it comes to organic options, I would absolutely recommend making the short fifteen minute walk to Dupont Circle for Le Pain Quotidien. Although there is a slightly narrower choice of selection, the prices are more reasonable.

Allen Blasts Dems and GOP for Broken Government

2011-09-29T23:10:00.005-04:00

George Allen speaking at the CRs kickoff event

Former Governor of Virginia and U.S. Senator George Allen spoke to approximately forty students at the GW College Republicans kickoff.

“Is America on the track to greatness? No,” Allen told students at the Grand Ballroom of the Marvin Center. “It’s time for an American comeback.”

Allen, a Republican seeking the Republican nomination for U.S. Senate in 2012, emphasized the need for America to reinvigorate its international business prospects.

“No more time for boon doggling, no more time for delay. Let’s send a message to the world that America is open for business again,” he said.

Allen hopes to achieve this by reducing the corporate tax rate to 20 percent, less than the 35 percent corporate profits are taxed today.

“The government does not create jobs. Jobs are created by the private sector,” Allen said to applause.

Allen praised states for being able to achieve objectives that the federal government cannot perform efficiently.

“States are the laboratories of democracy,” he said.

If elected, Allen promises to introduce a bill withholding congressional paychecks if appropriation bills and requests are not submitted on time.

Addressing the discontent of the American people, Allen says the people want solutions.

“Folks are disgusted by Washington,” Allen said.

In addition to reforming America’s corporate tax code, Allen says he hopes to bring about energy reform and rein in government spending.

“I’ll be like a dog on a bone for energy [reform].”

Early this week, leaders in the United States Senate came to an agreement to fund the government for six weeks until November 18. This is the third short-term continuing resolution regarding government spending to come before Congress this year. Allen said the short-term solutions are worse now than they were several years ago when he served as a United States senator. Calling these short-term continuing resolutions a dilatory process, Allen blasted both Republicans and Democrats for the state of government.

“These [resolutions] are symptomatic of a broken government,” Allen said.

Blake Gober, an attendee, recalled Allen’s 2006 loss to now Senator Jim Webb and reflects on it as a humbling experience for Allen.

“[Allen] has grown and learned from that experience," Gober said. "I believe that he is a much stronger candidate. His policy on withholding paychecks is spot-on and exactly what we need done in Washington.”

J Street Ribbon Cutting Celebrates Dining Changes

2011-09-28T17:57:00.001-04:00

GW Dining Services officially celebrated J-Street's over-the-summer renovations with a ribbon-cutting celebration Tuesday night, complete with GW cheer team pep and an appearance by school mascot George the Colonial. President Steven Knapp cut the ceremonial purple ribbon while students snacked on samples from various J Street venues.

Over the summer, Sodexo, who is contracted out by the University to provide on-campus food, made several changes to the J Street facility, including removing the monument and staircase to create more open space and closing down fast-food restaurants Wendy's and Chick-fil-A. New venues include The Metro Diner and Thyme, serving homestyle, full-course lunches and dinners. Sodexo also renamed the returning venues.

GW administrators view the changes as an upgrade, answering students' need for healthier dining options.

"The challenge that we had before us was to bring fresh, nutritious food into J -Street," Nancy Haaga, Managing Director of Campus Support Services, explained.

Sodexo, though, knows there is still work to be done.

"We are still working, still changing, and evolving everyday," Katy Kash, the Marketing Director for GW Campus Dining, said.

One of the early issues for J-Street is the struggle for Thyme to receive business. Administrators, students and Sodexo all seem to notice that students prefer made-to-order options more than the sit-down meals Thyme offers. In the next few weeks, administrators and Sodexo plan to unveil some changes to Thyme, including adding made-to-order paninis and quesadillas to the menu.

Student Dining Board Chairman Ben Leighton is especially pleased with the new Metro Diner, which has a grill for made-to-order items.

"One of the things I've been pushing for is a grill," Leighton said. "The grill has been serving far more people than they've been expecting to everyday."

Now, one of Leighton's top priorities is to make J Street a central meeting place for special events like El Clasico, the highly popular soccer match between major Spanish clubs Barcelona and Real Madrid. Leighton says J Street can turn into a viewing party for such events in the future.

Caroline Kennedy Talks Jackie

2011-09-27T21:34:00.001-04:00

A quiet rumble began to fill Lisner Auditorium on Monday night as people began to arrive almost an hour in advance to hear the main event, "A Conversation with Caroline Kennedy," presented by the Politics and Prose bookstore in conjunction with GW. Mrs. Kennedy visited GW, her mother's alma mater, to discuss the newly released, nearly eight-and-a-half hour recordings of her mother, Jacqueline Kennedy, and the accompanying book for which she wrote a foreword.

Michael Beschloss, a historian who specializes in presidential history, started the discussion and talked about Jacqueline's uninhibited interview with Arthur Schlesinger and her interest in historic preservation. Schlesinger, a historian and special assistant to President Kennedy, decided after his assassination that it was important to capture history on tape.

Schlesinger began the extensive process of interviewing nearly a thousand people who knew Mr. Kennedy in an attempt to create an oral history of the Kennedy administration. The centerpiece of this project was of course, Jacqueline Kennedy herself. Caroline kept the interviews sealed for decades until she decided they were fit to be released. This year was right time, she decided, as it is the 50th anniversary of her father's inauguration.

Caroline noted that her father's presidency is quickly "becoming a part of history rather than living memory" but that his ideals and words remain "as vital as ever." Returning to her mother, Caroline said that once Jacqueline finished the seven interviews, she "sealed the audio tapes in the Kennedy library and put the transcripts in a safety deposit vault in New York." Apart from Caroline and her brother John, few people knew of the tapes existence.

Caroline said she worried that listening to her mother's interviews would be upsetting. When she did listen to the tapes, she was surprised by "how much they revealed that wasn't on the page." She could tell when her mother was getting tired, annoyed, or when she decided not to talk about something.

In response to some of the criticisms that the tapes drew, Caroline stated that her mother broke the mold by giving such a candid interview.

Caroline's most difficult decision was whether to edit the interviews. She claimed some issues haven't withstood the test of time, some comments might have been embarrassing to her mother and she would no longer support some of her views. Caroline came to the conclusion that she didn't have the right to alter the historical record.

Caroline stayed afterwards to sign copies of the book, Jacqueline Kennedy: Historic Conversations on Life with John F. Kennedy.

Google Donates to GOP, Enters Bipartisan Phase

2011-09-27T18:44:00.000-04:00

Google, the perennial left-leaning search engine, has begun to recruit Republican operatives and donating funds to various GOP groups, reported the Huffington Post.

The traditionally liberal-minded corporation is entering a bipartisan phase with the aim of supporting the causes of both the Republican and Democratic parties.

Google's executives donated money to the D.C.-based Republican Attorneys General Association. The conglomerate also helped co-sponsor last Thursday's GOP presidential debate with Fox News.

Among other GOP-linked organizations, Google also pledged monetary support to the Heritage Foundation, web development firm Crossroad Strategies and the Republican State Leadership Committee. Additionally, Google has hired 18 lobbying firms in the last nine months, a figure that includes consultants who are not mandated to register as lobbyists.

Google leadership also provided support to conservative think thanks like the American Enterprise Institute and the Competitive Enterprise Institute, both based in the nation's capital.

Naturally, the megacorporation's fiscal support of GOP organizations has found approval among Republican members of Congress.

"Bipartisanship is a positive thing," said Senator John Cornyn of Texas, head of the Senate's Republican fundraising committee. "I understand why people feel like they need to have people they can talk to on both sides."

Google's fiscal support of the GOP is coming at a time when the company's executives are facing a major antitrust lawsuit on Capitol Hill. Eric Schmidt, Google's former chief executive, stood before the Senate Judiciary antitrust subcommittee last Wednesday.

Schmidt defended Google against allegations that the company is violating American antitrust legislation, which prohibits the formation of monopolies. The investigation into Google's breach of antitrust laws is ongoing.

Ever since Microsoft began funneling donations to both major parties, Google has sought to gain political interest in the same manner. As of mid-2011, Google and Microsoft are at a dead tie in terms of political donations, both corporations citing $3.5-million in lobbying expenditures.

Some GW students believe the megacorporation's donations to the GOP reflect a strategic move with regards to the policy of Net neutrality. Net neutrality, also known as Internet neutrality, is a principle that calls for all Internet content to be treated equally.

Net neutrality proponents also advocate for no restriction by Internet Service Providers or the government on what type of sites consumers view, what kind of content they see or what modes of communication they employ.

"It seems to me that [Google] is just doing this because the GOP is against Net neutrality," noted freshman Eric Breese. "This kind of stance is better for Google."

Currently, Google handles nine out of ten global searches.

President Obama to Address Nation's Students on Wednesday

2011-09-27T15:06:00.011-04:00

President Obama will deliver his annual back-to-school address this Wednesday at Benjamin Banneker Academic High School. The speech will allow the president the opportunity to speak to students not just in the District, but across the nation as well. This is the third year that the president will make a speech addressing the nation's students.

In a press release, Press Secretary Jay Carney said that in past speeches, the president encouraged students to study hard and take responsibility for their education, and urged them to set goals and be the authors of their own destinies.

Critics of the president's speech took issue with his addresses to students in the past. In 2009, some parents threatened to remove their children from class during the speech, while others saw it as nothing more than political rhetoric.

This year, Banneker made Newsweek's list of America's Best High Schools. Ivory Sherman, a 2008 graduate of Banneker, said she is glad to see the President reaching out to public schools.

"Many have said that Obama delivering his back-to-school speech is his way of pushing his political agenda, but I disagree," Sherman said. "President Obama should be applauded because he is reaching out to future generations, which should be done more often."

One teacher who spoke on conditions of anonymity said that lots of students are anticipating the speech.

"I'd say we're excited to have the president visit, but I think he gets more out of this- an urban public school backdrop- than we get out of it," the teacher commented. "I think kids will remember he was here and that they saw him, but I doubt he'll encourage kids to stay in school here more than they already do anyway."

Israeli-Palestinian Conflict Hits Campus

2011-09-27T15:01:00.002-04:00

As President Mahmoud Abbas bid for Palestinian membership status at the United Nations last week, GW hosted two events to promote on-campus dialogue about the Israeli- Palestinian conflict.

Last Tuesday night, OneVoice, an organization with headquarters in New York, advocating for a two-state solution to the conflict, made a presentation at the Elliot School of International Affairs. The group aims to have two parallel movements led by young adults ages 18-35. One group is comprised of Israelis, and one of Palestinians, with different campaigns focused to help each side identify with OneVoice and come together around the idea of finding a peaceful solution.

The presentation consisted of two of the youth leaders from each side. Speakers Eyal Shapira, 25, and Obada Shtaya, 20, spent the evening telling the audience about their experiences living through the conflict and why it should be resolved with a two state-solution. Shapira is a youth leader in the Israeli OneVoice group, while Shtaya is a youth leader in the Palestinian OneVoice group.

Shapira told the audience about growing up in Jerusalem during the second intifada, a time of uprising from Palestinians and assassinations of leaders from both sides of the conflict. Shapira then talked about his experiences serving as a soldier in the Israeli Army where he came face-to-face with Palestinians while serving as a combat soldier in the West Bank region. That experience led Shapira to come to an important conclusion.

"Both Israelis and Palestinians are victims of the situation and conflict. We should take the situation into our own hands," Shapira said.

For Shapira, this meant that he became involved with OneVoice while in college as the coordinator of the OneVoice at Hebrew University in Jersualem where he spoke to Israeli college students about how they viewed the conflict and their ideas to resolve it.

Shtaya also experienced the second intifada first hand when his father was put in prison during this stage of the conflict. Shtaya became involved with OneVoice when he went to one of the organization's Palestinian Town meetings.

Shapira and Shtaya both agree that neither of the bills proposed by the United States Congress are good for either side. One plan would annex the West Bank to Israel, and the other would cut off aid to the Palestinian Authority.

"The U.S. leaders annexing the West Bank will move the area to a different stage and a much worse situation," Shtaya said.

Instead, Shapira, Shtaya and the entire OneVoice organization hope that the Palestinian bid at the UN will be an opportunity for both sides to go back to the negotiating table.

Many student organizations sponsored the event. J Street U@GW, the International Affairs Society, The Institute for Middle East Studies, Amnesty International, GW Acting Politically for Israel, the GW Hillel, GW Roosevelt Institution, the Student Alliance for Israel and GW Interfaith Action all helped bring OneVoice to campus.

J Street U@GW President Rory Silver said the event was successful at clarifying for students that the majority of people on both sides of the conflict are for peace and prosperity.

"We felt that it was important for students to understand that being Pro-Israel and Pro-Palestinian are not mutually-exclusive," Silver explained.

"One of the members of the audience stated that he thought the event would be a debate. This is unfortunately the way that most students view the conflict, particularly in a time of heightened rhetoric surrounding the upcoming UN Vote. The speakers helped dispel these notions by proving that because the fates of Israelis and Palestinians are so intertwined, it's actually 'pro-Israel' to be 'pro-Palestinian,' and vice versa," he added.

Meanwhile, on Thursday GW students were again able to discuss the conflict with an event that took place at University Yard called "Talk Israel." Taking place under a big white tent, the event brought in different speakers to talk about the different aspects of the conflict, including: religion, the histories of both sides, the current day-to day situation, the effect of the Arab Spring, the debate over Palestinian statehood and the United States government's stance on the conflict.

Speakers ranged from current GW professors to former Jerusalem Post Editor-In-Chief David Horovitz.

Former Assistant Secretary of State Michael Singh spoke about U.S. foreign policy in the region and how it would be affected by the Palestinian bid at the U.N.

Student organizations sponsoring "Talk Israel" included the Students Alliance for Israel, GW students Acting Politically for Israel, Hillel, and the fraternities ZBT, AEPI and AEPHI.

"The goals [of the event] were to bring to campus an opportunity for civil and respectful dialogue and education about the current issues between Israel and the Palestinians to really listen and to bridge [the gap] between students," said Noam Archia, an Israeli fellow who works at Hillel.

Students Learn Self Protection at GW Safety Expo

2011-09-23T01:51:00.015-04:00

As students and faculty lined up to create their own emergency preparedness kit, the GW Safety Expo held in University Yard this Wednesday had other ways of showing students how to keep themselves safe.

As part of National Preparedness Month, the expo included presentations from local community partners, such as Target and Blue or new groups like Animal Rescue League, which showed how to care for animals in case of emergency. Campus organizations, such as the GW University Police Department, had demonstrations on how students can protect themselves in cases of assault.

Office of Emergency Management Director George Nuñez said that as many as 1,500 people came out to the expo and he hopes more people and groups attend in years to come.

"It shows that GW is an engaged community," Nuñez said. "One goal we have is have as many as 1,000 people make their own preparedness kit."

The kit, which included band-aids, masks and latex gloves, serves as an on-hand tool set that will allow students to help bandage up themselves or friends in case of emergency.

UPD Lieutenant David Heffer noted that self-defense can be useful, but it is also essential to have a certain knowledge of one's surroundings when going out.

"The basis is still awareness," Heffer said, "but if you're going out, do some research on the area where you're going beforehand."

Members of the Office of Health and Safety stressed the importance of random searches of student dorms to make sure they do not have materials they would not be allowed to have on campus.

"It really helps students know what they should avoid bringing, but also what items they have to avoid bringing home for the holidays," said Health and Safety Inspector Chad O'Connor.

Although Nuñez stated that the Office of Emergency Management is busy year round, including the summer, he stated that the website is at its busiest during the winter.

"Lots of students want to know whether classes are cancelled or if it's going to snow," Nuñez said.

An Evening with Toni Morrison

2011-09-23T01:32:00.000-04:00

"Please welcome a prolific writer, a vibrant intellectual, and a wonderful person, Professor Toni Morrison." As the audience stood up and applauded after Dr. Reed's introduction, the guest speaker, dressed in black and gray with a tan hat adorning her silver dread locs, was slowly escorted to the plush purple chair in the center of the stage. Wearing a big grin on her face and dazzling appreciation in her eyes, Professor Morrison took her seat and began a conversation about her career, writing and racism.

Toni Morrison spent an evening with a packed Lisner Auditorium Wednesday. An assortment of GW departments and organizations sponsored the event, including the office of the Provost, the Gelman Research Center and MSSC. Many of the attendees were GW students.

"She pushes us to think about the jagged edges of our experiences," said Reed. "She is a master teacher."

Taking her audience back through time, Morrison's desire to be among black intellectuals brought her to Howard University in Washington, DC in 1949. For her, the most exciting place as a college student was in the theater because they "read plays to understand the scenes, characters, and relationships." Morrison admitted she was not any good with acting, but she still reads plays for pleasure.

She then fastforwarded to the time she was a professor at Howard University. It was at this time she wrote the first version of "The Bluest Eye," around eight to nine pages about a girl who prayed for blue eyes. Morrison revealed that the subject of the story was a girl she was very close to when she was younger who she quarreled with about whether or not there was a God. The girl proclaimed there was not a God because she had prayed for blue eyes for two years and had yet to receive them. Morrison remebered thinking, "Suppose she had gotten them, how grotesque they would be," causing the audience to burst into laughter.

"I'm very happy when I'm writing," said Morrison, "spiritually, intellectually, language does that for me."

For her novel "A Mercy," Morrison had to "go back in time before racism was established and institutionalized" to develop her idea, which she found in the Salem Witch Trials of the 17th Century. She then read the opening and the ending of the book. Even though the audience was already quiet, a hush came over the auditorium as she started to read. With her laid back yet still vibrant voice, the story came alive as she painted an image with her words.

After ten minutes of storytelling, Morrison announced the completion of her latest work, entitled "Home." She read directly from the manuscript, giving the audience a sneek peak of her latest unpublished work.

Responding to a question about racial barriers in American politics and the election of Barack Obama, Morrison said, "Racism pays, it's useful, and it works," and commented that having a black president does not change that.

A GW senior asked Morrison her thoughts on the current banned book list for public schools.

"Everything worth reading is banned by somebody in these schools," she replied, jokingly adding that a Texas Correctional Institue that banned "Beloved" because it "might start a prison riot."

"I love listening to her talk," said junior English major Sarah Perillo. "It's so inviting."

Some students had the opportunity to have dinner with Professor Morrison back stage at Lisner Auditorium.

"She's a really nice lady and very easy to talk to," said junior Africana Studies major Shelbie Atkins.

Other students shared a few words with Professor Morrison at the F Street House before the event.

"I asked her what her inspiration was for Beloved," said junior Public Health major Janel Coleman, "and she talked about women's rights. Basically during the 80s women tried to reclaim their bodies by not having kids, so in Beloved the slave woman reclaimed her body by having kids and killing them."

The Toni Morrison Society and GW dedicated a bench outside Lisner Auditorium in honor of Ms. Morrison's struggles and the 1947 integration of the venue.

Gibbs Recounts Hard Times in White House, Emphasizes Youth Vote in 2012

2011-09-21T15:11:00.020-04:00

Former White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs
Photo: James Reed

Robert Gibbs, former White House Press Secretary and outside adviser to President Obama’s reelection campaign, energized a room full of College Democrats for the upcoming 2012 elections Tuesday evening. Gibbs briefly reminisced on his tenure as press secretary, during which he held more than 250 press briefings, before talking about the state of the economy.

“Our fiscal house is a mess... This is not your normal recession,” Gibbs told students at Dorothy Betts Theatre. Gibbs pointed to the falling strength of the dollar, noting that the income average in 2011 is about the same as 1996. “Your parents are paying your 2010-2011 GW tuition on a 1996 income,” said Gibbs.

Shiah Shahmohammadi, the GW College Democrats Communications Director, decided to host Gibbs as a speaker in order to rally their members toward the reelection of President Obama.

“Mr. Gibbs is an important figure in politics today. Not only was he the spokesperson for the nation's highest office for two years, but he is also an integral part of the reelection campaign of Barack Obama,” Shahmohammadi said. “The GW College Democrats chose Mr. Gibbs to be our kick-off speaker because he has the ability to excite our membership and encourage them to get involved with our organization as well as the 2012 campaign.”

During his speech, Gibbs pointed to the events of the BP Deepwater Horizon oil spill in 2010 as a challenge for himself and the press, calling it “three of the most hardest months in the White House.” During the spill, Gibbs said he learned much about the oil industry and claimed to know more that than anyone who works for such a company.

Looking to 2012, Gibbs asked students a series of questions pertaining to their voting and social habits.

“This election is as much important as the last election,” Gibbs said emphatically. Gibbs, devoted some time to voting trends over the last decade, and particularly noted the shortfall in youth voting in 2010. In 2008, the youth votes comprised eighteen percent of the electorate, while in 2010 it was only eleven percent.

During the question and answer period, Gibbs noted a briefing featuring both President Obama and former President Clinton regarding the tax deal. Gibbs said his first thought when he first saw the two presidents walking past his office was “Holy Christ.” The presidents wanted access to the briefing room on a Friday evening.

“It was really cool getting the insight of someone who not only was a top White House insider for two years but the President’s main gatekeeper to the press,” said sophomore College Democrat member Scott Challeen. “My favorite part about hearing from former White House insiders like that is not so much the descriptions and specifics of their jobs, but the funny personal stories from the job.”

"Don't Ask, Don't Tell" Repeal Takes Effect

2011-09-20T23:21:00.010-04:00

The United States military repealed its "don't ask, don't tell" policy Tuesday morning, allowing openly gay, lesbian and bisexual individuals to serve in the armed forces and marking a noticeable shift in the recognition of gay rights in America.

The policy, which did allow gays to serve in the military so long as they kept their sexual orientations hidden, began under the Clinton administration and had been the object of intense scrutiny for almost two decades. The policy's repeal was the culmination of several years worth of back-and-forth debate between the executive and legislative branches, the Department of Defense, and many members of the armed forces.

"It's always a significant moment in history when the government moves to enact policies that match the values held by the public," said freshman Rhett Gopaul. "In this case it's especially important given the ongoing debate concerning same-sex marriage; it's a step in the right direction and I hope it causes the tides to turn."

The repeal of DADT still remains unpopular among some members of Congress. However, the Department of Defense has made it clear that the law's repeal will not affect the actions of the Army, whether at home or on the battlefront. The Pentagon called for "business as usual" Tuesday, encouraging members of the armed forces to remember the values of respect and fairness.

Military services halted the processing of applications from openly gay recruits until the law's repeal took effect Tuesday morning, a strategy which will give prospective servicemen an equal opportunity to serve their country regardless of sexual orientation.

The law's repeal received hearty support on GW's campus from students on both sides of the political spectrum.

"Though I am a Republican, I support the repeal of 'don't ask, don't tell,' because those who are fighting for our country should be able to practice the rights that they've sworn to protect," said freshman Edric Chung. "This isn't a matter of gay rights; it's a matter of freedom of speech."

Anti-DADT advocates held celebrations around the country in honor of the controversial law's repeal Tuesday. The Servicemembers Legal Defense Network, a watchdog organization which aims to end discrimination of gay and lesbian military personnel, hosted a party a few blocks off campus in honor of "Repeal Day."

The law's repeal marks a noticeable shift with regards to the recognition of gay rights in the United States.

Comcast Launches New Program to Extend Internet Access

2011-09-20T17:01:00.015-04:00

DCPS Chancellor Kaya Henderson (left) talking with Comcast EVP
David L. Cohen (middle) and FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski

The Comcast Corporation is launching a new initiative aimed at bringing inexpensive internet access to low-level income families.

The Internet Essentials program is simultaneously kicking off in 39 states and the District of Columbia. It's open to families who qualify for the National School Lunch Program, which provides free lunch to more than 29 million public and charter school students nationwide.

Speaking to WRGW over the phone, Executive Vice President David L. Cohen called the program a "continuation and refinement" of Comcast's existing goals.

"Working towards broadband adoption versus broadband deployment has always been a passion for Comcast," said Cohen, who was in town Tuesday for the DC-area launch of the program. "The Internet has the potential to narrow differences between people by providing access to education, news, entertainment, etc."

However, because of the so-called "digital divide" between the wealthy and the poor, Cohen said "the Internet exacerbates differences instead."

A recent report by Pew Research found that approximately one in four U.S. households are without a computer. In an attempt to change this, Internet Essentials will provide broadband access to qualified individuals for $9.95 a month, and Comcast is working with Dell and Acer to provide those households with computers for $150. The program will also work with local non-profit organizations to offer free computer and internet training for those who don't know how to use them.

Internet Essentials will affect more than 140,000 students in the DC-Metro area, in an attempt to aid the struggling DC Public School system. WRGW's own Michael Fische experienced DCPS firsthand.

"My school had a lot of kids that didn't have internet access," said Fische, a sophomore. "In middle school, I'd say 50% of the class didn't have it, and in high school maybe 60% were without internet access at home. I would be in classes with students who would have to stay after class or during lunch to get access to resources they couldn't get at home."

Comcast believes it can help by extending internet access to those who would otherwise never have it. "The Internet has shrunk the world, but only for the wealthy. For the poor, the world is just as big and intimidating as ever," said Cohen. "We are going to make a contribution to try and change that."

The program launched in DC on Tuesday.

Ugly Betty Star Leads Off Latino Heritage Celebration

2011-09-19T20:54:00.010-04:00

The Latino Heritage Celebration at GW kicked off on a roll this week as actor, director and community activist Tony Plana captivated the crowd with his keynote address Monday evening at the Marvin Center.

You may know Plana from his more recent role as Betty’s father in the hit TV show "Ugly Betty." But his career has spanned decades, and his wide range of performances in the arts as well as in the community provided a platform which enables him to inspire fellow Hispanics.

Plana told stories to a fixated audience from his early life as an immigrant Cuban child in Miami in the 60’s. At other times, the crowd curled over with laughter as Plana mused them with highlights of his acting career.

Active community service and dedication, however, was the major emphasis of the speech. He urged the crowd to pay attention to the “tragedy of education” that is prevalent in schools today.

Plana adamantly professed “if there was an obstacle in your way, that you must take action to overcome that obstacle… not only for you, but for your community as well."

“Worlds will never change unless you change them yourself,” he explained to the audience.

He concluded his talk with a lively Q & A session with audience members who called on Plana to guide them through their own endeavors. Plana continued to emphasize the importance of education as a key step in breaking the mold that has been set for Hispanics in the local community, playing nicely into this year’s theme for the celebration “Saber es Poder” (Knowledge is Power).

The Multicultural Student Services Center hosted the event. Director Michael Tapscott emphasized that “Everyone is welcome at the MSSC."

The Latino Heritage Celebration, which takes place on GW’s campus Sept 19^th-Oct 15^th, promotes the immense value of self-awareness of Latinos while simultaneously empowering the Latino community. The weeklong celebration also seeks to educate the GW and surrounding D.C. community about the rich Latino history and culture and their impact on the United States. Other events this week include a Latin American film screening, Parade of Flags and Latin dance classes.

A full list of Latino Heritage Celebration activities can be found at the MSSC website.

4-RIDE Shuttle Reservation Now Available Online

2011-09-17T20:14:00.013-04:00

GW students can now reserve 4-RIDE shuttles online through either their computers or smartphones. The new system will allow riders to book one trip at a time up to two hours in advance.

The shuttle service runs between 7:00 p.m. and 5:30 a.m. every day. Riders will be able to enter their preferred pick-up time, location, destination and additional comments for the dispatcher.

“This new system seems like it will be more efficient," sophomore Hayley Burgess said. "I personally have never used 4-RIDE, but a lot of my friends have complained about how slow the service is.”

Darrell Darnell, the Senior Associate Vice President at the office of Safety and Security, said the service should be more responsive, cutting down on the amount of time students have to wait on the 4-RIDE phone line and eliminating uncertainty as to when the van will pick them up.

"It gives students another option," Darnell said, "as well as puts stress on the dispatchers because it will be done automatically."

The phone reservation system will remain available to those requesting a ride. Riders can also sign up to receive e-mail or text message notifications when the shuttle is on its way. Still, some students remain skeptical of 4-RIDE's ability to cut down on its notorious delays.

“I’m not sure this new way will be more efficient," junior Alexandra Noghaven said. "It seems to me that it will probably just take longer to order 4rides the old fashion way. Still, I think the 4ride system is super helpful."

Each of the 17 4-RIDE vans will be outfitted with GPS technology. Deployed vans will be displayed in real time on a Google map on the 4-RIDE site, which will be accessible through myGW on computers and mobile devices. The three year contract will cost the university $90,000.

Students can visit my.gwu.edu and click on "4-RIDE" in the quick links section to make their reservation.

Mac Users No Longer On Gwireless

2011-09-16T12:35:00.017-04:00

Apple device users returned to campus only to find that their Gwireless accounts were no longer functional. The Division of Information Technology switched Mac users on campus to GW1X for the Fall 2011 semester in an attempt to speed up on-campus Internet access. While students try to adapt to the network’s installation instructions, IT explains the reason and benefits for the change.

According to Rachel Blevin, Marketing and Communications Manager for the Division of Information Technology, GW1X is a secure wireless network for iPhones, iPads, Android devices, and Mac machines.

“It improves the user experience by keeping users logged in forever after they sign in for the first time,” said Blevin.

The Division of Information Technology chose to switch from SSL VPN on GWirless to GW1X because of the “trend of students, faculty, and staff having more than one device on the network at a time” and “to ensure that the wireless network is supportable across a broad range of platforms,” said Blevin.

Students' reactions to the switch focus on the instructions and the wireless connection. Visiting the IT desk or reference desk in all the libraries on campus has become a frustrating routine for some. For others, the network seems slower than before.

"At first I thought it would be convenient to not have to sign in every time I wanted to use the internet," said junior Sarah Perillo, "but I've found that this new network is so slow to start up that it doesn't save any time. The only improvement is that you won't get kicked off after five hours like on gwireless."

The instructions for setup were easy to follow, Perillo added.

The IT and Library staff have been working diligently to help students install and adapt to the new wireless network.

“To connect, simply log on to GWireless from a GW1X-supported device and open your browser, and you will see a web page with configuration instructions specifically tailored to your device,” says Blevin.

For help and instructions, go to http://helpdesk.gwu.edu/faqs/gw1x.html or contact IT at 202-994-2138.

University Launches Online Advising Tool, With Flaws

2011-09-15T23:07:00.014-04:00

The University this week made its new advising tool, DegreeMap, available for all undergraduate students. The launch received mixed reviews from the GW student population, some praising the system's utility, others criticizing its inaccuracies.

The new online audit system comes after the University created a new school-wide advising committee and spent about $500,000 hiring new advisers earlier this year, doubling the advising staff of its largest school, the Columbian College of Arts and Sciences.

"[DegreeMap] made it easier to double check I had fulfilled all my requirements," said senior Nicole Longo. "I wish we had it freshman year."

The University made advising reform a high priority after students continually criticized the program's perceived lack of direction and support.

"You didn't get help unless you sought it out," said Jesse Regis, a class of 2011 graduate.

"I figured out everything on my own. There was a lot of room for error."

But DegreeMap still has its bugs. Some students found drastic inaccuracies in their online audit, as well as a lack of useful course recommendations and guidance they might receive from an actual academic adviser.

"It's just pure GW trying to make it seem like it knows how to use technology," senior Garrett Khoury said. "I'm sure once the bugs are figured out it might be useful... but I'll take ten minutes with my adviser any day."

The administration claims once the kinks are worked out, DegreeMap will free up more time for advisers to build a relationship with students, cutting down on the time spent looking up "routine information." Working out those kinks depends on student feedback, said CCAS Associate Dean of Undergraduate Studies Daniel Ullman.

"We didn't expect the audits to be correct for all students on launch day, and they weren't," Ullman said.

Reaching a correct audit for all students requires inputting tens of thousands of courses, petitions, waivers and exceptions, according to Ullman. The task could take several weeks.

DegreeMap will extend to graduate programs moving forward on a rolling basis.

CCAS students can share their DegreeMap concerns at

http://columbian.gwu.edu/undergraduate/advising/degreemap

Hawk 'n' Dove Temporarily Closing

2011-09-13T22:26:00.008-04:00

After serving as one of the District’s main bars and restaurants for 44 years, the Hawk ‘n’ Dove bar, located just a stone’s throw from Capitol Hill, will be temporarily closing its doors on October 2. The momentary shutdown is to make way for incoming owner Xavier Cerveza, who will take over the building’s lease, while the restaurant itself undergoes an overhaul for several months before it reopens next year.

Cerveza already owns a few bars in the area, such as Chesapeake Room, Senart’s Oyster & Chop House and Lola’s Barracks Bar and Grill, and seeks to open more restaurants in the area.

For the past few decades, Hawk ‘n’ Dove served as a common meeting place for lawyers, congressmen, college students and Capitol Hill interns.

Beginning back in 1967, the restaurant opened as a location where pro-Vietnam War “hawks” and their dissenting “dove” counterparts could congregate together. Since then, the bar went on to become its own landmark in the District for more than 40 years.

Terrance Lewis, a resident in Northwest D.C., came to Hawk ‘n’ Dove this past April to celebrate his 21^st birthday.

“It was the first time that I had been out to a bar after turning 21 and I had a great time,” Lewis said. “If they do a complete change, I’m glad I at least got to visit the bar before it closes for awhile.”

To celebrate, there will be events leading up to the restaurant’s closing, such as all of the items being auctioned off. Upon hearing this, Lewis stated that he would try to go down for the auction.

“Maybe if they look hard enough,” Lewis commented, “they’ll be able to find the mug I took up with me on the dance floor. Then I can buy it back.”

MLK Dedication Date Announced

2011-09-12T13:41:00.009-04:00

After opening to the public on Monday, August 22, organizers postponed the dedication of the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial due to Hurricane Irene. On Sunday, September 11th, the monument's architect, Ed Jackson Jr., announced that the dedication would be rescheduled for October 16. Organizers are already working towards bringing back the speakers and musicians who were set to perform. The Washington Post reported that President Barack Obama would speak at the event, with musicians Stevie Wonder and Aretha Franklin, filmmaker George Lucas and actor Jamie Foxx serving as celebrity co-chairs.

The Alpha Pi Alpha Fraternity proposed the $120 million dollar memorial in honor of the Civil Rights Movement leader. Dr. King was one of the organization's most notable members. The memorial sits next to the Tidal Basin between the Lincon and Jefferson Memorials. Stay tuned to WRGW for more news about the dedication of the District's newest Memorial.