801B says:

I was thinking about how the Hatchet has changed over my four years at GW. This year, I think the paper has been very well done, but there is something missing. When I was a freshman, we used to grab a copy of the Hatchet and flip right to the “Chick and Dick” column. The current Hatchet lacks a sense of humor – a section that will make students laugh. Don’t get me wrong – I think you guys do an amazing job…just a suggestion that might make the Hatchet a little more enjoyable to read.

Thanks for your comment, 801B (one of Sam and Will’s roommates, I believe).

Ah, chick and dick. During their two-year run, they inspired strong feelings in almost every reader — people loved them for their raunchy rejoinders or hated them for their raunchy rejoinders. The Hatchet decided to axe the feature for two main reasons:

1. Many staff members and readers thought the column had no journalistic merit and detracted from the rest of the paper.

2. Their act was getting old. How many times can you repackage the same dick and fart jokes? I do have a few favorites, though, including when “Dick” (Andrew Snow) asked a person inquiring about anal sex why they wanted to be a “butt pirate” ( Battle of the sexes).

We realized their column was popular, and tried to get the same sexual humor from sex columnists. Unfortunately, we realized, when you advertise for sex columnists you get submissions from a bunch of Carrie Bradshaw knockoffs whose personal lives are not quite as funny and interesting as hers. If a student asks to be a sex columnist and shows that they have a unique voice and can be funny without forcing it, we’ll give them a shot. But we’re not going to force it either. A college newspaper sex column can be good. See Daily Californian, “Sex on Tuesday.”

I agree, 801B, with your suggestion that The Hatchet be funnier. Do you have any ideas? Does anyone else? I think we’ve demonstrated we can be funny in our April Fools’ editions (forget the dildo-dominated one from two years ago). Also, the features section is sometimes funny — albeit in a very sardonic way — in its “What’s the deal with …” feature and “It ain’t Long Island.” We also printed directions to President Trachtenberg’s house. That’s pretty funny.