Sarah Blugis, a senior majoring in political communication, is The Hatchet’s opinions editor.
In case you missed it, here’s the best and worst news from around campus and the District this week.
Thumbs up:
Jon Stewart will return to campus in the fall to headline Colonials Weekend, adding yet another name to the list of impressive speakers and performers GW has hosted over the past few years.
For many students, this will be their first opportunity to see Stewart on campus, since he hasn’t been to GW since 2012. And for students who have been loyal fans of Stewart’s witty political commentary, his performance might help to ease the pain of his upcoming departure from “The Daily Show” in August.
Colonials Weekend has been a great opportunity for the University to showcase its power to secure impressive performers. One quick Google search shows that in the past, our campus has treated parents and students to acts like Seth Meyers, Train, Robin Williams, The Fray, Jimmy Fallon, Seinfeld and Bill Maher.
GW clearly has its finger on the pulse of student interest, and has perfected the art of finding performers that appeal to both students and parents. For some students, Stewart was likely a large part of their political education, and his humor is mild enough for parents, too. Although bringing celebrities to campus likely comes with a substantial price tag, it doesn’t seem like most students mind the cost.
Thumbs down:
For safety on campus, it wasn’t a quiet week. On Thursday, students received two back-to-back alerts: one for an attempted armed robbery, and one for an armed and disorderly man outside Whole Foods.
Sometimes, Foggy Bottom really does feel like it’s in a bubble. That can make it easy to forget that our campus is a part of the city. These incidents should serve as a reminder to students that GW isn’t immune to outside security threats.
Many students have left for the summer, but that doesn’t mean security is any less important. Campus safety has been a hot topic this past academic year: Candidates for student association president or executive vice president highlighted safety concerns, and students were involved in the search for a new chief of the University Police Department.
A new chief has been selected and will start next month, meaning these most recent incidents were not hers to address. However, as she takes on her new position, it’s important for students to keep an eye on UPD and evaluate how the department deals with high-profile events under her leadership.