A lot can happen in a year on campus.
Several administrators have left and many more were hired to fill key roles. Top officials rolled out plans to cut one-fifth of undergraduate enrollment and grow the University’s STEM enrollment, prompting mixed reactions from faculty.
Student organizations have faced a hectic year. A last-minute bid for Student Association president shook up SA elections, and GW College Democrats reshuffled its leadership after some executive board members rigged the organization’s election for freshman representative. A racist Snapchat posted by a sorority president caused members to leave and led administrators to pause Panhellenic Association social life for a semester, and another Snapchat depicting a student making anti-Semitic remarks sparked outrage among Jewish student groups.
We couldn’t have covered it all without our readers. Thank you for supporting The Hatchet in 2019 – we hope you follow along in 2020.
Because of readers like you, our news editors have been able to conduct deep dives into the lives of students with chronic illnesses, complaints of malpractice in the Colonial Health Center, outdated GW websites and the costs of on- and off-campus housing. We’ve brought you in-depth guides on everything from the men’s and women’s basketball seasons to Commencement 2019, sent several reporters around the city to hear from artists who have painted murals in Northwest D.C. and analyzed GW’s student-athlete population.
Our editorial board has also weighed in on some of the most pressing issues at GW. We’ve questioned the University’s multiple hires from the University of Miami, criticized officials’ decision to move away from GW’s long-standing fixed tuition model and encouraged Panhel sororities to take advantage of a semester of diversity trainings and reflection.
We’re proud to say our work has been recognized as award-worthy. The Hatchet was named a finalist for an online Pacemaker award from the Associated College Press, and the photo team picked up first place in breaking news photography from the Society of Professional Journalists. The Hatchet was also recognized as finalists in sports photography and editorial writing from the SPJ.
We have offered coverage and commentary on some of the biggest events of the year at GW, but we cannot keep up our work without the support of our readers. As an independent, non-profit organization, we lean on advertising revenue and donations to stay afloat. Please consider supporting student journalism with a tax-deductible donation this holiday season. You can donate here.
Thank you again for your continued support. Have a happy holiday season, from all of us at The Hatchet.
