It was always easy getting to an airport, only seven Metro stops away from campus on the Blue line. Pack the bags, grab the trusty Metro card and walk to the Foggy Bottom station to catch a train to Reagan National Airport. But now that the airport is closed for an indefinite amount of time, students have to endure the hassle of commuting to other airports or find an alternate mode of transportation to leave D.C.
Students have been on the phones trying to change their flights to BWI or Dulles International airports. Amtrak is also honoring plane tickets from many airlines, and many students are now traveling by train. Others say they plan to have their parents drive down to GW or are taking the free shuttle buses provided by GW to various East Coast cities.
Students said they are not letting the terrorist attacks prevent them from flying or moving on with life. Freshman Arlyn Stokes said she is a little apprehensive to fly but feels safe because of increased security. But, she said she is annoyed to give up a whole day to travel without the convenience of National.
Sophomore Erin Van Dyke said she is also irritated with the extra time she needs to take the MARC commuter train to BWI and the extra time for security checks. She said she is curious what GW will do if the IMF/World Bank meetings are rescheduled for D.C.
Freshman Walter Lewis was flying to Florida on Delta Air Lines through National but had to change his tickets to BWI or Dulles. He said his mom is worried about him flying, but he is not.
Lewis said he does not like that the World Bank protests were postponed and is worried what will happen if the meetings are rescheduled.
“What are they going to do? Cancel school again?” he said.
Most students interviewed said they are happy to have the time off.
“It’s a good excuse to visit friends from other colleges,” said sophomore Rebecca Friedman, who will take a four-hour train ride to her hometown Springfield, N.J., and then visit a friend at the University of Massachusetts.
Freshman Kat Rossi is staying with her sister in Alexandria, Va. She feels it would be an annoyance to go home, but since she is staying nearby, she said she does not think traveling is a big deal.
Sophomore Amit Kashyap said he has an easy commute to his home in Maryland. He said he feels GW is putting its students through a lot of hassles, but it was beyond the University’s control.
Students celebrating Yom Kippur said they are happy that the break coincides with the Jewish holiday.
“I’m really happy that I’m able to go home because after all these attacks, I feel like I want to by my family,” junior Allison Schecter, who is from Manalapan, N.J., said. “It’s good that I live close enough to school that I can drive home for the holiday.”
The reopening of residence halls has benefited students who live far away. Sophomore Audrey Rangel said she was upset with the initial decision to shut students out of buildings.
“I’m from California,” Rangel said. “I’m not even going home for Thanksgiving this year. Where was I supposed to go?”
She said she finds all the changes frustrating but is glad classes are still canceled. Rangel is visiting friends in Baltimore over the weekend but will stay on campus during the week.
Sophomore Lindsay McAfee said she does not want to fly home to Iowa and feels less stressed now that she is allowed to stay on campus.
“I may visit friends at other schools, but I want to take advantage of experiencing (the protests) taking place in D.C.,” McAfee said.
Metropolitan Police predict about 10,000 to 18,000 protesters in the city this weekend.
Junior Fabian Olarte said he would rather not travel over the break because of the recent terrorist attacks. Staying in one place is a safer option than being uprooted, he said.
“I still believe that D.C. is, and could be, a security threat; and, overall, I want to feel safe, so I want to stay,” Olarte said.
