Senator departs from SA

Undergraduate Sen. Cathy Resler (CSAS) left the Student Association Senate last week amid controversy surrounding her election and appointment.

The struggle began in late April with an e-mail from Jennifer E. McCarthy, coordinator of Student Organizations, to former SA President Carrie Potter. According to the e-mail, Resler did not meet the requirements necessary to serve as a senator, without specifying where Resler fell short.

SA Executive Vice President Caity Leu said she found out second-hand about Resler’s status and e-mailed McCarthy about her concern.

“(Resler) was certified by the Joint Elections Committee, and according to precedent, grades and other qualifications are always checked in the fall by the EVP,” Leu wrote. “As far as I am concerned, Cathy will be allowed to take her seat as a senator in the fall, providing that she meets all qualifications.”

Graduate Sen. J.P. Blackford (SEAS), chair of the Senate Rules Committee, filed a court case against Leu May 4. According to the court documents, Leu recognized Resler, who Blackford said was on academic probation.

Blackford said Assistant Vice President for Student Academic and Support Services Mike Gargano notified him Friday about Resler’s departure from the Senate. Blackford said he intends to drop the court case.

Resler and Leu were unavailable for comment.

-Theresa Crapanzano

SBPM recognizes members for service

The School of Business and Public Management (SBPM) presented awards to four members of the school April 30 .

The fifth annual awards recognized members of the school’s community who help create a positive learning environment for SBPM students. Director of SBPM Development Margaret Shepard said the awards recognize members who serve “above and beyond the call of duty.”

Nominations were requested and the Board of Advisors, an SBPM committee made up of volunteers, including corporate leaders and alumni, selected the winners, Shepard said. Honorees received a “recognition piece and a monetary sum,” according to the SBPM memo requesting nominations.

Every year a Board of Advisors Award is given to a member of SBPM’s faculty, a member of the staff, a graduate student and an undergraduate student. This year’s winners include Accountancy Professor Neil Tierney, Bill Carter, director of Financial Operations for SBPM, doctoral student Stephen Craft and undergraduate Emily Salisbury.

“The Board takes great pleasure and feels a sense of pride in recognizing outstanding achievement,” Shepard said.

Mount Vernon celebrates Commencement

Helen Thomas, White House correspondent for United Press International, addressed Mount Vernon College graduates Sunday.

Speaking at Mount Vernon’s final Commencement, Thomas spoke to more than 100 students. Grae Baxter, Mount Vernon’s interim president, said Thomas’ contributions serve as a symbol for all women, according to a University press release.

“Helen Thomas’ enduring career has generated a significant number of `firsts’ for women,” Baxter said.

Thomas, who joined UPI in 1943, began serving as White House correspondent after covering the presidential candidacy of John F. Kennedy in 1960. She was the first woman officer of the National Press Club and the first woman to serve as the president of the White House Correspondents Association, according to the press release.

Mount Vernon conferred two honorary doctorates to Norman Stanley Portenoy and Henry Strong. Both serve on the college’s Board of Trustees.

-Steven Postal

GW honors four alumni

GW handed out four Distinguished Alumni Achievement Awards at a dinner Saturday night.

The annual event, held at Union Station before Monumental Celebration, honors alumni who are prominent in their fields. Four alumni are picked each year out of about 130,000 alumni across the world, GW President Stephen Joel Trachtenberg said.

Congresswoman Donna Marie Christian-Christensen, who received a doctoral degree from the School of Medicine and Health Sciences in 1970, said GW molded her into a person who could achieve this award. Representing the U.S. Virgin Islands, she became the first woman doctor to represent an offshore territory in Congress.

Abby Joseph Cohen, managing director and chair of the investment policy committee of Goldman, Sachs & Co., said she got an “eclectic education” as she took a number of engineering courses while she was working toward her masters in economics.

Edward M. Liddy, who earned his master’s degree of business administration from the School of Business and Public Management, attributed his success to “soaking up” all the atmosphere at GW during the early 1970s. Liddy is now chairman and chief economic officer of Allstate Insurance.

GW Law School graduate Mary L. Shapiro also received an award for her career as president of the National Association of Securities Dealers Regulation, Inc. The company has oversight of the NASDAQ stock market.

-Margaret Magee