Serving the GW Community since 1904

The GW Hatchet
AN INDEPENDENT STUDENT NEWSPAPER SERVING THE GW COMMUNITY SINCE 1904

The GW Hatchet
Serving the GW Community since 1904

The GW Hatchet
All content by Lauren Sforza
Auden Yurman | Senior Photo Editor

Lauren Sforza: Learning to tell stories

By Lauren Sforza
December 6, 2022
Chief Justice Yun-Da Tsai said the court will issue a final judgment on the case before May 1 instead of immediately because neither the plaintiff nor the defendant requested a prompt decision.

Student Court delays preliminary verdict on SA finance case

By Lauren Sforza and Erika Filter
April 14, 2022
The Office of the Legislator General filed a lawsuit against the SA finance committee chair in February for legislation that gave the finance committee the power to sanction student organizations.

Student Court to hear case on finance bylaws, student organization sanctions Sunday

By Lauren Sforza
April 7, 2022
Students elected senior Christian Zidouemba (left) as Student Association president and sophomore Yan Xu (right) as vice president.

Zidouemba elected SA president in near record-low turnout election

By Lauren Sforza
March 31, 2022
SA Senate resignations have been a regular occurance in recent years, but an especially large number of senators have departed this term.

SA candidates fend off criticism as polls close on tense finish to election season

By Lauren Sforza
March 31, 2022
Andrew An said he does not expect to win but hopes to demonstrate a candidate can run without resorting to "gossip."

Sophomore launches write-in campaign for SA presidency just before voting opens

By Lauren Sforza
March 29, 2022

Student organizations endorse 2022 SA candidates

By Lauren Sforza
March 29, 2022
This year’s Student Association races mark the first in-person elections since the pandemic, but some of the normal campaign traditions haven’t quite bounced back.

SA campaign season enters final stretch with record-low number of candidates

By Lauren Sforza
March 28, 2022
Rami Hanash Jr., a freshman running for the School of Business undergraduate senate seat, said he was surprised by the low turnout to launch the first in-person SA campaign period in two years.

Annual SA postering day hits record-low turnout as in-person campaigning kicks off

By Lauren Sforza and Erika Filter
March 12, 2022
SA Vice President Kate Carpenter said she ultimately decided against running after becoming an increasingly frequent target of disparaging social media posts.

Presumed candidate for SA president backs out of running after being ‘cyberbullied’

By Zach Schonfeld and Lauren Sforza
March 10, 2022
SA Sen. Chris Pino, CCAS-U, sponsored the Electoral and Representational Reform Act.

SA Senate fails to add referenda to spring election ballot

By Lauren Sforza and Tara Suter
March 10, 2022
SA Sen. Alfredo Granados, CCAS-U, is the second person to announce their candidacy for SA vice president.

SA senator announces bid for SA vice president to tighten connections with student body

By Lauren Sforza
March 10, 2022
Student Association Sen. Yan Xu, ESIA-U, is the first person to enter this year’s race for vice president.

SA finance committee chair announces campaign for SA vice president

By Lauren Sforza
March 7, 2022
The SA’s Office of the Legislator General filed a complaint with the court last Monday against SA Sen. Yan Xu, ESIA-U, who chairs the senate's finance committee.

SA Senate passes financial reforms that could render Student Court case moot

By Lauren Sforza
March 1, 2022
SA Sen. Dasia Bandy became the first to enter the presidential race on Monday.

Sophomore SA senator first to announce bid for SA presidency

By Lauren Sforza
February 28, 2022
The Student Court will decide on Sunday if they will hear the case.

Student Court Case Tracker: Fitzgerald v. Xu

By Isha Trivedi, Lauren Sforza and Henry Huvos
February 28, 2022
Chief Justice Yun-Da Tsai's order delays the defendants' response deadline until after the senate votes Monday on the Financial Reform Act, which would address issues laid out in the complaint.

Student Court delays initial consideration of finance bylaw complaint

By Lauren Sforza
February 28, 2022
Chief Justice Yun-Da Tsai's order delays the defendants' response deadline until after the senate votes Monday on the Financial Reform Act, which would address issues laid out in the complaint.

Student Court chief justice extends defendant response deadline in finance bylaws case

By Lauren Sforza
February 27, 2022
Residents were seen re-entering the building at about 10:45 a.m.

D.C. FEMS responds to fire at Residences on the Avenue apartments

By Isha Trivedi, Lauren Sforza and Abby Kennedy
February 25, 2022
The Student Court will decide on Sunday if they will hear the case.

SA executive office files complaint in Student Court opposing updated finance bylaws

By Lauren Sforza
February 24, 2022
Students created the petition in the wake of last week’s controversy when officials took down posters criticizing the Chinese government.

Student groups demand officials investigate endowment for potential ties to Uyghur genocide

By Lauren Sforza and Daniel Patrick Galgano
February 14, 2022
The University's enrollment in U-Pass will let students explore the D.C. area for the $100-per-semester rate.

Metro to increase weekday service on Blue, Silver and Orange lines

By Lauren Sforza
February 11, 2022
SA Vice President Kate Carpenter pushed back on criticism at a Monday senate meeting, saying meeting with administrators directly proves more effective than releasing public statements.

How the SA responded to allegations of racism, ableism in the classroom

By Lauren Sforza
February 10, 2022
Officials are working on restoration plans following a cybersecurity incident affecting the employee time reporting system last week.

Kronos restored after cyberattack causes weekslong outage

By Lauren Sforza
January 28, 2022
Two possible locations for a new Gulf War memorial on the National Mall were announced last month.

Bowser extends D.C. indoor mask mandate, public health emergency

By Lauren Sforza
January 27, 2022

Student Association elections to take place March 29, 30

By Lauren Sforza
January 27, 2022
SBA Sen. Garett May sponsored a bill to request GW Law Dean Dayna Bowen Matthew to submit an audit to disclose protocols that officials implemented or should establish to handle digital platform failures.

SBA Senate rejects bill to audit GW Law’s system outage handling

By Lauren Sforza and Tara Suter
January 27, 2022
SA Senate resignations have been a regular occurance in recent years, but an especially large number of senators have departed this term.

SA Senate resignations nearly double since last term because of time commitment issues

By Lauren Sforza and Riya Sharma
January 24, 2022
GW College Republicans organized a group of students to attend this year’s march.

With Roe v. Wade’s fate looming, thousands gather with renewed hope at March for Life

By Lauren Sforza, Sejal Govindarao and Abby Kennedy
January 24, 2022
The senate has passed more than 20 pieces of legislation in each of the past few semesters.

SA senators spent fall focused on reforming internal operations, expanding transportation

By Lauren Sforza
January 18, 2022
Hill said said the SA will search for recreation space that students can use in place of the Lerner Health and Wellness Center, which will close for a portion of 2022.

SA leaders announce spring initiatives targeting health resources, student experience

By Lauren Sforza and Henry Huvos
January 13, 2022
Officials will increase the number of off-campus housing exemptions to accommodate upperclassmen who can no longer live in Mitchell, Guthridge and West halls during Thurston renovations.

GW tightens spring residence hall guest policy as campus residents return

By Lauren Sforza and Daniel Patrick Galgano
January 8, 2022
Nearly a quarter of Ward 2 residents have received a COVID-19 vaccine.

GW to keep 10-day isolation period despite shortened CDC guidance

By Lauren Sforza
January 6, 2022
Experts said rising infections may create challenges for universities trying to contain COVID-19 infections this fall, but GW's vaccine mandate will boost the community's resilience against the Delta variant.

Foggy Bottom testing center closes early Tuesday due to staffing shortage

By Lauren Sforza
January 4, 2022

SA senator steps down to focus on sustainability projects

By Lauren Sforza
December 22, 2021
Program faculty said they were sad to see the degree come to an end but added that they take pride in students’ accomplishments over the years.

Monumental alumna, arts benefactor dies at 88

By Lauren Sforza
December 22, 2021
Mayor Muriel Bowser declared a state of emergency in D.C. Wednesday, enabling her to order mandatory medical quarantines and ban price gouging on medical supplies.

D.C. will require COVID-19 vaccine proof to enter restaurants, certain indoor venues

By Lauren Sforza
December 22, 2021
The 10 new CCAS hires are down from 26 in 2023 and 24 in 2022.

Fall break returned to two days next year following student advocacy

By Lauren Sforza
December 9, 2021
Officials updated the Pelham Plan last week by converting the eight-swipe weekly limit to a 112-swipe balance for the rest of the semester.

Officials issue all clear for Mount Vernon Campus following reported robbery

By Lauren Sforza
November 21, 2021
Students approve referendums to reformat future SA Senate elections

Students approve referendums to reformat future SA Senate elections

By Lauren Sforza
November 19, 2021
SBA Sen. Sydney Blitman, a second-year law student, said GW Law's Dean of Students Office will evaluate applicants' demonstrated financial need.

SBA Senate votes to offer free, discounted tickets for social events

By Lauren Sforza and Riya Sharma
November 18, 2021
A Georgetown University report places the value of GW degrees at No. 71 out of 4,500 colleges and universities over a 40-year span.

Voting opens on two referenda to modify SA election procedures

By Lauren Sforza
November 16, 2021

GW platforms accepting updates to personal names, pronouns

By Lauren Sforza
November 15, 2021
SBA Sen. Shallum Atkinson said students who leave campus late at night are often concerned for their safety.

SBA Senate pressures University to expand U-Pass to part-time law students

By Lauren Sforza and Henry Huvos
November 11, 2021
Metrorail riders have experienced delays on all lines for weeks since last month’s train derailment.

Reduced Metrorail service to continue through end of month

By Lauren Sforza
November 8, 2021
University President Thomas LeBlanc denounced the incident as a “despicable” act of antisemitsm.

‘Traumatic’: TKE members band together in wake of Torah scroll desecration

By Lauren Sforza and Abby Kennedy
November 8, 2021
Some members of the Metro Board of Directors expressed support for implementing a $2 flat fee for riding the Metrorail.

GW to enroll in U-Pass after years of student advocacy

By Lauren Sforza and Zach Blackburn
November 5, 2021
GW Hillel has held events and opened their doors for the Jewish community on campus after the desecration of a Torah scroll over the weekend.

Jewish student organizations unite to process impact of Torah desecration

By Lauren Sforza and Abby Kennedy
November 4, 2021
Speakers and organizers of the event said they were moved by the “historic” turnout of students at the event – a sign of hope that GW is still a safe place for the Jewish community. 

Students denounce Torah desecration, call upon unity during campus procession

By Lauren Sforza, Sejal Govindarao and Abby Kennedy
November 2, 2021

Student Association’s top two leaders encourage students to attend solidarity rally

By Lauren Sforza
November 1, 2021
The court ruled that the Office of the Legislator General is expected to have “allegiance” to the executive branch over other branches because the office serves at the “pleasure of the president.”

Student Court formally invalidates first-year senate seats after extended debate

By Lauren Sforza
November 1, 2021
Residence Hall Association President Vero Famadas said the RHA plans to establish hall councils in nontraditional residence halls, including Strong Hall — which houses the Chi Omega, Pi Beta Phi and Kappa Alpha Theta sororities.

Fall IFC recruitment rebounds to pre-pandemic totals

By Lauren Sforza and Abby Kennedy
October 21, 2021
Xu said the University is not funding as many events as it used to, causing more student organizations to turn to the SA for financial support.

SA Senate approves general allocations to student organizations for spring semester

By Lauren Sforza and Henry Huvos
October 21, 2021
Faculty can now host programming to honor soldiers who died during one of the most significant events in World War II in a new Philips Hall space.

University philanthropist, monumental alumnus dies at 95

By Lauren Sforza
October 13, 2021
The ruling came just hours after Sunday’s hearing.

Student Court strikes down first-year senate seat referendum following multiyear debate

By Lauren Sforza, Tara Suter and Henry Huvos
October 11, 2021
Mayor Muriel Bowser announced last year that the GW Hospital would expand to Southeast D.C. and hold up to 196 beds beginning in fall 2024.

MFA, SMHS agree to staff GW Hospital facility set to open in Southeast

By Lauren Sforza
October 7, 2021
About 30 members of Chi Omega, including roughly 10 who live in Strong Hall, were terminated from the sorority Monday.

Officials temporarily expand Greek life fall rush to freshmen following isolating year

By Lauren Sforza and Abby Kennedy
October 7, 2021
Students silently protested with their signs behind Commencement, facing the setup on the National Mall.

Students silently protest officials’ alleged mishandling of sexual assault cases

By Lauren Sforza and Abby Kennedy
October 4, 2021
SBA Sen. Cyrus Dutton said the finance committee approved the allocation, which will be directed to the society's general fund, to fulfill its funding needs in the future.

SBA Senate allocates thousands in funding for International Law Society

By Lauren Sforza and Alexis Doe
September 30, 2021

Student Court sets hearing date next month for case on first-year senator elections

By Lauren Sforza
September 27, 2021
Officials announced in February they were canceling the Resident Adviser program after pausing it during the pandemic.

Residential community slow to return after officials ended RA program, students say

By Lauren Sforza and Abby Kennedy
September 27, 2021
Experts said rising infections may create challenges for universities trying to contain COVID-19 infections this fall, but GW's vaccine mandate will boost the community's resilience against the Delta variant.

Officials to create COVID testing standby line, accept external PCR tests

By Lauren Sforza
September 24, 2021
Three student organizations are encouraging students to submit bias incident reports from administrators through a survey.

SA president vetoes bill amending senate elections after executive office sues senators

By Lauren Sforza
September 24, 2021

Student Court issues injunction, halting fall referendum on first-year senate seats

By Lauren Sforza
September 22, 2021

Student Court justice resigns ahead of potential complaint hearings

By Lauren Sforza
September 22, 2021
SA Vice President Kate Carpenter had been advocating to add SafeRide stops after a student survey found high interest in the expansion.

SafeRide program expands to three new, off-campus locations

By Lauren Sforza
September 22, 2021
Young's resolution also asks officials to require professors to record all of their classes.

SA Senate urges officials to allow hybrid class option

By Lauren Sforza and Henry Huvos
September 22, 2021
The Hindu Student Association will host its first welcome event, themed “A Night in Bombay,” on Sunday in the University Student Center.

Student leaders return to in-person programming following University’s reopening

By Lauren Sforza and Abby Kennedy
September 20, 2021
Officials updated the Pelham Plan last week by converting the eight-swipe weekly limit to a 112-swipe balance for the rest of the semester.

Mount Vernon Campus dining plan allows for easy budgeting, students say

By Lauren Sforza and Henry Huvos
September 20, 2021
Wrighton will take the helm of GW's administration after a period marked by rising tensions between officials and the student body.

Students hope Wrighton will enhance administrative transparency

By Lauren Sforza and Abby Kennedy
September 20, 2021

SA executive office files complaint with Student Court on first-year senate seats

By Lauren Sforza
September 18, 2021
SA Sen. Chris Pino, CCAS-U, proposed a resolution calling for a referendum on first-year seats at the last senate meeting that failed, but the resolution passed overwhelmingly this time.

SA Senate approves three referenda that could shake up future senate elections

By Lauren Sforza and Lalitha Shanmugasundaram
September 16, 2021
SBA President Jordan Michel said the resolution resonates with him because he plans to go into public service, and the program could benefit GW students who go into the public sector.

SBA Senate backs continuation, improvement of federal loan forgiveness program

By Lauren Sforza
September 16, 2021
Shariq Farooqi, the co-president of SAS, said the organization plans to host a donation drive for Afghan refugees in the coming weeks.

Student leaders aid Afghan refugees amid security crisis overseas

By Samantha Serafin, Lauren Sforza and Abby Kennedy
September 16, 2021
Panhellenic Association leaders declined to talk about conversation surrounding diversity and inclusion sessions mandated by the University earlier this semester.

Officials to consult environmental experts amid mold reports in Townhouse Row

By Lauren Sforza
September 10, 2021
SBA senators gathered in person for the first time since the start of the pandemic at the meeting, which was held in the Law Learning Center and Garage.

SBA Senate funds Gulf Recovery Network service trip to New Orleans

By Lauren Sforza and Nick Pasion
September 2, 2021
SA senators met in person for the first time since the start of the pandemic Monday night in the University Student Center's continental ballroom.

GW installs menstrual hygiene product dispensers across campus

By Lauren Sforza and Tara Suter
September 1, 2021
Carpenter said she is hoping to expand SafeRide and implement the U-Pass program.

SA leaders push for transportation, health service expansions over summer

By Lauren Sforza and Nick Pasion
August 30, 2021
Students walk by the Science and Engineering Hall Sunday as they prepare for the return of in-person classes.

Students resume in-person learning with relief, caution after online hiatus

By Lauren Sforza and Abby Kennedy
August 30, 2021
Ian Lam, who has served as an associate justice since May, said he would collaborate with the chief justice to handle the court's administrative tasks as part of his new role.

Student Court appoints new deputy chief justice

By Lauren Sforza
August 27, 2021
Students lobbied for the change in a series of meetings with the transportation office that spanned two months.

GW to provide free transportation to off-campus ROTC classes

By Lauren Sforza
August 23, 2021
Seven malpractice cases were filed in 2009 compared to five last year, according to court records.

Pentagon police officer taken to GW Hospital after Pentagon shooting

By Lauren Sforza
August 3, 2021

Student Court associate justice resigns, leaving vacancy behind

By Lauren Sforza
July 27, 2021
University spokeswoman Crystal Nosal said officials notified students about the reduced cost through their eBill.

Off-campus students can enter residence halls as guests with new policy

By Lauren Sforza and Abby Kennedy
July 16, 2021

GW Hillel opens new building after years of construction

By Lauren Sforza
July 15, 2021
The SA has now filled five of 14 seats that were vacant going into this summer, and the senate opened applications for the nine remaining seats last week in hopes of assembling a full senate by the start of the academic year.

SA Senate confirms four new graduate senators as vacancies drop to nine

By Lauren Sforza
June 30, 2021
The changes were part of a push to encourage more students to apply for vacant senate seats after no students applied for these school-specific positions during the past month.

SA Senate widens eligible application pool for vacant seats to all graduate students

By Lauren Sforza
June 17, 2021

School of Nursing creates scholarship fund in honor of late professor

By Lauren Sforza
June 10, 2021
The Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority’s proposed budget for fiscal year 2021 includes plans for higher fares during peak and later hours.

Metro launches virtual SmarTrip card for Android users through Google Pay

By Lauren Sforza
June 10, 2021
Students said LeBlanc's leadership style left them desiring more direct communication and feeling that administrators were prioritizing finances over student interests.

LeBlanc has neglected student interests throughout tenure, students leaders say

By Lauren Sforza and Abby Kennedy
May 24, 2021
Senators said the rise in funding will support more student organization events next year, when they anticipate more in-person activities returning to campus.

SA Senate approves funding increase for student organizations through October

By Lauren Sforza and Sejal Govindarao
May 19, 2021

Student Court confirms new chief justice, expands jurisdiction for upcoming term

By Lauren Sforza
May 17, 2021
The sociology department will partner with organizations like the Black Student Union and the Criminal Justice Student Association to hold events.

Academic misconduct cases rise at GW, nationwide following year of remote learning

By Lauren Sforza
May 17, 2021
Senators elected Catherine Morris as the president’s chief of staff and Zachary Nosanchuk as the senate's chief of staff to help manage the executive and legislative branches of the SA, respectively.

SA Senate selects chiefs of staff appointees for upcoming year

By Lauren Sforza
May 12, 2021
Experts said the norovirus can be susceptible to certain compounds like chlorine for disinfection but only to very high concentrations which are typically toxic and “corrosive” to surfaces.

Norovirus is resistant to common disinfection practices, SEAS research finds

By Lauren Sforza
May 9, 2021
Anthony Peltier | Photographer

SA Senate fills pro-tempore and committee chair positions for next academic year

By Lauren Sforza
April 28, 2021
Aborisade said he wanted to use “some” of the SA executive budget – which amounts to roughly $50,000 a year – to create an “online textbook pantry” for students to access their materials online.

SA funding rises for fall semester as student organizations anticipate in-person activities

By Lauren Sforza
April 26, 2021
Researchers created a “diversity index” to determine which ethnic and racial groups were underrepresented in 10 health care professions.

Educational barriers limit diversity in health care workforce, Milken study finds

By Lauren Sforza
April 19, 2021

Student Court dismisses former SA presidential candidate’s request for a runoff

By Makena Roberts and Lauren Sforza
April 15, 2021
SBA President-elect Jordan Michel, a second-year law student, said he hopes to lead the SBA with the same “transparency and accountability”  he expects from administrators.

SBA Senate confirms new members, passes more than 10 pieces of legislation

By Makena Roberts and Lauren Sforza
April 7, 2021
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