Vol-120-Iss-11

Monday, November 6, 2023 I Vol. 120 Iss. 11

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What’s inside Sports

The Hatchet brings you all you need to know about GW basketball this season.

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Muslim, Palestinian students call for support, report acts of Islamophobia LIYANA ILLYAS REPORTER

Muslim and Palestinian students have reported several instances of Islamophobia on campus since the outbreak of the Israel-Hamas war, calling on University administrators to provide protection and support they say has been lacking.

Students said they know of at least four instances of unknown people ripping hijabs off of students on campus since the outbreak of the Israel-Hamas war. Muslim students said they reported incidents of being spat on and confronted by students on campus to the Office for Diversity, Equity and Community Engagement and said messaging from officials has exacerbated their fears as cases of Islamophobia intensify in Foggy Bottom and across the country.

“These are real-world problems,” said junior Azza Abbas, a Muslim student.

“These are real-world people who are being hurt.”

University spokesperson Julia Metjian said the ODECE responds to bias reports

within 24 to 48 hours of their submissions. She said while individuals may not respond to ODECE’s responses, the office “remains committed to supporting Muslim, Jewish and all GW students.”

“As the war in Israel and Gaza has impacted our community, the Office for Diversity, Equity and Community Engagement has received bias reports from students who identify as Muslim,” Metjian said in an email.

“There have also been bias reports from Jewish community members.”

Metjian declined to state how many reports of Islamophobic incidents have been filed or how messaging from officials has affected student discourse and campus safety.

University President Ellen Granberg has released a series of statements on the Israel-Hamas war, and her Oct. 25 message said GW must “stand united against antisemitism and Islamophobia, as well as all forms of harassment, discrimination, and violence.”

See STUDENTS Page 8

Opinions

The editorial board argues that GW is both a benefit to and a burden on Foggy Bottom.

Page 9

Culture

A reopened women’s art museum highlights artists’ stories.

Page 10

Granberg inaugurated as 19th University president, urges campus unity in address CADE MCALLISTER EVENTS EDITOR

Leaders officially inaugurated University President Ellen Granberg as GW’s 19th president at a private event in the Smith Center on Friday.

Granberg urged the GW community to come together to celebrate its excellence and chart a new path forward during a 15-minute inaugural address delivered to about 200 faculty, staff, trustees, alumni and other invited guests. Granberg said students are continuing to excel academically despite war, “terrorism” and “immense human suffering” overseas and political polarization and misinformation in the United States.

“I know and I believe we all know that in the most difficult times are also the greatest seeds of opportunity,” Granberg said. “As I get to know our GW community and I learn more about our institution, I see a community already pursuing those opportunities.”

Granberg began her term as the University’s first female president July 1 after officials announced her selection in January. She replaced former interim University President Mark Wrighton, whose term expired at the end of June after he assumed the presidency in January 2021.

Granberg’s inauguration is the first since 17th University Presi-

COURTESY OF WILLIAM ATKINS/GW TODAY University President Ellen Granberg dons a velvet tam during her inauguration as GW’s 19th president.

dent Thomas LeBlanc’s in 2017.

LeBlanc, Wrighton and 15th and 16th University Presidents Stephen Joel Trachtenberg and Steven Knapp attended Granberg’s inauguration, along with Ward 2 D.C. Councilmember Brooke Pinto and Ward 3 Councilmember and GW alum Matt Frumin.

As Granberg spoke, about 40 pro-Palestinian demonstrators — including representatives from Students for Justice in Palestine, Jewish Voice For Peace, GW Black Defiance and GW Dissent-

ers — protested outside the Smith Center against GW’s response to the Israel-Hamas war, demanded officials release a statement condemning Israeli military action in the Gaza Strip. The protesters held banners reading “End the siege on Gaza” and “From the river to the sea” and chanted phrases like “Granberg you can’t hide, you’re complicit in genocide” and “GW you can’t hide, you are funding genocide.”

See GRANBERG Page 5

BASKETBALL GUIDE

T H E L A S T D A N C E

HATCHET FILE PHOTOS

Bishop returns to the court with sights set for the top of the A-10 BEN SPITALNY

CONTRIBUTING SPORTS EDITOR

James Bishop has already reserved his spot in the GW history books.

After three years with the program, the fifth-year senior guard is 12th in program history with 1,518 points. His performance last year, the first under Head Coach Chris Caputo, was the program’s most prolific since the 1999-2000 season, with Bishop scoring 691 total points and 21.6 points per game.

But Bishop doesn’t think he’s hit his ceiling. After spending the offseason in the weight room and film room, Bishop hopes he can use improved reads and basketball IQ to reach a higher level.

It’s this tenacity that makes Bishop such a successful player. Transferring from LSU following the

2019-20 season, he averaged 19.1 points per game as a sophomore during the COVID-shortened season. The next season saw a step back for Bishop, with his points per game decreasing to 16.7, while shooting a paltry 38.7 percent from a field.

In his senior year, the first under Caputo’s tutelage, Bishop finally broke out from a great player to a game-breaker. He averaged 21.6 points per game, not only good for first in the A-10 but 12th in the country.

Notably, he recorded 165 assists, embracing a playmaker role. He averaged 5.2 assists per game in the season, making him the first A-10 player since 2003 to record more than 20 points and five assists per game.

His 5.2 assists per game were good for third in the A-10 and 34th in the country.

Bishop’s play earned him First Team All-Conference honors, though he lost

the Player of the Year race to VCU guard Ace Baldwin Jr., who averaged 12.7 points and 5.8 assists per game.

On a team with 11 newcomers, Bishop has taken on a leadership role, providing a positive example to his teammates on and off the court.

“I think the guys look at me for leadership and the coaches, too,” Bishop said.

“So I definitely have been appointed a leader, and I’m just trying to do my best.”

The Revs have not finished with a winning record in his three years on the team, their best finish coming in last year’s 16-16 campaign when the team went 10-8 against A-10 opponents.

In his final season playing collegiate basketball, Bishop is eager to lead his team to more tangible success.

“The goal is always to win,” Bishop said.

Taiwo, leader on and off the court, enters final season

BEN SPITALNY

CONTRIBUTING SPORTS EDITOR

After a back-andforth final quarter against Duquesne, the score was knotted at 68 in the second round of the Atlantic 10 Championship.

Then-junior guard Asjah Inniss’ layup attempt fell short. Then-senior forward Mayowa Taiwo leapt for the rebound, bringing down the ball. She kept her eyes up and found graduate student guard Mia Lakstigala on the perimeter, who sunk the game-winning 3-pointer with just seconds left.

Taiwo, who is entering her fifth and final season, doesn’t light up the scoreboard with 7.4 points per game, but her impact on the court is immeasurable. This past season, she averaged 9.7 rebounds per game, good for third-highest in the A-10.

Last year alone, she collected

142 offensive rebounds, tied for fourth in the nation.

Last season, Taiwo’s play earned her a spot on the A-10 All-Defense Team.

This preseason, she earned the designation once again, along with a spot on the third-team All-A-10.

Taiwo was all over the court, scoring 10 points to go along with nine rebounds.

She dished three assists, connecting with Lakstigala on a 3-pointer, which brought GW to a 32-19 lead in the second quarter. The team’s defense, anchored by Taiwo, was on display that game, as they held the Patriots to just 39 points, their lowest figure of the season.

“Yeah, Mayowa was just constant for us,” McCombs said in a press conference after the game.

Games like these, a regular for Taiwo last season, were few and far between in prior years. A particularly rough stretch in the 2019

season, her first year playing, saw Taiwo shoot 5 for 29 over a five-game stretch in December, on top of committing eight turnovers. The team lost all five games.

Reflecting on her career at GW, Taiwo said her time with her team off the court is her favorite memory, naming the foreign tours in Europe and team dinners as specific core moments for her. In a visit to an October practice, it was clear how much of an impact she had on her teammates, and the mutual respect and admiration they all shared. When the team chanted “family” to end the practice, it wasn’t just team-speak but a testament to how close-knit the group was.

As for this season, Taiwo is trying not to focus on things outside of her control.

“I want to stay healthy and have fun,” Taiwo said.

“That’s a personal goal for me.”

THE GW HATCHET

November 6, 2023 • Page 2

BASKETBALL GUIDE SANDRA KORETZ SPORTS EDITOR

FILE PHOTO BY ERIN LEONE

At a midday Wednesday practice, sophomore guard Maximus Edwards was in full command of the court.

Standing at 6’5” and 215 pounds, Edwards is a big guard with an even bigger personality. After being named Atlantic 10 Rookie of the Year, GW’s first winner since 2000, Edwards is looking to build upon the strong start to his career while establishing himself as a leader heading into his sophomore season.

Hailing from Stratford, Connecticut, Edwards opted to redshirt his first year at Kansas State after being injured in the preseason. Edwards transferred GW the following offseason to play for Head Coach Chris Caputo and the Revolut iona ries while maintaini n g h i s

first year o f el igibili t y .

E d wards t a l lied 10.5 points per game to go along with 6.5

rebounds per game in his first season with the Revs.

In the offseason, Edwards said he focused on improving his shooting after making the third most 3-pointers on the team last year with 48. He shot 35.3 percent from beyond the arc and 43.4 percent from the field, both of which he said he hopes to raise in his second season with the Revs.

After an indisputably successful first season playing for Caputo, Edwards said he plans to step into a leadership role on the court following the departure of last year’s A-10 Most Improved Player Brendan Adams. With only three returning scholarship players, Edwards said he plans to be more involved with the coaching staff as well as being a positive role model for new players.

“I’m growing,” Edwards said. “I’m getting older, so I got to be a leader. Obviously, I’ll play a bigger role this year with BA [Brendan Adams] gone. I’ll help JB [James Bishop] offensively and just getting the guys all c on ne c t e d on defense.

So anything that coaches need me to do, I’m going to just go out there and do it.”

Edwards showed flashes of his potential last season, tying a GW record with 15 defensive boards during an 11-point, 16-rebound doubledouble against Richmond on

Feb. 8.

Edwards pulled down 6.5 rebounds per game last season, the secondhighest average on the team, and played 1,078 minutes, the third-most minutes on the team and the fourth-most by any freshman in the country.

Edwards looks to prioritize the game and the team and said personal achievements will follow.

“Game, team always come first, I just want us to win, I want us to be a better version of ourselves,” Edwards said.

“And just keep stacking daily and better every day, the personal goals will come. And I’m going to be grateful for whatever goals I do achieve this year.”

Fifth-year senior guard James Bishop said Edwards is growing into a larger role by being more vocal on the court than he was last year as the squad prepares for the upcoming season.

“It’s been great just watching him grow,” Bishop said. “From being a freshman to now being a sophomore, you could just see the steps he’s taking to mature and be that leader for us, being more vocal and things like that, so it’s been great to watch as well.”

As well as being named Rookie of the Year, Edwards was also named Rookie of the Week five times and started 27 out of the 32 games he played in.

“From my first year and getting Rookie of the Year, I know I’m very blessed and grateful,” Edwards said. “So that’s definitely a chip on my shoulder. It just shows that obviously, I could do damage in this league.”

Transfer forward looks to build on career in lone year with GW MARGOT DIAMOND REPORTER

Graduate student forward and transfer Maren Durant traded in her red and white Boston University jersey for a buff and blue one and has been practicing since June with the rest of the women’s basketball team in preparation for her first season.

Durant built an impressive resume during her time at Boston University, becoming the first BU women’s basketball player to earn conference honors three times as well as tying the program’s all-time career field goal percentage record and finishing second in career blocks with 172.

In her senior year with the Terriers, she was named the Patriot League’s inaugural Preseason Defensive Player of the Year and finished the season second on the team with eight rebounds per game, 1.47 blocks per game and a .524 field goal percentage.

Wanting to continue pursuing higher education after graduation while playing basketball, Durant chose GW. Durant was always tall growing up and her father encouraged her to start playing basketball in her hometown of Winchester, Massachusetts, in the third grade.

Durant, who now stands at 6’3”, uses her height, along with her strong, physical playing style, to dominate her opponents down low.

Physicality aside, Durant holds a deep passion for basketball and continues to carry it over from her previous program into her new one.

“Both have been really loving, passionate groups of people who just want to compete and play basketball,” Durant said of BU and GW. “So I was happy that carried over from my last

experience.”

Head Coach Caroline McCombs said the addition of Durant to the team this season and the skillset she brings from her time playing for the Terriers will benefit her squad through her years of strong defensive experience and ability to dominate the court with her presence.

“She runs the floor extremely well, McCombs said. “She’s got great length, and so is able to protect the rim. So we’re really excited about Maren.”

Durant’s defensive prowess is expected to pair nicely with the dominance of graduate student forward Mayowa Taiwo, who earned A-10 all-defense honors last season. Taiwo, who averaged 9.7 rebounds per game last season, was the cornerstone of GW’s system, anchoring the Revs on defense while bullying smaller defenders for easy scores on the other end of the floor.

McCombs said she is excited to see Durant and Taiwo partner up, as both have a strong paint presence.

“I think that’s a really good dynamic situation for us to have, right?”

McCombs said. “Mayowa will probably allow her to score a little bit more against a smaller player versus just the other team center that she’s usually been matched up and allow her to get rebounds.”

Durant has been finding her groove as a Rev since the summer and said she has enjoyed acclimating herself to the GW community with her teammates through team bonding and traveling.

The team traveled around Europe for 10 days this past summer, where they served as ambassadors for the University and the sport of basketball, playing

several games against European teams while bonding and sharing new experiences together as a team.

“Being with this new group has been awesome,” Durant said. “Everyone has welcomed me with open arms even though, I mean, I’ve only been here since June. But I feel like I’ve known this team for much longer than that. I’d say definite highlight so far has been our foreign tour to Italy and Greece. I mean, that’s just a once-in-a-lifetime experience.”

While the Revs welcome Durant as well as graduate student guard Madison Buford, they also return the majority of last year’s core, with graduate student guard Nya Lok, graduate student guard Essence Brown, senior guard Asjah Inniss and graduate student forward Faith Blethen all returning to the squad. These returners have a history of being dynamic contributors, and the addition of Durant to the squad adds a formidable front court presence to an already deep and exper i-

enced GW team that will be on a mission to make noise in March.

Season preview Menʼs basketball 2023-24 season preview

Womenʼs basketball 2023-24 season preview

CARRIE MCGUINNESS

ADRIANO GRASSI

PETER HARRELL

KRISTI WIDJAJA

The men’s basketball team is gearing up to hit the ground running in its second season with Head Coach Chris Caputo at the helm. His first season with the Revs saw the squad attain their best record since the 2016-2017 campaign, finishing 16-16 and 10-8 in Atlantic 10 Conference play.

GW was the highestscoring team in the A-10 last season, averaging 76.3 points per game. Conversely, they also allowed the most points per game, at 76.7, over four points more than second-worst La Salle, who gave up an average of 72.6. The team started hot in conference play, climbing to as high as fourth in the standings in late January, although the team’s porous defense led to a stretch in which they lost five of six games.

The A-10 tournament saw the seventh-seeded Revs get eliminated in the second round — GW’s first game after earning a firstround bye — by 10th-seeded Saint Joseph’s. The team retained two key contributors, senior guard James Bishop who is returning for his final year of NCAA eligibility, and sophomore guard Maximus Edwards, the reigning A-10 Rookie of the Year.

Bishop is coming off a stellar season in which he averaged 21.6 points per game and 5.2 assists per game, was named to the A-10 All-Conference First Team and scored the thirdmost points in a season in

After their best season since 2018, women’s basketball is looking to build on their success as four of five starters plus A-10 sixth woman of the year, Nya Robertson, return to the team.

The Revolutionaries finished the 2022-23 season with an 18-13 record, including going 9-7 against Atlantic 10 conference opponents.

The Revs finished seventh in the A-10 and made it to the A-10 tournament quarterfinals after beating 10th-seeded Duquesne in the second round, their first game after a bye. However, they lost to second-seeded Rhode Island, 56-68, in the quarterfinals as the Revs trailed by double-digits throughout the game.

Robertson exploded onto the scene last season, dropping 27 points against Howard in what was only her third collegiate game.

As a freshman, she led the Revolutionaries in scoring with 14.4 points per game — the eighth-highest pergame average in the A-10 — in her role as the team’s sixth woman. Robertson received the A-10 sixth woman of the year award and was also named to the A-10 all-rookie team. This season, Robertson said she wants to improve both as an individual and as a team player in her second year.

“I see myself growing on both sides of the court, just being there for my teammates, up and in to improve our game, and we

REPORTER

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LUCAS CABRERA HACHÉ | STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER The men’s basketball team huddles with coaches during a practice this semester.

program history with 691.

While Edwards’ first season at GW saw him average an impressive 10.5 points per game, 6.5 rebounds per game and 1.4 assists per game, Caputo said he is looking for improvement from the sophomore in his second season.

“He’s worked really hard to get in great shape and to be more detailed about some things,” Caputo said.

Notably, the team lost guard Brendan Adams, who in his graduate student season finished second on the team averaging 17.1 points per game. His departure, along with other key contributors like forward Ricky Lindo Jr., leaves a gap that the team looks to fill with several new additions.

Graduate student center Babatunde “Stretch” Akingbola was a key transfer portal addition for the Revs after spending four years at Auburn University. Akingbola averaged 1.1 points per game in his time as a Tiger in addition to serving on the SEC Basketball Leadership Council his junior and senior seasons. Akingbola,

who was born in Nigeria, is one of four international student-athletes on this year’s roster.

Hailing from Munich, Germany, sophomore guard and forward Benny Schröder is another international addition to this year’s team. Schröder spent his freshman year at the University of Oklahoma, where he appeared in six games in which he averaged 2.3 points per game.

The 6’7” sophomore previously played for Bayern Munich’s U16 team and won three championships with the squad.

DMV native Garrett Johnson is aiming to play his first full season since his junior year of high school after injuries and a benign tumor sidelined him, causing him to miss his senior year at Episcopal High School and freshman year at Princeton University. Listed at 6’8” and 210 pounds, the redshirt freshman will play both guard and forward for the Revs.

The Revolutionaries will tip off their season Nov. 6 in the Smith Center against Stonehill College at 8 p.m.

JORDAN YEE | STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER The women’s basketball team lines up at the baseline during a practice last month.

better win,” said Robertson.

Head Coach Caroline McCombs said Robertson will continue to be a critical cog in the team’s offensive engine as she adapts to the new challenges she will encounter this season.

“She has a bull’s-eye on her back, people know who she is,” McCombs said.

“She’s gonna be guarded, probably, by the other team’s best defenders. She’s going to get her shots within the flow of our offense, so I think just that growth and understanding will challenge her to be a better defender as well every day.”

Leading the frontcourt, and one of the keys to the Revolutionaries’ success last season, is defensive stalwart Taiwo. Last season, Taiwo averaged 7.9 points per game and 9.7 rebounds while starting in all 31 regular season and postseason games. She was named to the A-10 All-Defensive Team for the first time last year, finishing fourth in the A-10 with 301 rebounds.

While the Revs brought back the majority of last year’s core, they were far

from complacent in the offseason. McCombs and her staff used the transfer portal to shore up the squad’s depth as well as their frontcourt, welcoming two transfer graduate students, guard Madison Buford from Hampton University and forward Maren Durant from Boston University.

Buford started 227 out of 55 games last season for the Pirates, collecting 9.2 points and 3.6 rebounds per game.

Durant was the first player in Boston University women’s basketball history to be named to the Patriot League All-Defensive team three times. She started 86 of 108 games and tied for the program’s all-time highest field goal percentage, hitting 56.1 percent of her shots over her four years with the Terriers. She also recorded 172 blocks in her four years with the Terriers, which is second all-time, along with 832 rebounds, good for fourth all-time.

The Revs suit up for their first game against cross-district rival Howard Bison on Nov. 6 at 5 p.m. at the Smith Center.

JORDAN YEE | STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

A-10 Rookie of the Year looks to build on freshman season

THE GW HATCHET

November 6, 2023 • Page 3

BASKETBALL GUIDE

AN NGO | GRAPHICS EDITOR

First Ladies find camaraderie, community on the hardwood BEN SPITALNY

CONTRIBUTING SPORTS EDITOR

SANDRA KORETZ SPORTS EDITOR

From Betty Ford to Michelle Obama, first ladies have historically heel turned and hip twisted on the shiny floors of Congressional balls and the East Room. But GW’s First Ladies have traded in the ballroom floor for the waxy Smith Center hardwood, finding their spotlight as the Revolutionaries’ dance team.

At home games they are a constant, cheering on both the men’s and women’s basketball teams from the sidelines in addition to performing at halftime.

All 17 First Ladies have previous dance experience across a variety of genres, a foundation some dancers said helped them adjust to dancing at the collegiate level.

Junior Ana Arledge, who is entering her third year on the team, has been dancing since she was little. As she’s gotten older and more experienced, she said she has experimented with different styles like ballet, hip-hop, contemporary and more.

Arledge said First Ladies routines focus on jazz while occasionally incorporating hip-hop.

“First Ladies is primarily jazz,” Arledge said. “And then we have some hip-hop routines, but it’s primarily jazz.”

Sophomore Kate Amistoso, who also manages the

BRIA RODE | PHOTOGRAPHER The 2023-24 First Ladies team poses in the Lerner Health and Wellness Center.

team’s TikTok account, was a member of her high school’s pom team and was formally trained in dance while growing up in California.

“I have a studio background in being formally trained in jazz, hip-hop, tap, lyrical, contemporary and ballet,” Amistoso said.

In addition to their rigorous practice routine, team members said the squad serves as a home base while fostering a sense of community, especially for younger dancers.

“I’m from California, and so traveling all the way to the other side of the country for school was a little bit daunting at first,” Amistoso said.

“But to have a team on campus and like a little family for me to just get used to the community here, it’s helped me really transition from high school to college but then also

just get to know GW better.”

While the team has established a system of support amongst each other, some dancers said a lack of access to some student-athlete perks can make time management challenging.

“I think I think the hardest thing for us is the class registration because we do have set practice times that we have every week for the whole year or until March,” senior co-captain Olivia Fergusonsaid. “So it’s hard that we can’t get priority for that when we have a set schedule just like other athletes do.”

Despite such obstacles, Ferguson said the team has continued to grow.

“Honestly, I think the team just gets better every year,” Ferguson said. “We have stronger and stronger dancers who want to come out.”

GRAPHIC BY NICHOLAS ANASTACIO

AN NGO | GRAPHICS EDITOR

NEWS

November 6, 2023 • Page 4

News

THE GW HATCHET

THIS WEEK’S

EVENTS

WOMEN IN SPORTS PANEL

Monday, Nov. 6 | 6 p.m. | Duques Hall Attend a conversation with a panel of sports professionals hosted by the Sports Business Association and GW Women in Business.

THIS WEEK IN HISTORY Nov. 6, 1980

ACCESS TO REPRODUCTIVE HEALTHCARE IN THE POST-DOBBS U.S.

Friday, Nov. 10 | 4:30 p.m. | Hall of Government Join a panel featuring a reproductive rights attorney, an abortion doula and a student researcher as they discuss the shifting landscape of abortion rights.

Students on campus grappled with the news of Ronald Reagan’s presidential win, saying they were frightened and saw Reagan as dangerous to the country.

Students say posters depicting Israeli hostages torn down in GW Hillel building ERIKA FILTER NEWS EDITOR

Students said more than a dozen posters depicting Israeli hostages appear to have been torn down inside the GW Hillel building Friday.

Noah Shapiro, the director of first-year experience with GW Hillel, said he found the posters had been removed from the building’s first-floor glass windows when he arrived at about 5:15 p.m. He said earlier in the afternoon, there was an approximately 45-minute long period when no one was staffing the front desk, meaning no one saw who took down the posters.

“Someone got in somehow,” Shapiro said. “They might have tapped in and just came in while no one was here.”

It was not immediately clear who tore down the posters.

University spokesperson Julia Metjian said the GW Police Department is working with the Metropolitan Police Department to investigate reports of the posters’ removal.

The posters, which people around the country have hung on college campuses and sidewalks, depict photos of Israelis who were reportedly taken hostage

by Hamas during the militant group’s Oct. 7 attack.

GW Hillel posted a photo of

some of the posters on Oct. 19, each saying “KIDNAPPED” with the name of an Israeli person, from as young as 3 years old to as old as 62. Hillel’s posters were located on the windows facing H and 23rd streets.

Anti-Israel activists have torn down posters on college campuses and cities nationwide, including at the University of Southern California and George Mason University.

The windows of the Hillel building facing H Street still had blue tape on the inside where the posters originally were. Posters on Hillel’s inner wall remained intact.

GW Hillel was set to host an “unplugged” Shabbat dinner for students at 7:15 p.m. Friday, offering meditation services before the dinner at 6:30 p.m. Hillel continued the night’s programming.

Officials bolstered security measures around campus this weekend due to “heightened” safety concerns related to planned activism around the District. From Friday through Monday, all buildings on the Foggy Bottom campus require GWorld for access, and the GW Police Department increased its patrols on campus.

Alana Mondschein — the copresident of the Jewish Student Association, which often part-

FILE PHOTO BY PHEBE GROSSER

The GW Hillel building on the corner of 23rd and H streets in August 2021.

ners with Hillel — said the posters Hillel put up for a speaker event Monday remained intact.

Shapiro said the person tore down the posters and left. He said GWPD officers arrived by

about 5:45 p.m. and are investigating.

“They were here almost immediately,” Shapiro said.

He said because no one saw the person enter, they do not

know whether the person used a GWorld card to access the building.

“No one was here to stop anyone from doing something like that,” Shapiro said.

Tens of thousands march to call for cease-fire, demand end to US aid to Israel CADE MCALLISTER EVENTS EDITOR

ERIKA FILTER NEWS EDITOR

HANNAH MARR

ASSISTANT NEWS EDITOR

Tens of thousands of protesters gathered in Freedom Plaza Saturday calling for a cease-fire in the Gaza Strip.

Both local protesters and people visiting from cities like Boston, New York and Chicago gathered, chanted and listened to speeches calling for the liberation of Palestine and an end to American aid to Israel. Protesters marched to the White House, calling on President Joe Biden to push for a ceasefire in Gaza following Israel’s continued airstrikes and the siege on Gaza City as the United States calls for a “humanitarian pause.”

Pro-Palestinian demonstrators simultaneously marched Saturday in cities like Milan, Paris and Berlin.

The D.C. protest began at 2 p.m. in Freedom Plaza and featured roughly three hours of speakers from numerous advocacy groups before protesters joined those who had already left before the speeches concluded to march to the White House. Protesters marched from Freedom Plaza, up to McPherson Square and toward the Farragut North Metro stop before looping down to the White House.

Metropolitan Police Department officers closed the nearby streets and followed the march on bicycles, with an MPD-operated helicop-

ter circling Freedom Plaza throughout the event.

Banners throughout the demonstration read “Israel is committing genocide with our tax money” and “Stop U.S. aid for Palestinian genocide.” Protesters carried three coffins with Palestinian flags draped over them to symbolize the loss of Palestinian life in Gaza.

Multiple rabbis wearing shtreimel — a fur hat worn by some Jewish men on Jewish holidays and other occasions — held signs that read “Authentic Rabbis always opposed Zionism and the State of Israel,” and “Judaism condemns the State of ‘Israel’ and its atrocities.”

Muslim protesters stopped to do daily prayers throughout the rally, unfurling mats at nearby quiet areas. Other protesters banged drums, blew whistles and chanted “Free, free Palestine,” “Cease-fire now,” “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free,” “The people united will never be divided” and criticizing Biden’s role in “genocide.”

Israel declared war on Hamas — a Palestinian militant group that rules over Gaza which the United States and European Union consider a terrorist organization — on Oct. 8, the day after Hamas launched a surprise attack on Israelis on a Jewish holiday.

As of Sunday, at least 9,770 Palestinians have been killed — including 4,000 children — according to Gaza’s Hamas-run Health Ministry.

Biden and Secretary of State Antony Blinken urged

Israeli leaders to implement “humanitarian pauses” on military action in Gaza, but human rights advocates have said they are inadequate to stop the devastation in Gaza, where the United Nations has expressed concern over the Israeli military’s possible war crimes.

Biden said the U.S. will still support Israel.

“In America, I feel guilty enough that our tax dollars is funding the genocide,” said Sarah Abunaser, a student at the University of Illinois Chicago. “Hopefully we can be loud enough that they can end the financial aid.”

The House passed a bill Thursday approving $14.5 billion in military aid for Israel. The U.S. provides $3.8 billion annually in military assistance to Israel from a plan that began in 2016.

Abunaser, who is Palestinian and has family in Gaza, said she traveled to D.C. to attend the protest after hearing about it on social media through organizations like Students for Justice in Palestine. She said she hopes protesters can make their voices loud enough to petition the U.S. government to stop leaders from funding the Israeli government.

Abunaser said it means “a lot” that there are so many people that are opening their eyes and understanding what is happening in the world. She said she has noticed that there has been a rise in Islamophobia and hate crimes since the Israel-Hamas war broke out, similar to the rise in Islamo-

SAGE RUSSELL | ASSISTANT PHOTO EDITOR A sea of pro-Palestinian protesters flooded Freedom Plaza on Saturday to call for a cease-fire in the Gaza Strip.

phobia after the 9/11 attacks.

Abunaser said she was taking public transportation in Chicago when she was approached by someone in the military who told her that she was a terrorist.

She said she was also on a bus one time wearing proPalestinian insignia when she was approached by someone who said they disapproved of the message on her clothes.

“It’s been a little uncomfortable, especially wearing a hijab, or if I wear my hatta,” Abunaser said.

Lyndsi H., a protester from D.C. who declined to give her last name, said as a mother of a 10-month-old it’s disturbing seeing images from Gaza of parents carrying their children in

body bags. She said she can’t understand how people use holy books as justifications for Israel occupying Gaza, like when Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu used the Bible last week to justify their attacks.

“I don’t understand how people can just go by and Zionists can continue to say that it’s okay, that it’s okay to keep a genocide going,” Lyndsi said, choking back tears. “These people have been under occupation for 75 years.”

Lyndsi, who is half-Black and half-white, said she sees similarities between the struggles of Palestinians and Black people and that she is protesting because “liberation for one is liberation for all.” She said she is

tired of the U.S. funding Israel when government officials fail to fund solutions to domestic issues, like canceling student debt.

“This is not the world that I want my daughter to grow up in,” Lyndsi said.

Samira El-Amin, a student at Howard University, said she attended the protest because of the grief she feels for Palestinians in Gaza and to become more educated on the conflict in the region.

She said she has joined previous movements like Black Lives Matter because she is an advocate for collective liberation and hopes people would do the same for her.

“If I want people to stand for my community, I need to do the same for other people,” El-Amin said.

IMAGES FROM THE MARCH

SAGE RUSSELL | ASSISTANT PHOTO EDITOR

KAIDEN YU | PHOTOGRAPHER

NEWS

November 6, 2023 • Page 5

Pro-Palestinian students protest outside Granberg inauguration

THE GW HATCHET

Granberg highlights healing in investiture ceremony

FIONA RILEY

From Page 1

ASSISTANT NEWS EDITOR

RACHEL MOON

CONTRIBUTING NEWS EDITOR

Students gathered outside of the Smith Center on Friday to protest GW’s response to the Israel-Hamas war and demand officials release a statement condemning the Israeli military’s action in the Gaza Strip as Ellen Granberg officially became the University’s 19th president inside the building.

About 40 pro-Palestinian demonstrators, including representatives from a dozen student organizations, gathered in Kogan Plaza on Friday morning and marched through campus, ending their route at the Smith Center where Granberg’s inauguration ceremony was underway.

Representatives from the organizations Students for Justice in Palestine, Jewish Voice For Peace, Black Defiance and GW Dissenters called for the University to retract all their statements on the war, condemn Israeli military action in the Gaza Strip and cut GW’s financial ties with Palestinian “genocide.”

“It is our duty to speak for those dead and alive in Gaza,” one demonstrator in Kogan Plaza said during the beginning of the demonstration. “It is our duty to speak for all those whose homes have been raided in the West Bank.”

Officials moved Granberg’s Friday investiture ceremony to a virtual format Wednesday and closed the event to the public in response to growing local and international unrest following the Israeli military’s escalating offensive in Gaza and upcoming protests in D.C. Officials also canceled or postponed other inauguration ceremonies scheduled for the weekend and increased the

DANIEL HEUER | PHOTOGRAPHER Students stretch a banner calling on officials to condemn Israeli military offensives in the Gaza Strip.

presence of GW Police Department officers and security guards on campus, requiring GWorld tap access to enter all Foggy Bottom Campus buildings from Friday to Monday.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Thursday that the Israeli military will continue its ground advancement into Gaza after he moved the army into its second phase of military operations last week. As of Friday, more than 9,000 Palestinians have been killed — the majority women and children — according to Gaza’s Hamas-run Health Ministry.

Demonstrators gathered in Kogan at 11 a.m. amid a heavy police presence, with many protesters wearing keffiyehs and face masks and others holding signs and banging sticks on pots and pans. Speakers told the demonstrators not to speak with the media and none of the speakers gave their names, as proPalestinian protesters have been under threats of harassment and doxing.

GWPD and Metropolitan Police Department officers convened in Kogan and a block away near the

Smith Center as the group arrived, with some officers on foot and others on bicycles.

While demonstrators made a round of speeches with a megaphone in Kogan Plaza, protesters brought out two banners, one reading “End the siege on Gaza” and another that read “From the River to the Sea.” The group of demonstrators marched east down H Street after putting away the “From the River to the Sea” banner, chanting phrases like “Granberg you can’t hide, you’re complicit in genocide,” “GW you can’t hide, you are funding genocide” and “No justice, no peace.”

At least two GWPD cars tailed the crowd as protesters took to the street, with other officers flanking the demonstrators on foot and bike.

The crowd turned right on 21st Street and then headed west on G Street, circling the Smith Center once before making their final stop in the middle of G Street, chanting while facing toward the Smith Center. At least eight MPD cars and one GWPD vehicle blocked off traffic from the intersection,

while many officers on foot guarded the Smith Center.

A demonstrator who spoke before the crowd in front of the Smith Center said representatives from SJP chapters at American, George Mason and Georgetown universities and the University of Maryland were present at the demonstration, along with other GW student organizations including JVP, Black Defiance, Students Against Imperialism, the Armenian Students Association, GW Dissenters, the Indian Students Association and the Pakistani Students Association.

The protester said the group would be on the street every week to voice their demands. They said though the University will try to wait them out, protesters will continue to organize for their demands.

“We are here to make it clear that every single day, from now to Granberg’s inauguration to the end of her f*cking term, that we will be here on the streets demanding that she divest and that she end all financial ties between this University and the Israeli occupation of Palestine,” the demonstrator said.

Granberg highlighted GW’s co-leading of the new National Science Foundation Artificial Intelligence Institute and the creation of the Global Food Institute as ways the University is seeking solutions to global problems. She said officials will announce a “revolutionary next step” for students and faculty to develop innovative research, advocacy and coursework in sustainability in the coming days.

Officials moved Granberg’s inauguration to a virtual format for most guests following “heightened” safety concerns due to growing international and local unrest about the Israel-Hamas war and planned protests in D.C., according to an update to the inauguration schedule. Granberg’s investiture ceremony was moved online with restricted in-person access, while all other inauguration events were canceled or postponed.

Granberg said students and faculty are working to combat hate and deepen the collective understanding of world events that “stoke passions and beliefs.”

“Despite the news-grabbing headlines, our community has come together to create powerful spaces for healing, discussion and productive engagement,” Granberg said.

Granberg said GW — whose tuition rose 4.2 percent to $64,700 this academic year — is “no exception” to the national rise in the cost of education. She said she is committed to “do more” than the University’s existing financial aid offerings.

“We cannot create the next generation of Revolutionaries if they don’t have reasonable access and opportunity to come to GW, stay at GW and graduate from GW with the skills and experiences they need to tackle grand challenges on a global scale,” Granberg said.

The roughly 90-minute ceremony featured short

speeches from students, faculty, alumni and staff representatives officially welcoming Granberg to the University.

Cantor for the Congregation Shaar Hashomayim Gideon Zelermyer led the University Singers in singing “L’dor Vador” — a Hebrew song about the connection between generations — and said his father, rabbi Gerald Zelermyer, delivered the invocation at Trachtenberg’s inauguration in 1988. He said every Jewish person affiliated with the University is “deeply shaken and saddened” by what he called displays of antisemitism on campus and asked University officials to ensure the safety of Jewish students.

“The Jewish students of GW feel unsafe, and it is your responsibility to protect them,” Zelermyer said. “This seems a simple test, yet across the country administrators on numerous campuses are failing.”

Last Tuesday, four students from GW SJP projected 10 messages onto Gelman Library, including “End the siege on Gaza,” “Free Palestine from the river to the sea,” “Glory to our martyrs,” “Your tuition is funding genocide in Gaza” and “President Granberg is complicit in genocide in Gaza.” After about two hours of projecting, officials and two GW Police Department officers shut down the demonstration, which Granberg decried as antisemitic in a statement the following day.

Grace Speights, the chair of the Board of Trustees, said choosing a president is the Board’s most important decision. The Board’s presidential search committee of trustees, faculty, students and alumni assisted the Board in the 18-month process of winnowing the field of candidates during Wrighton’s tenure.

She said Granberg met the Board’s desire for a leader who understood the University’s “aspirations.”

“We needed a leader who could unite the GW community and inspire us to raise higher together,” Speights said.

Alumni call on Granberg to form antisemitism action plan IANNE SALVOSA NEWS EDITOR

TYLER IGLESIAS REPORTER

Alumni called on University President Ellen Granberg to formulate a plan for combating antisemitism at GW in a letter signed by more than 1,000 graduates.

The letter, which garnered 1,114 signatures before alumni sent it to Granberg on Friday, states that officials should launch an investigation into the antiIsrael messages projected onto Gelman Library last month and form a “clear plan” for how faculty and University leadership will combat antisemitism, including procedures on how to report and handle instances of hate speech. Some alumni said they are ceasing donations and refusing to hire GW students until the University further communicates on how officials will combat antisemitism.

A University spokesperson did not immediately return a request for comment

regarding the petition and the impact of the SJP projections and the University’s subsequent response on alumni donations.

Four students of the Students for Justice Palestine projected statements onto the library on the evening of Oct. 24, including “End the siege on Gaza,” “Free Palestine from the river to the sea,” “Glory to our martyrs,” “Your tuition is funding genocide in Gaza” and “President Granberg is complicit in genocide in Gaza.”

The projections, which criticized GW’s response to the Israel-Hamas war, sparked outcry online from groups combating antisemitism and alumni in the House of Representatives, who demanded an investigation into the students involved.

The alumni said incidents at GW before the SJP projections, like the desecration of a Torah in the Tau Kappa Epsilon house and antisemitism allegations against professor Lara Sheehi, did not receive adequate attention from the administration.

“As alumni, we acknowl-

edge that we remained silent for too long, trusting that the university would address these acts of hate more seriously,” the petition states.

TKE members reported their townhouse vandalized and a Torah scroll desecrated in November 2021 and GW Police Department officers increased patrols in the area following the incident.

Officials hired Crowell & Moring to investigate antisemitism allegations against Sheehi after StandWithUs, a Jewish and pro-Israel advocacy organization, filed a complaint with the Office of Civil Rights alleging that Sheehi created a “hostile environment” for Jewish and Israeli students. That investigation found “no evidence” of discrimination against Jewish and Israeli students in Sheehi’s course.

Graduates and community members online also threatened on social media to cease donations following SJP’s projections, alleging that projected messages were antisemitic and urging officials to expel the students involved.

JAMES SCHAAP | PHOTOGRAPHER

PHOTO ILLUSTRATION BY AUDEN YURMAN | SENIOR PHOTO EDITOR The letter, signed by 1,114 alumni, urged officials to launch an investigation into anti-Israel messages projected onto the side of Gelman Library in October.

Alum Andrea Russin, a 2006 graduate, said she donated to the University in the past because of her “love” for GW. Russin said she left a voicemail to Granberg’s office after the SJP projections but was disappointed to not

receive a response, saying officials have done a poor job communicating and listening to alumni.

She said GW’s initial release following the SJP projection was “unacceptable” because it did not explicitly

address antisemitism.

The release states that the projections do not reflect the views of the University and officials will take “any appropriate steps” regarding the protesters involved, per GW’s policies.

SAGE RUSSELL | ASSISTANT PHOTO EDITOR

NEWS

November 6, 2023 • Page 6

THE GW HATCHET

Friends, community members remember graduate student killed in bicycle accident ERIKA FILTER

CRIME LOG DRUG LAW VIOLATION

NEWS EDITOR

District House 10/30/2023 – 11:03 p.m.

Closed Case GW Police Department officers responded to a report by the administrator on call of two female students possessing contraband, which they handed over to officers for processing.

MAX PORTER

CONTRIBUTING NEWS EDITOR

Nijad Huseynov, an Azerbaijani graduate student at GW and ADA University in Azerbaijan, died Oct. 21 from injuries sustained in a bicycle collision. He was 24.

Huseynov, who was studying computer science and data analytics through a dual degree program at GW and ADA University, died late last month following four days in the hospital after the driver of a car struck him while he was cycling through the intersection of Connecticut Avenue and L Street. Friends and faculty remember Huseynov as a diligent, selfless student who wanted the best for his friends.

Elshan Naghizade, a student in the dual degree program between GW and ADA University, said he was roommates with Huseynov after they moved to the United States in July and took online computer science and analytics courses through GW starting in fall 2022.

“He was so happy,” Naghizade said. “He loves America. And he was trying to learn as much as possible here, just sort of bring all that value back home.”

Naghizade said Huseynov was a “meticulously diligent” person who wanted to work for Amazon or Google and excelled in programming, winning more than a dozen awards from programming competitions during his undergraduate years in Azerbaijan.

Huseynov, whom he called selfless, always pushed him to study more and not procrastinate, he said.

“He was shy, but once you get to know him, you see that heart of gold,” Naghizade said.

Naghizade said he and friends were riding bikes with Huseynov the night he was killed. He said Huseynov rode about 20 minutes ahead of them on an electric bike and that they didn’t think it was him when they passed the accident scene, only discovering it was him later that night when he did not return home. They visited him in an intensive care unit after calling local hospitals.

“We found him in the ICU,” Naghizade said. “It turns out it was him.”

He said Huseynov was diligent and managed to get into Baku Engineering University as an undergraduate — a top university in the country — and graduated at the top of his class.

Naghizade said Huseynov was from a small, remote village in western Azerbaijan and always tried to provide for his family.

“Now that he’s gone, we’re reminded of him,” Naghizade said. “Every single moment, whenever we’re in class, outside or talking to each other.

Referred to the Division for Student Affairs.

THEFT II/FROM BUILDING, CREDIT CARD FRAUD

Lerner Health and Wellness Center 10/30/2023 – 6 to 7:15 p.m.

Open Case A male student reported his wallet stolen from an unsecured locker and incurred fraudulent purchases to his bank account.

Case open.

THEFT II/FROM BUILDING COURTESY OF ALI ASGAROV Nijad Huseynov stands in front of the Google headquarters in California, a company he had hoped to one day work for.

We’re reminded of those fond memories we have.”

Ali Asgarov, another student in the dual degree program, said Huseynov was a role model who did his best in school and wanted the best for his friends. He said the memories he made with Huseynov in the last three to four months in the District will be with him for the rest of his life.

“He proved that the quality of friendship is not measured with time,” Asgarov said.

Asgarov said Huseynov didn’t like wasting time and was constantly preparing himself for the computer science industry, reading academic papers and always thinking about related topics.

“All the time he was doing something which can be helpful for him while working in the industry in the future,” Asgarov said.

Asgarov said he loved playing soccer with Huseynov after long days in class and that the two explored D.C. together. He said he went on a trip with Huseynov to the West Coast, and Huseynov drove him and his friends to locations including Las Vegas, the Grand Canyon, Los Angeles and San Francisco. He said they were planning a trip to New York and Boston for Thanksgiving break.

“He was a really good friend,” Asgarov said. “Time to time, I think about why, in this world, we have this kind of person.”

Amrinder Arora, an associate professor of computer science, said he taught Huseynov over Zoom last spring and noticed he regularly turned on his camera, which not all students did. He said Huseynov was a good student who earned a high grade in the course.

Arora, who directed the ADA University dual degree program between

2021 and 2022, said the two-year program gives students master’s degrees from ADA University and GW. He said Huseynov, like other students, asked about paths forward in the artificial intelligence field, with many students expressing interest in large firms like OpenAI and Google.

“When I heard the news, it was obviously shocking that somebody with so much promise, and that accident had occurred,” Arora said.

More than 20 attendees gathered Wednesday at the intersection of L Street and Connecticut Avenue to install a ghost bike memorial for Huseynov. DC Families for Safe Streets, a volunteer organization advocating for safer modes of transportation and supporting the families of crash victims, organized the installation.

Attendees formed a line with their bikes in the crosswalks on eastbound L Street and southbound Connecticut Avenue, blocking traffic for four minutes to chain the white-painted bike to the median of Connecticut Avenue. Group members held signs that explained they blocked the streets for one minute for each day Huseynov was in the hospital.

A delivery driver exited his vehicle and began tugging on one group member’s bike, telling them to clear the road amidst a cacophony of horns.

The cyclists, mostly silent, continued to block the road.

Sam Nubile, a sophomore studying criminal justice, brought white flowers for the memorial, securing them to the ghost bike’s frame with a Velcro tie. He said Huseynov was a friend of a friend.

Nubile said he has been hit while cycling twice in the District, once in 2021 and again two months ago.

“It’s not safe passage here,” Nubile said. “I cycle every day, it easily could have been me.”

Mitchell Hall (7-Eleven Store) 10/30/2023 – 10:45 p.m.

Closed Case GWPD officers responded to a report that a male subject entered the store and stole several items. Officers made contact with the subject, issued a bar notice and escorted him off the property.

Subject barred.

UNLAWFUL ENTRY

JBKO Hall 10/30/2023 – 10:47 p.m.

Closed Case GWPD officers responded to a report of a male subject asleep in the laundry room.

Upon arrival, GWPD officers arrested the subject. Metropolitan Police Department officers responded and transported the subject to the Second District for processing.

Subject arrested.

THEFT I/OTHER

Public Property on Campus (2300 Block of H Street NW) 10/31/2023 – 10 to 10:45 a.m.

Open Case A female student reported her backpack stolen after leaving it unattended on a bench.

Case open.

DRUG LAW VIOLATION

District House 11/1/2023 – 5:02 p.m.

GWPD officers responded to a report by an administrator on call of two female students and a non-GW affiliated subject possessing contraband, which they handed over to officers for processing.

Referred to the DSA.

—Compiled by Max Porter

ANC attendance lags, delaying consideration of agenda items ERIKA FILTER NEWS EDITOR

Select members of a local governing body frequently miss monthly meetings, causing backups in the group’s legislative process.

At least two of the eight members of the Foggy Bottom and West End Advisory Neighborhood Commission have missed every regular meeting since May and the ANC has been slow to consider resolutions pertaining to D.C. Council business as commissioners push some agenda items to the back burner after struggling to reach the body’s legally mandated quorum.

ANC Chair Jim Malec said commissioners should resign if they are unable to regularly attend meetings.

“Representing the public is a privilege, not a right,” Malec said in a message. “If you can’t or won’t do the job you were elected to do, which in this case, requires consistently attending one meeting per month, then you should resign.”

While most commissioners have missed at least part of a meeting since May, Evelyn Hudson — who represents the 2A09 district encompassing St. Mary’s Court and Amsterdam Hall — has not attended a meeting in any capacity since May due to health issues, according to multiple commissioners. She did not return several requests for comment.

Malec said there is at least one ANC commissioner who has not sent or responded to any internal emails since the term began in January.

2A06 Commissioner Joel Causey did not attend this month’s meeting or the ANC’s regular July meeting. He returned a request for comment about attendance issues within the ANC with an automatic reply stating that he has “taken a leave of absence from the ANC due to family illness.” The reply defers those needing “assistance within ANC 2A06” to 2A08 Commissioner Jordan Nassar.

Malec said he does not have additional information on how long Causey will be absent. He said

AN NGO | GRAPHICS EDITOR

former 2A05 Commissioner Kim Courtney’s July resignation — ending her term that began in March — has narrowed the margin for reaching quorum during meetings.

The ANC requires representatives for five of its nine districts in order to conduct meetings, even if a given district does not have a representative, per its bylaws. The body meets monthly to vote on liquor and retail licenses, coordinate zoning applications and approve installations, offering a virtual component for commissioners and community members to attend.

The West End Library, which hosts the monthly meetings, has told commissioners to end meetings by 11:00 p.m. — extending the library’s hours of operation past their regular closing time of 8 p.m. to provide a venue for the meetings.

The ANC tabled meeting agenda items to accommodate the library’s hours in June and adjourned its April meeting at 11:41 p.m.

In order to reach quorum for the ANC’s special meeting in July

regarding the proposed homeless shelter in The Aston — a former GW-owned residence hall — Causey, who attended the meeting inperson, called Hudson, who said she was present over the phone.

She did not call into the meeting’s virtual component and she did not vote or speak during the meeting, outside of saying she was present.

Hudson left the meeting once 2A01 Commissioner Yannik Omictin joined via Zoom.

Nassar said absences reflect the need for the ANC positions to be paid, along with exhaustion over internal tensions within the commission. He said many commissioners prefer to work with the businesses and residents they represent to coordinate permitting applications and other tasks instead of deliberating District-wide resolutions within the ANC that may not have the same regional relevance.

“Many times the resolutions proposed is to give suggestions on what direction the council members should take on certain policy

decisions that are sometimes out of our league,” Nassar said in an email.

D.C. law states the government should give “great weight” to ANC recommendations.

2A03 Commissioner Trupti Patel, the longest-serving member of the ANC, authored two resolutions commenting on proposed D.C. Council bills which were first listed on the agenda for the June 21 meeting, but the commission pushed them to the November meeting when they failed to reach quorum in October’s meeting. Patel removed her four resolutions from the September agenda because she was unable to attend the majority of the meeting, the ANC took August off and it failed to reach quorum for its July meeting.

Patel said she can individually submit her resolutions in support of D.C. Council bills but that it does not have the same effect as the ANC showing support for these bills as a body.

“The best measure of great

weight is when the ANC passes it,” Patel said. “And at the end of the day, the work that an ANC commissioner does, the ANC commission is to do is for the betterment and the improvement of all of D.C.” Since May, ANC 2A has passed three resolutions. The ANC passed six resolutions in April, two in March and in February, it passed four.

2A04 Commissioner Ed Comer left the ANC’s October meeting early because of another commitment.

His departure pushed the ANC out of its quorum of five commissioners, delaying the consideration of Patel’s resolutions and the ANC’s budget for fiscal year 2024 until their November meeting.

Patel said other commissioners fail to read agenda materials prior to meetings and ask unnecessary questions which can slow down proceedings.

“A lot of these questions that they ask are basic, basic-level questions they should’ve already done on their own,” Patel said.

NEWS

November 6, 2023 • Page 7

THE GW HATCHET

Officials, task force remain quiet on future of geology program DYLAN EBS STAFF WRITER

RACHEL MOON

CONTRIBUTING NEWS EDITOR

The future of the Geological Sciences Program remains uncertain after students and faculty report receiving no update from officials regarding the program’s next steps this semester.

Professors and students in the geology program have yet to hear from a faculty task force that Columbian College of Arts & Sciences officials formed last semester to determine the program’s future after concerns about its lack of tenure-track professors led to fears the program might be terminated.

Geology students and faculty said the program is proceeding with the addition of a new faculty member and a new class next semester, but the lack of communication from the task force clouds its path forward.

Officials denied the program’s request to hire another tenuretrack professor in spring 2022 but approved the program’s request to hire another full-time faculty member. Professors said last semester that officials did not give any reasoning for denying the request besides needing to determine the future of the program.

“We’re fully functioning and moving ahead as if we’re gonna be here forever,” said Catherine Forster, the director of the program.

“Nobody’s told us otherwise.”

Kim Gross, the vice dean for programs and operations, said the task force was asked to look into how the program fits into CCAS curriculum and make recommendations on the best path forward.

CCAS is deliberating on options

that the task force provided to the college “outlining and discussing” options, she said.

Forster said she hasn’t heard any news from the task force, but the program is still “open for business” and offers both a major and a minor track. Forster said she submitted recommendations to the task force on the program in early summer but has not heard back from them.

Forster, who retired last year as the only tenured geology professor, returned to GW this fall to work as a special service faculty for the program, which she still directs while teaching a class this semester.

Forster added that besides submitting recommendations to the task force, she requested a meeting with CCAS officials to discuss the program, but they have reportedly not gotten back to her. She said this semester, the program hired James Kerr, an assistant professor of geology, and she plans to request the addition of another faculty member next semester.

“The idea of having a liberal arts school without geology, one of the basic STEM sciences, would be harmful,” Forster said.

Forster said more geologists are located in D.C. than anywhere else in the country because the U.S. Geological Survey — an organization that helps provide scientific data from different earth science fields to support policymaking — is headquartered in Reston, Virginia, and GW is the only University in the District that has a geology program. Forster said geology students have benefitted from partnerships with the USGS in the past.

“This is kind of a hotbed of geology in this area and yet GW is the only University in Washington,

D.C., that has a geology program,” Forster said.

Forster added that the geology program used to be its own department about 20 years ago, before she came to the University.

She said the program is currently administratively housed under the biological sciences department but has the equipment and specimen collection of a large independent geology department.

“We’re a fully equipped geology department, we don’t need anything else, we have everything and if they’re going to get rid of geology, they’re gonna have to figure

out where all these collections go,” Forster said. “They’re incredibly valuable educational collections that we have, that our students are able to take advantage of.”

Forster said the program will offer a new planetary geology course in the spring that will focus on the geology of the solar system as well as different meteors, planets and asteroids.

Kerr, who started at GW this August, said he was first made aware that the geology program was “up in the air” and might be moved to be under a different department or eliminated during

Researchers find far-right conspiracy theories drive antisemitism, violence MICHAEL HARIMAN REPORTER

SOFIA MOCSI REPORTER

Researchers found conspiracy theories among the extreme right drive antisemitism and violence, according to a report published late last month.

The GW Program on Extremism and the International Centre for the Study of Radicalisation published a report that discusses the Tree of Life synagogue attack, the deadliest attack on Jewish people in U.S. history, and how far right conspiracy theories influenced the attacker, Robert Bowers. Lorenzo Vidino, director of the Program on Extremism, said the report found antisemitic conspiracy theories continue to fuel far-right theorists and have further inspired subsequent attacks, like the 2022 Buffalo supermarket shooting and the 2022 Bratislava LGBTQ+ bar attack.

“We do see antisemitism as a phenomenon spanning virtually all extremist ideologies,” Vidino said in an email. “It is not entirely a new phenomenon, as cross-ideological pollination of antisemitism is a centuries-old cancer.”

Bowers, a white supremacist, opened fire on Jewish worshippers observing Shabbat — the Jewish day of rest — murdering 11 people on Oct. 27, 2018, in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. A federal judge sentenced Bowers to death in August after a jury voted unanimously to give him the death penalty.

The report states that Gab, a social networking platform known for its large far-right user base, was the primary platform Bowers used to post antisemitic comments that hinted at his

SNAPSHOT

TANNER NALLEY | PHOTOGRAPHER

Geodes sit displayed in the geology program’s home in Bell Hall.

intentions for the massacre. Five years after the attack, Gab still regularly hosts content that commemorates and glorifies his actions.

Julien Bellaiche, a doctoral candidate at the War Studies Department of King’s College London and an ICSR research fellow, authored the report in collaboration with the GW Program on Extremism. He said the paper traces the origins of demographic replacement conspiracy theories across various periods and countries, studying how the spread of conspiracy theories and the glorification of hate crimes on social media drives violence.

Bellaiche said far-right adherents often believe minority groups like immigrants, Jewish, Black or Muslim people, plot to replace certain ethnics or racial groups that the conspiracy theorists consider “true” or “pure.” The White Genocide Theory named in the report is the white supremacist belief that white people are facing extinction and forced assimilation by a Jewish conspiracy to destroy the race. Similarly, believers in the Great Replacement Theory claim that nonwhite immigration should be drastically limited before immigrants and their families “replace” white people.

“The idea of the white race or Western cultures being in danger because of immigration, because of race mixing — it became increasingly central in these extreme right online spheres,” Bellaiche said.

Bellaiche said he conducted his research using books and manifestos as well as posts on social media written by right-wing extremists.

Bellaiche said the extremists amplify conspiracy theories through social

media and glorify or take inspiration from the actions of people like Bowers. He said attackers, like those who committed the Poway synagogue and Bratislava shootings, draw from the same demographic replacement conspiracy theories but with their own “conspiratorial convictions” and role models. Both attackers directly cited Bowers as inspiration for their attacks, per the report.

Bellaiche said extreme right or neofascist military accelerationist groups canonized Bowers as a “saint.” He said these channels are a decentralized and fragmented movement that regularly incites violence online and has inspired several terrorist attacks in recent years.

“This is a whole subculture of of extreme right narratives online, and they celebrate and reference past attackers in different ways using, in Bowers’ case, public statements, so in the report, his last post, his last sentence became a catchphrase that many extreme right that’s sort of circulate in this area, in these communities and became like a sign or call for violence.”

A report conducted by the U.S.based Anti-Defamation League and Tel Aviv University’s Center for the Study of Contemporary European Jewry found that antisemitic incidents in the U.S. hit a record high in 2022, and the number of antisemitic incidents in the U.S. increased from 1,879 in 2018 to 3,697 in 2022.

Experts in extremism said the report outlines extremists’ usage of myths related to demographic change to spread hatred against Jewish people and other minorities and how the assailant in the Tree of Life attack used social media to shape extreme right-wing ideology.

KACEY CHAPMAN | STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

A couple whispers to each other at the Adams Morgan Fall PorchFest on Saturday, a showcase of almost 80 local D.C. bands.

his interview process for his position. He said if the program was eliminated, he would not be able to teach introductory level courses and upper level geology classes.

Kerr said he has not had any interaction with the task force and added that the elimination of the geology program would be an issue for geology majors as CCAS would no longer offer upper-level courses necessary to fulfill a geology degree.

“That would be, to say the least, detrimental to people trying to seek a geology degree here,” Kerr said.

TWEETED We are one sleep away from the rest of our lives.

Caputo & co. to the moon.

GWFinalFour on 11/05/2023

@GWFINALFOUR

District House wins SA composting competition HANNAH MARR

ASSISTANT NEWS EDITOR

Residents in District House donated the most compost throughout the month of October for the Student Association Senate’s composting competition.

SA Sen. Dan Saleem (CCAS-U), the chair of the SA’s Sustainability Committee who led the composting initiative, said District House residents donated roughly 47 percent of the compost, followed by Shenkman Hall, who donated approximately 16 percent. Saleem said the composting competition boosted student participation because 292 people composted in October, compared to 215 people composting in September.

He said the compost competition also increased the amount of scraps composted because students donated about 814 pounds of compost throughout the month of September, compared to 1015.76 pounds donated in October.

The Office of Sustainability recorded that community members had donated 295

pounds of compost in August, compared to July, when the office collected 637 pounds.

In June, community members donated 440 pounds and in May, the office collected 254.97 pounds.

Saleem said District House will win a pizza party and a giveaway of 25 reusable utensils that will be handed out in the lobby of the building. He said the Sustainability Committee plans to host more composting competitions in the spring and will include Mount Vernon Campus residents in the initiative because zero Vern residents composted their scraps during the October competition.

“For our next one, I definitely want to be more inclusive and potentially making a station of its own on the Vern and have people contribute there and then we add up the compost at the end of the week together,” Saleem said.

Saleem also said the Sustainability Committee will also work to include off-campus students and commuter students in future competitions.

NEWS

THE GW HATCHET

Students move off campus for improved facilities as Foggy Bottom rents increase

Muslim students report feeling unsafe, unsupported by officials

November 6, 2023 • Page 8

MAGGIE RHOADS REPORTER

RACHEL SILVERMAN

From Page 1

REPORTER

Even as rent prices in the District increase, students said they moved off campus to save money and access better amenities, dining and maintenance than GW residence halls offer.

More than 20 students living across 10 apartment buildings off campus said they moved off campus to save money, sometimes paying more in rent to avoid the now-mandatory meal plan and secure individual, private spaces.

But some students have encountered facilities issues — like pests and trashdisposal problems — off campus.

One academic year of GW housing costs anywhere between $10,700 and $16,560, or $1,383 to $1,656 per month from August through May. But students living in residence halls must purchase a meal plan, adding between $2,060 and $2,800 per semester to the bill.

The University dropped the requirement for third-year students to live on campus in January, saying the change reflected student concerns. A University spokesperson said half of third-year students lived on campus last academic year, compared to 43 percent of third-year students living on campus

CHUCKIE COPELAND | STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER The Residences on The Avenue on the corner of I and 22nd streets.

this year.

Last year, Seth Weinshel, the associate vice president of business services, said about 2,500 students choose to live off campus each year, with about 25 to 35 percent of third-year students requesting an exemption.

An average studio apartment in Foggy Bottom costs $1,895 as of November 2023, according to apartment aggregator RentHop. The average has jumped 5.28 percent from last year, when the price stood at $1,800.

Some students living off campus said they choose to live with roommates, splitting the cost of rent to find options cheaper than on-campus housing.

Since last year, the price of two-bedroom apartments in the Foggy Bottom area has increased from an average of $4,343 to $5,000 by about 15 percent, with rent averaging about $2,500 per month per person.

D.C. Attorney General Brian Schwalb filed a lawsuit Wednesday against 14 of the District’s largest landlords for alleged collusion. The suit, which claims landlords used a property management software to inflate rent prices, names Bozzuto Management Company, which oversees The Avenue and The Wray; AvalonBay Communities, Inc., which oversees The Statesman; and Equity Residential, which has stake in 2400 M Apartments.

John Morse, the associate manager of the Claridge House Cooperative — an apartment building on 25th and K streets — said he noticed an uptick in rent prices over the “busy” summer months, which he attributed to factors like unit availability, professionals seeking housing close to their workplace and individuals’ desire to move back into the District.

Morse, who has worked in the building for a decade, said rent prices do not increase based on student demand but instead on other factors like inflation.

“The number of those searching for apartments seemed higher before the pandemic,” Morse said.

Professor talks LGBTQ+ acceptance in New York, Paris ELLA MITCHELL REPORTER

A professor of political science talked about her research on factors that contribute to acceptance of LGBTQ+ people at the Elliott School of International Affairs on Wednesday.

Sylvie Tissot, University of Paris 8 professor and author of the book “Gayfriendly: Acceptance and Control of Homosexuality in New York and Paris,” said gay people have become more “mainstream” in popular media because of increased acceptance from straight people. The conversation about the book with moderator Hilary Silver, a professor of sociology, international affairs and public policy and public administration, was hosted by the Institute for European, Russian and Eurasian Studies.

Tissot said common gay and gendered stereotypes still exist in the media and in people’s understanding of queerness, like lesbians being perceived as masculine and gay men as feminine. She said the “reorganizing” of relationships between

straight and gay people to be more accepting toward queer people are a result of gay and lesbian movements.

“Queer people have fought for the rights and still fight for their rights for the end of prejudices, discrimination, violence and gay friendly attitudes and gay friendly spaces are a result of these demands,” Tissot said.

Tissot said she interviewed “gay friendly” straight people in the liberal neighborhoods of Park Slope, New York, and Marais, Paris, in her research. She said she chose Park Slope because it was historically a lesbian neighborhood — until increased rent prices changed the demographics — and chose Marais because it is the “only” gay neighborhood in Paris.

She said she hoped the selection of the two cities would help show the difference in the acceptance of gay men and lesbians further, citing how femininity in gay men can be “appreciated” and turned into something positive but that masculinity in lesbians cannot.

In Park Slope and Marais, the majority of straight people interviewed rejected homophobia and said it was “not a problem” to have gay neighbors, Tissot said. She said interviewees from the two neighborhoods supported gay marriage and same-sex parenting.

Tissot said there were also some key differences — in Park Slope, interviewees’ responses emphasized equality and marriage, while Marais residents commonly mentioned themes like sexual liberalism and personal freedom. She said Marais residents had “harsh” negative reactions to same-sex couples raising children and viewed being transgender as “problematic” for medical reasons.

Tissot said the differences in attitudes have varying impacts for lesbians and gay men, highlighting that lesbians are often suspected to be “aggressive” and “not discrete enough,” for example. She pointed to the difference in gender expression through clothing as a possible explanation for this.

Tissot said Marais interviewees said homophobia exists everywhere but in their own community, and Park Slope interviewees said homophobia exists in ethnic communities and the South. She said these responses helped her understand gayfriendliness in new terms, including heterosexual people trying to answer questions the “right way” to maintain moral authority.

Tissot said she hopes her interviews contribute to a better understanding of the acceptance of queerness in North American and European countries, especially in the wake of the increasing LGBTQ+ hate in the United States and Europe. She said her interviews with straight residents were not meant to expose their homophobia or define the terms of true acceptance of queer people.

“The idea is to acknowledge that there has been progress,” Tissot said. “And to consider that progress involves changing boundaries rather than the end of rejection, hate and exclusion.”

But Muslim students said Granberg’s public statements, especially initial statements that condemned Hamas but did not include details of Israel’s history of violence in the Gaza Strip, weren’t enough to dispel feelings of animosity toward Muslim students.

Abbas, who is studying international affairs, said Granberg’s stature as GW’s president means her imbalanced comments may justify blatant Islamophobia.

“Our president’s putting out emails only when things involve the Jewish or Israeli community,” Abbas said. “But when it comes to us ranting to her all of a sudden, there’s nothing she has to say about us.”

She said officials’ messaging on the topic makes Muslim students feel like the University is more concerned about the school’s reputation than about student safety.

“Just acknowledge the idea that these are people,” Abbas said. “I feel like representatives of GW don’t understand how much their words really do play a role.”

Abbas said she and her friends were walking through campus last month — the same night members of Students for Justice in Palestine projected anti-Israel messages onto the facade of Gelman Library — when she witnessed students yelling at a Muslim student who was talking with police. She said she and her friends intervened, asking the students to lower their voices and calm down.

“We weren’t trying to argue because we know we’re outnumbered in the situation,” Abbas said. “Like let’s be for real, at the end of the day — because we’re the less-liked party — we knew we had to watch everything we said.”

She said the students accused the Muslim and Arab students of killing their family members in Israel and asked her what it feels like to be a “murderer.”

“We’re like, ‘You know, we’re not Palestinian. We are literally just Muslim,’” Abbas said.

Hamzah Moustafa, a firstyear majoring in political science, said he was walking on campus at the intersection of G and 21st streets Oct. 10, when a white student glared at him and spat on his feet. He said he submitted a bias incident report Oct. 24 to document it, but he marked on the form that he did not want officials to contact him because he did not feel like they would address his concerns.

“I don’t really feel safe or accepted. It’s just especially as a first-year at GW, it just doesn’t feel safe,” Moustafa said. “I don’t feel accepted or welcomed or anything like that.”

Muslim people in the U.S. made a combined 774 requests for help and reports of bias incidents to the Council on American-Islamic Relations from Oct. 7 to Oct. 24, a spike from the 63 reports submitted

in August.

He said many Muslim students feel like the campus has become an unsafe and hateful environment, especially for students wearing hijabs, a headscarf traditionally worn

by Muslim women that may distinguish them as Muslim and make students wearing them targets for acts of hate.

“I feel like it reminds me of the post-9/11 hate crimes towards Muslims just going back to that dehumanization of Muslims or just calling all of us terrorists and stuff like that,” Moustafa said.

He said establishing a student-run safe space for Muslim, Arab, Palestinian and brown students on campus can help cultivate a more inclusive environment without administrative interference.

“Having equal treatment for all ethnic and religious minorities on campus and not just focusing on one group of people should be important,” Moustafa said.

Mina Ali, a senior majoring in public health and psychology, said before the Oct. 7 attacks, she wore sweatshirts with Palestinian insignias. She said now, she struggles with feeling safe because she wants to proudly, publicly claim her Palestinian identity but feels uncomfortable when she does so.

“People will just look at me differently,” Ali said.

She said her family has told her to avoid telling others she is Palestinian. She said she feels she needs to “preface” her support for the Palestinian people, which she believes is unfair.

“It comes to the point where I don’t feel it’s fair for me as a student in this community to have to hide my identity and for fear of being ostracized for my views that are not radical but are being made to seem radical here,” Ali said.

A Muslim student speaking on the condition of anonymity for fear of retaliation said fears over Islamophobia have made Muslim students scared to attend public events, post online and be hesitant to publicly display their Muslim identities.

“Just the fact that people are so scared to give their names because of the fear of hatred speaks so much about how the school is treating Muslims and minorities right now,” she said.

She said Muslim students are continuing to support one another and staying strong in their religious identity by checking in on each other. She said at events hosted by Muslim student organizations, students ensure all attendees can speak, and the presidents and board members of Muslim student organizations arrange private spaces to foster the community of Muslim students.

“We’re also staying strong in our belief and our religion, and we’re building ourselves up through our religion and staying in power at the same time,” she said. “We’re not going to let the things happening right now and let the other side’s voice tear us down.”

Faculty discuss research, DC resources at academic symposium FIONA RILEY

ASSISTANT NEWS EDITOR

RACHEL MOON

CONTRIBUTING NEWS EDITOR

Officials and faculty gathered in Jack Morton Auditorium Thursday for an academic symposium discussing research, interdisciplinary collaboration and the advantages of GW’s proximity to D.C. institutions and resources.

The symposium was the first event hosted as part of University President Ellen Granberg’s inauguration celebration, which officials announced would be made virtual Wednesday with restricted in-person access due to “heightened” safety concerns following the escalating IsraelHamas war and D.C. protests scheduled for the weekend. In her opening remarks, Granberg said she wanted to host the event as part of her inauguration to honor faculty and academic research at GW. Granberg said while the University has accomplished designations like being acknowledged as an R1 university — a title the Carnegie Classification

of Institution of Higher Education designated to universities in the country with high levels of research — and becoming a member in July of the Association of American Universities, an invite-only prestigious organization of 71 “premiere” research universities, there is “potential” for more academic research and scholarship.

“I want to remove barriers to collaboration, provide the resources and infrastructure needed for breakthroughs and advance the impact of scholarship at GW for years to come,” Granberg said.

Provost Chris Bracey introduced the symposium’s faculty panelists, Chet Sherwood, Mary Ellsberg, Alexa Alice Joubin and Ekundayo Shittu and Vice Provost for Research Pamela Norris narrated the event, asking panelists questions about interdisciplinary research, risktaking, community engagement and how they use GW’s proximity to D.C. resources.

Sherwood, a professor of anthropology and the director of the National Chimpanzee Brain Resource, said GW’s location in D.C. benefits graduate

and undergraduate students by providing access to a diversity of resources and opportunities.

Sherwood said alongside what students learn in the classroom, they can engage with institutions like the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History and with policy and educational outreach that helps students discover new paths and careers.

“That’s the kind of thing that happens here that I wouldn’t imagine really happening elsewhere,” Sherwood said.

Joubin, a professor of English, theatre, international affairs and East Asian languages and cultures, said being close to institutions like the Smithsonian Institution, Fulcher Library and the Capitol gives students the opportunity to learn the significance of advocating for humanities and storytelling.

“I had in my various capacities various collaborations with this institution, brought my students there, not to mention taking advantage of a theatrical enterprise,” Joubin said.

When asked how GW serves as a “convener” of communities, Ellsberg, a professor of

KATELYN POWER | PHOTOGRAPHER A spread of scholarly literature authored by GW faculty members sits behind panes of glass in the School of Media & Public Affairs.

public health and the founding director of the Global Women’s Institute, said she provided input to the White House commission on gender equality.

Ellsberg said she was also able to bring 33 Nicaraguan women who the government imprisoned for their political beliefs and activism to the Global Women’s Institute’s 10th anniversary celebration to “uplift”

their story.

“It made a big difference to see that these women, who had been completely silenced and nobody knew about them for years, were here in Washington, D.C. being honored and it got an incredible amount of publicity and it was so meaningful to those women, to their families and to the entire human rights movement,” Ellsberg said.

OPINIONS

November 6, 2023 • Page 9

Opinions

THE GW HATCHET

WHAT THE UNIVERSITY WON’T TALK ABOUT THIS WEEK How many reports of on-campus Islamophobic incidents have been filed p. 1 FROM GWHATCHET.COM/OPINIONS “GW cannot claim to be disability friendly while it leaves students like me to struggle.”

—JENNA FOX on 10/30/2023

Foggy Bottom’s future is in GW’s hands STAFF EDITORIAL From our shared namesake to our hyphenated Metro stop, it’s hard to separate the University from the city and neighborhood that surrounds it. Attending GW comes with the promise of making D.C. your own, like scoring hillternships or finding a favorite spot. But peel back the slogans and slick marketing, and GW’s “city school” status gets complicated, quickly — it’s both a benefit to and a burden on the area.

Foggy Bottom didn’t become GW’s home overnight. Over the course of a century, GW — previously known as Columbian College — consolidated academic buildings from around D.C. and integrated itself into Foggy Bottom.

The University’s expansion accelerated an ongoing shift in the area away from being both a manufacturing hub and a predominantly Black neighborhood due to a changing economy and government intervention.

This process of development, displacement and gentrification created the Foggy Bottom Campus we know today, which has come a long way from the smoke and soot that helped give it its name. Students live in midcentury apartment buildings turned residence halls flanked by the State Department and International Monetary Fund, not the towering gasworks and other industries that once defined the neighborhood.

Building by building, past and present University officials have created an educational behemoth that houses thousands of students in just a few city blocks. And GW is one of the largest, if not the largest, players in Foggy Bottom — it contributed $1.6 billion to D.C.’s

L

HARPER DONALDSON | STAFF CARTOONIST

economy in fiscal year 2020.

Yet for all the employment and education opportunities the University’s influence over Foggy Bottom makes possible, it has its downsides. Living here can feel like being in a company town, not a college town. In other words, the neighborhood can too often feel like it’s under GW’s direct control rather than centered around its presence.

The fact is that the University holds the cards, not to mention the land, that

I use GW’s food pantry.

Here’s what you need to know

ike many other GW students, I struggle with food insecurity, and finding and paying for food has been one of the most stressful parts of my college experience. I worry about the most cost-effective way to eat on campus every day, balancing between meal swipes and cooking in my residence hall.

Hannah Burch Opinions Writer This is where The Store, GW’s student-run food pantry, comes into play. While the generous volunteers who run The Store are doing the best they can to help fight student food insecurity, I can’t depend on it.

In my experience, The Store is underfunded, inconsistently stocked and does not provide ample nutritious options inclusive of all diets.

I rely on meal swipes and GWorld to eat throughout the academic year, trying to spend as little of my own money as possible to save money for student loan payments, flights home and emergencies.

GW’s meal plans make dining on campus highly complicated, inconvenient and disappointing. I don’t always have time to wait in line or go to one of the dining halls, I can’t find the nutritious options I’d like to eat, and there’s a lot of pressure to budget my dining dollars and meal swipes. The Store could mitigate the challenges GW’s dining plan poses.

I first signed up for The Store last year after hearing about it through orientation emails. The Store provides perishable and nonperishable food items, school supplies, personal hygiene products

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and interview attire. But in my trips to The Store this semester, including last Tuesday, I’ve noticed that hygiene products or school supplies like notebooks and pens haven’t been available this academic year — the bins designated for these items were empty.

And when it comes to food, the only items I saw available during the week were beans, tuna, cereal, peanut butter, biscuit mix and loads of apple sauce.

That is not enough to make varied, nutritious meals, especially for students with dietary restrictions. When The Store is restocked with more nutritious and/or perishable items like meats, milk, eggs or bread, other students in need quickly take them.

Nutritious options are in high demand at The Store, and the student volunteers who run The Store do what they can with limited donations and funding. Still, The Store lacks the supplies needed to reach every student in need. Students write food requests on one of the whiteboards in the pantry, asking for chicken, eggs, butter, milk, vegetables, bread and other items, but their requests often go unfulfilled.

I stop by The Store at least once a week. When I cannot find the food I need, I have to carefully budget $40 of GWorld between the Georgetown Safeway or District House Market.

Due to D.C.’s high cost of living, buying groceries from Safeway and the Market doesn’t get me much. If The Store could complement my Safeway groceries, I could still buy fruit during the weeks I would normally forgo it for toilet paper, shampoo or other essentials.

When my GWorld money and meal swipes

run out, I will have to spend money I saved for plane tickets home, student loan payments and emergencies to buy food. While not ideal, I am fortunate enough to have the money to spend on food when necessary. For students who don’t have that option, skipping meals may be their only choice.

As the saying goes, “beggars can’t be choosers.”

But that should never apply to students facing food insecurity, especially when GW boasts a $2.5 billion endowment — even just a small fraction of that could make a huge difference for students who rely on The Store. Instead of opening up another for-profit dining option, GW can and should better fund The Store.

It’s not too much to ask for a little help lessening my food insecurity. I just want enough, so the price of food is not on my mind every day. If The Store is supposed to be a resource to students, it needs to effectively benefit everyone who needs it.

To be clear, this is not a critique of the volunteers and donors who are doing the best they can to run The Store with limited resources. But it is a call to the University: Food insecurity still exists on campus, and GW has the funds and ability to do something about it.

The Store cannot meet the needs of students relying solely on donations.

It needs funding from the University to consistently stock its shelves with the nutritious food options students need. My peers and I should be focused on completing our education, not finding where our next meal will come from.

—Hannah Burch, a sophomore majoring in political science and communication, is an opinions writer.

have steered and will continue to steer the development of the neighborhood — there’s a reason behind those rumors about GW being the largest real estate owner in D.C. And what officials do or don’t decide to build has a direct impact on the neighborhood and the people, including students, who live here.

Chain restaurants and high-powered law firms can only add so much to the neighborhood compared to the momand-pop shops and small businesses

they displace. But the construction of corporate offices, retail spaces and private apartments on University land — not to mention a yet-to-be-completed GW Campus Store — might benefit GW’s bottom line and hold down the cost of tuition to the tune of millions of dollars.

In a changed and changing Foggy Bottom, there’s a “town and gown” divide between the University and its neighbors over issues ranging from helipads to historic preservation to housing.

The question is: Who gets to determine Foggy Bottom’s future? After a warm welcome from a local governing body, it remains to be seen just what officials, especially newly inaugurated University President Ellen Granberg, have in mind.

Granberg could draw on potential concepts for renovating older facilities and creating new buildings on the Foggy Bottom Campus that officials presented in October 2021. But these ideas seem to have been lost in the shuffle from then-University President Thomas LeBlanc to his temporary successor, interim President Mark Wrighton, and now to Granberg. It’s also unclear if officials even approved the concepts by a 2022 deadline.

What is clear, though, is the need to accommodate what’s best for the University — more development — with the amenities that residents want, like affordable housing, grocery stores and child care. If or when officials go back to the drawing board, it’d be worth sketching out a vision of a Foggy Bottom that works for everyone who lives, learns and works here. The University’s mission may be global, but it’s inseparable from the neighborhood it calls home.

To help students succeed, address COVID-related learning loss

A

d d r e s s i n g pandemic-related learning loss should be at the top of newly inaugurated University President Ellen Granberg’s to-do list. After losing nearly two years of in-person learning to the pandemic, GW’s fi rst-years need summer school programs and participation-based classes to make up for the time they spent learning online.

Matthew Donnell Opinions Columnist Amid a nationwide drop in academic performance due to COVID-related school closures, GW economics professors have said students — many of whom spent a large portion of high school at home or behind a computer screen — lack the basic math skills required for their introductory courses.

While teenagers weren’t as vulnerable as older adults to the pandemic’s physical threats, COVID lockdowns took a toll on students’ performance in the classroom. I struggled to learn remotely during my fi rst year at GW in 2020. It was difficult to focus in Zoom lectures, and it was even more challenging to motivate myself about classes I felt so distant from. I could turn my camera off when I didn’t want to participate and tune out professors whose lectures didn’t pique my interest.

The lessons from weeks of online classes never added up, and I often resorted to reteaching myself material that I should have already known.

School closures may have been a wellintentioned response to the pandemic, but virtual learning considerably set back students’ academic progress — and it shows.

Since returning to inperson classes, college professors have sounded alarms about students whose skills dwindled during the pandemic.

Last year’s ACT scores were the nation’s worst in 30 years, and a McGraw Hill poll published late last month showed the share of students who felt being unprepared was the biggest obstacle to their success this semester jumped from 11 percent in 2022 to 21 percent in 2023.

To start addressing the aftershocks of virtual learning, GW should offer weeklong summer programs to incoming students.

Summer school often carries negative connotations about underperforming students, but high school seniors need to regain the skills they lost before entering college.

Like Rutgers University and the University of Wisconsin system, GW should offer short-term remedial summer classes to help incoming students start the academic year with their best foot forward.

And once incoming students hone skills lost in the haze of the pandemic, professors should keep up the pace in their courses.

Traditional lecture-heavy classes that sufficed before the pandemic won’t cut it now that inperson classes are back in session. Professors should look to utilize active learning, which emphasizes consistent participation to help

students better connect to course material. When paired with low-stakes quizzes and discussion prompts, partnered activities and interactive lectures provide students with frequent, immediate feedback from their peers and professors that can keep them on track to succeed.

Active learning and summer classes are proven methods of instruction that can help students reach their full potential. An analysis of hundreds of studies showed that students taught with active learning methods perform 6 percent better on exams than those who learn in traditional classroom settings. And down Interstate 66 at George Mason University, a weeklong summer program for incoming students increased math class placement test scores by 59 percent on average.

The University owes current fi rst-years and future students the opportunity to catch their abilities up to speed. It’s not just their learning that’s on the line: A 2022 Harvard University study estimated that students’ pandemic-related learning loss could cost them an average of $19,400 in their lifetime earnings.

COVID-related school closures shouldn’t hold students back more than they already have. GW should emphasize active learning and offer shortterm summer classes to lead higher education’s fight against the pandemic’s long tail.

—Matthew Donnell, a senior majoring in political communication and English, is an opinions columnist.

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CULTURE

November 6, 2023 • Page 10

THE GW HATCHET

THE

Culture

SCENE

DIWALI SHOW Friday, Nov. 10 | University Student Center | Free Celebrate the Hindu festival of light with HSA and ISA and enjoy dance performances, food and more.

RELEASED

“WHO’S BEHIND BLACK ART” SCREENING Sunday, Nov. 12 | MLK Jr. Memorial Library | Free Enjoy a screening of this documentary series created by John Campbell.

NEW SONG: “NOW AND THEN” BY THE BEATLES

THIS WEEK:

No kaas: Searching for Dutch food in DC turned up few options NOVA SPIER REPORTER

As the stash of snacks I brought to GW on my exchange program from the Netherlands shrinks and my homesickness grows, I have been desperately searching for Dutch food in D.C. — to little avail.

Since D.C. is one of the most diverse metropolises in America, I expected that finding food from the Netherlands would be easy. After all, almost every country is represented here — from Irish pubs to Ethiopian restaurants.

When I started searching for Dutch restaurants online, I quickly discovered finding food from home would be challenging. After an exhaustive search, I decided to try my luck at the Amsterdam Falafelshop located in Adams Morgan. I was intrigued by the place since the only thing Dutch about the restaurant seemed to be its name and their fritesaus, a Dutch version of mayonnaise that contains less fat. The other sauces, like curried ketchup and peanut sauce, were not from the Netherlands, although we do eat them often. The eatery’s main dishes have an even weaker connection to the Netherlands: Middle Eastern falafel and Belgian fries.

After arriving at where Amsterdam Falafelshop should’ve been, I learned it closed in May. The only thing left is an old sign showing off reviews that promise the bestprized drunk food in D.C. Le Pain Quotidien is a Belgian bakery and restaurant with four locations in the District that sells poffertjes. Compared to American pancakes, they are smaller, rounder and fluffier and are typi-

A customer accepts a triple-scoop cone at Van Leeuwen’s Georgetown location.

cally served with a lot of butter and powdered sugar. On the menu, they were listed as Dutch pancakes with banana, maple syrup and powdered sugar ($10).

I ordered them without the banana to stay closer to the traditional dish. In hindsight, I should have also nixed the maple syrup, which is traditionally a Canadian topping, and asked for extra powdered sugar to make them taste more Dutch. Despite the syrup, the pancakes made me feel nostalgic

like coming home from primary school and finding a special lunch my mom made for me. Still, I don’t think they are worth the $10 price tag because in the Netherlands, you could purchase fifteen of the small, pancake-like pastries for half the price.

My final stop was Belga, a Belgian restaurant on Capitol Hill. I sat in an outside wooden chalet decorated with fake candles and lights, listening to jazzy pop song covers and the chatter of other

TANNER NALLEY | PHOTOGRAPHER

guests while warming myself with a complimentary blanket under an outdoor heater. It felt cozy, something I would describe in Dutch as “gezellig.”

I got some fries with mayonnaise ($9) because although the fries might be typically Belgian, eating them with mayo feels especially Dutch. Even Hollywood agrees. In “Pulp Fiction,” John Travolta tells Samuel L. Jackson that the Dutch do not eat their fries with ketchup but mayonnaise: “they

f*cking drown them in that sh*t.”

Besides the fries, I ordered vier kazen kroketten ($14.50), fried cheese balls similar to croquettes.

The food was not as good as I expected it to be, with not enough mayonnaise and too much cheese — a weird critique for a Dutch person, who are often described as “kaaskoppen,” meaning “cheeseheads,” because we love our cheese.

When the restaurants failed, I pivoted to finding food in supermarkets. At the Market at Columbia Plaza and Whole Foods, I found stroopwafels, typical Dutch cookies consisting of wafer-like waffles sandwiched together by syrup.

The offerings at the Market at Columbia Plaza were better but still not food I would recommend, as they tasted slightly burned. The stroopwafels from Whole Foods ($0.80/pc) were by far the best: not too healthy and also not burnt.

The poffertjes from Whole Foods ($2.79) were similar to the stroopwafels, a little too sweet, but with some butter and powdered sugar, they offered the sense of home I was looking for. Also, you get way more poffertjes than you would get at Le Pain Quotidien for much less money.

I was surprised by the overall lack of Dutch food in the District, especially bitterballen, which are essentially fried meatballs, an ideal fit for Americans. I still consider my search a success because I found a few tastes from home, stroopwafels and poffertjes, to tide me over for my semester abroad. But if you want to get the real deal, take a semester abroad or a trip to the Netherlands to enjoy the food. Eet smakelijk.

National Museum of Women in the Arts highlights artists’ stories BRIANNA KIMMEL REPORTER

After two years of renovations, the National Museum of Women in the Arts has reopened its galleries of art created by women and nonbinary artists.

Displaying six exhibits, expanded gallery space, improved accessibility features and a new library and research center, the museum reopened its doors Oct. 21.

The $67.5 million project worked to ensure the longevity of the historic building that houses the museum’s collection.

“The National Museum of Women in the Arts brings recognition to the achievements of women artists of all periods and nationalities by exhibiting, preserving, acquiring and researching art by women and by teaching the public about their accomplishments,” said Emma Filar, the NMWA’s communications and marketing manager.

Filar said the NMWA is still critical for promoting female voices in the arts both through its galleries and by serving as a space to facilitate conversation.

“NMWA continues to bear a responsibility to amplify women’s voices,” Filar said.

Just a block away from the Metro Center station, the building’s recognizable flatiron architecture is highlighted by the corner of New York Avenue it sits

on. Walking in through the main doors, visitors are greeted by a grand ballroom with marble staircases framing either side of the room, chandeliers hanging from the ceiling and intricate tile work across the floor.

Structuring my visit in reverse, I began exploring the fourth floor and worked my way down to the first.

Directly outside of the elevators on the fourth floor, visitors are met with one of the inaugural special exhibits, “Hung Liu: Making History.” The exhibit honors Liu, who passed away in 2021, and displays a series of portraits featuring distinct drips of paint, vivid colors and scenes of laborers in China.

The pieces were compelling; they didn’t give themselves up immediately. I was particularly intrigued by “La Ran-Butterfly,” which included small clay sculptures attached to a painting of a woman’s side profile, her pink earring and hairpiece standing out against the muted cream-colored background.

“The Sky’s the Limit” occupies much of the second floor and is perhaps the most daring of the four new special exhibits. The exhibit is a series of contemporary sculptures that expand past classic gallery frames and display pieces that suspend from the ceiling.

Featuring works by Sonya Clark, Beatriz Milhazes, Cornelia Parker, Mariah

Robertson, Shinique Smith and Joana Vasconcelos, the exhibit’s intricate, largescale sculptures like one of a woman sitting in a chair high on the wall with a dress and branches below her that stretch down to the ground were a stand-out of my visit.

It’s not often that viewers get to see art from every angle, above and below.

I spent a lot of time wandering the exhibit, circling each piece and noticing the drapery of the fabric in Alison Saar’s “Undone” or the placement of each waxdipped silk flower in “Untitled #1273 (The Age of Innocence)” by Petah Coyne.

The final special exhibit, “In Focus: Artists at Work,” is a documentary-style short film that details the processes of eight artists whose works are featured in NMWA. Located on the first floor, the film is meant to greet visitors as they enter the museum.

Leaving the museum, I turned to take one last look at the grand ballroom. The museum’s open floor plan allows visitors to see to the second level, where my eyes were trained. I thought of the various portraits of women who frame the second-floor balcony — Frida Khalo, Louise Bourgeois, Wilhelmina Cole Holladay, the museum’s founder — and I felt a profound sense of empowerment and gratitude for a space that puts women artists in the spotlight.

REAGAN O’BRIEN | PHOTOGRAPHER Museumgoers stroll through the National Museum of Women in the Arts’ exhibits, created exclusively by female and nonbinary artists.

Stand-up comic Nimesh Patel stands onstage to deliver a set.

COURTESY OF NIMESH PATEL

Comedian Nimesh Patel discusses stand-up career, connection to DC JENNA BAER

CONTRIBUTING CULTURE EDITOR

In comedy, timing is everything.

Stand-up comedian Nimesh Patel, who will be appearing at Warner Theatre in downtown D.C. Nov. 10 for his “Fast and Loose” tour, is intimately familiar with the importance of timing. ​​ A New York University alum with a degree in finance who graduated during the 2008 financial crisis, Patel attributes his pivot to stand-up comedy to his poorly timed entrance into the job market.

“I started comedy in ‘09 when I was unemployed and underemployed and haven’t looked back since,” Patel said. “I’m grateful for the NYU education because I got to learn how to lie on my resume a bit and apply to some jobs that helped me make rent.”

Patel said his style of comedy, a blend of personal anecdotes and political musings, meshes with D.C. audiences because they tend to be aware of current events.

“I say that D.C. is my favorite place to perform because if ignorance is bliss, D.C. is the saddest place in the world, like you guys know everything,” Patel said.

Patel said performing at D.C. shows can be a balancing act, acknowledging that a portion of audiences likely work for the govern-

ment and will be resistant to crowd work but will simultaneously appreciate his mocking of their employers.

Even heckling in D.C. is different from other cities, he said, because Washingtonians are so informed they will interrupt him mid-routine to fact check him.

“It’s very rare that you have a heckler and they know more than you,” Patel said. “But, you know, let that alcohol hit someone who’s working 80 hours a week at some think tank, and words will fly.”

After the New Yorker magazine’s critical article of comedian Hasan Minhaj — which disputed claims he made in several of his standup specials — the ethics of exaggerating experiences for comedic effect are under the public microscope. In an October rebuttal video, Minhaj said the article distorted his retellings but acknowledged he embellished a story about taking his daughter to the emergency room after a letter containing white powder had been spilled on her, initially implying at the moment he thought it was anthrax.

“You know, Hasan got in trouble for lying about having anthrax sent to him and the truth is I sent the anthrax,” Patel said jokingly.

After the article. people online are debating what comedians owe their audiences: The whole truth and nothing but or just laughs?

Patel said comedians are

beholden to their fans to be funny but nothing more.

In 2022, Patel released his first official stand-up special, “Thank You China,” the title of which Patel said was an ode to TikTok for accelerating his career. Having amassed more than 1 million followers since joining the app in the early days of the pandemic, Patel said TikTok allowed him to reach a wider audience by posting older sets and clips of crowd work.

He typically delivers these jokes in a deep baritone deadpan, often following his own punchlines with a higher-pitched chuckle.

Patel said exposing his work to such a large audience has brought in an influx of negative comments, but they do not outweigh the praise he receives on the app. Patel said he appreciates the diversity of his digital audience, viewing the comments section of his TikTok videos as “a real anthropology study” on how people from a variety of backgrounds interpret his thoughts.

Though his TikTok videos are meant for a wider audience, Patel said he is looking forward to using his D.C.-specific content this week, from odd interactions with Washingtonians to referring to the Saudi Embassy as “the unofficial White House.”

“In D.C, it just feels like I’m making people who are going to go back and change the world laugh,” Patel said.