Monday, February 12, 2024 I Vol. 120 Iss. 19
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INDEPENDENT STUDENT NEWSPAPER • SERVING THE GW COMMUNITY SINCE 1904
What’s inside Opinions
The editorial board writes officials must prove they aren’t persecuting based on beliefs. Page 6
Culture
Married professors discuss shared passions and meetcutes. Page 7
Faculty senators press for transparency on impacts of MFA debt after continued losses TYLER IGLESIAS REPORTER
Chief Financial Officer Bruno Fernandes delivered a report on the financial status of the Medical Faculty Associates on Friday amid debates over the medical arm debt’s potential harm to the GW student experience. Fernandes delivered the report to the Faculty Senate in a closed-door session after senators voted to remove it from the public portion of the meeting due to its “sensitive nature.” Senators also passed a resolution that asks the Board of Trustees to evaluate the financial losses of the MFA — a group of physicians and faculty from the School of Medicine and Health Science and GW Hospital — and their potential effect on GW’s “underfunded areas.” Officials released the Q1 numbers of the MFA publicly as an addendum to the senate meeting agenda in December, which revealed that the organization lost $27 million in the first quarter of fiscal year 2024. The MFA, which owes GW $200 million, has lost $80 million in the last two fiscal years and is expected to lose another $30 million to $50 million by the end of FY 2024. The mounting debt has been a point of continual contention between senators and administration, and the resolution marks the second time senators have asked for more transparency on the MFA’s finances after
Sports
WNBA star Jonquel Jones among alumni inducted into GW Hall of Fame. Page 8
Students report stomach illnesses from dining hall food NICOLE AKUMATEY REPORTER
RYAN J. KARLIN REPORTER
SAGE RUSSELL | ASSISTANT PHOTO EDITOR Sarah Wagner, the co-chair of the Educational Policy & Technology Committee, speaks at a Faculty Senate meeting Friday.
senators requested quarterly updates to the Faculty Senate Executive Committee and the Faculty Senate Fiscal Planning and Budgeting Committee in a January 2023 resolution. The resolution calls for a report from President Ellen Granberg, Provost Chris Bracey and Fernandes by March 1, 2024 and Feb. 1 of each following year that
assesses the impact of the MFA’s financial state on the University. Fernandes said in October that he did not expect the MFA to break even by the end of FY 2024, a reversal from previous predictions that the MFA would pay back its debt during the fiscal year. Sarah Wagner, the co-chair of the Educational Policy & Tech-
nology Committee, introduced the resolution requesting the Board evaluate the MFA’s debt and its effect on schools like the Columbian College of Arts & Sciences. Wagner said the resolution was not an “attack” on GW’s medical arm but instead based on “concern” for GW’s success. See SENATORS Page 3
Beloved owners of McReynold’s Liquors sell store MAX PORTER
CONTRIBUTING NEWS EDITOR
The owners of McReynold’s Liquors have sold the beloved Foggy Bottom store. Matthew Kimwon, the owner of McReynold’s on the 1700 Block of G Street, said he and his wife Sophia are selling the store to travel to South Korea to take care of his sick mother. The new owner will take full responsibility of the store after two weeks of training, which begins Monday, Kimwon said. Kimwon said the new owner owns a “big” liquor store in Atlanta, Georgia. He said the owner will retain the McReynold’s
name and continue to sell liquor. Read last year’s profile: If you’re a regular, you may recognize Matthew Kimwon and his wife, Sophia, who both work at the store and emigrated with their two children from South Korea to the United States in 2011. Owner of iconic local liquor store McReynold’s celebrates 10 years in business Under Kimwon’s ownership, McReynold’s has woven itself into GW’s campus fabric. Students toasted President Joe Biden’s election with bubbly and often commemorated their graduations with photos at the storefront. Kimwon has even tracked students’ evolving alcohol preferences – last
year, tequila was the Foggy Bottom favorite. “We have good memories, so we won’t forget,” Kimwon said. “You guys will stay in our hearts forever.” The store’s proximity to campus and 10 percent discount for GW students on lowalcohol beverages often attract students to peruse their eclectic liquor collection and expansive vape inventory. The Kimwons became the fourth owners of McReynold’s in 2013 after they emigrated to the United States from South Korea in 2011 with their two children, Kimwon said. He took over the store from a member of the church he attended in Maryland following the previous owners’ retirement.
Students have reported falling ill after eating at Thurston and Shenkman dining halls since the end of last semester and point to undercooked meat as the cause. More than a dozen students said they got sick after eating at the dining halls in Thurston and Shenkman halls since the end of last semester, with at least two seeking medical attention at GW Hospital. At least two students said they complained to GW Dining and dining hall management after getting sick, and at least four students said their illnesses caused them to miss class. Ella Weiss, a fi rst-year political science and criminal justice student, said she experienced stomach illness around Jan. 23 after eating meatballs and chicken in Thurston Hall. She said she went to the emergency room after experiencing intense nausea but left after not receiving help for several hours. She said her family contacted GW Dining to secure alternate meal accommodations outside the dining halls, but they “have not really been responsive.” Weiss said she skipped the rest of her classes the next day after almost vomiting in her fi rst class. She now avoids food from the two dining halls, opting for groceries using her GWorld dining dollars and meals from District House. “I just really don’t want to get sick again,” Weiss said. “So I’m kind of avoiding that.” University spokesperson Julia Metjian said officials have received reports of stomach-related illnesses and undercooked chicken in Thurston Hall. Metjian said a University investigation through the Student Health Center concluded the stomach-related illnesses were not caused by food poisoning from the dining halls. See OFFICIALS Page 4
Students seek more work after CLRE cuts hours
University’s federal research expenditures inch upward as GW falls in rankings
MOLLY ST. CLAIR
ANNA FATTIZZO
REPORTER
NICOLA DEGREGORIO REPORTER
When sophomore Ana Rees received her schedule for her Campus Living and Residential Education job on the Mount Vernon Campus in January, she thought there was a mistake. Rees was listed to only work five hours her first week back for the new semester, a sharp decrease from the weekly hours she expected. “I got my schedule and I was like, ‘Is this a mistake?’” Rees said. “I almost emailed them asking and then I didn’t. They never explained what was going on until afterward, until after we asked them.” CLRE officials increased student employees’ wages from $17 to $17.20, reduced students’ maximum weekly hours from 15
to 10 this semester and further cut some student workers’ hours by as much as two-thirds. More than half a dozen students in the positions said they’re now seeking additional employment and hope to reach the maximum allotted hours after officials limited the operation of hub desks to one student employee instead of the previous two per desk last semester. Kevin Stensberg, the assistant vice provost of student support and residential engagement, said officials conducted a “usage assessment” in the fall and decided to reduce the hub desks’ operation hours from 6 p.m. to midnight to 6 to 10 p.m. They also decided to close half of the 10 hub desks — tables across the Mount Vernon and Foggy Bottom campuses which provide students supplies like board games and cleaning materials. See CLRE Page 5
JERRY LAI | PHOTOGRAPHER An employee mans the Potomac House Desk.
STAFF WRITER
RORY QUEALY
ASSISTANT NEWS EDITOR
GW’s federal research expenditures increased by about .32 percent in fiscal year 2022, but the University dropped in expenditure rankings among higher education institutions, according to a report at the Faculty Senate meeting Friday. The University’s federal research expenditures rose from about $161.35 million in FY2021 to $161.87 million in FY2022, but GW dropped from No. 91 to No. 95 in the National Science Foundation’s Higher Education Research and Development Survey. Faculty senators said they were concerned about delays in research approvals and payments for research staff, which Pamela Norris, the vice provost of research, attributed to staff turnover in the Office of Research, Integrity and Compliance. “Our federal research expenditures have continued to increase year over year over this time, but our competition is increasing at a quicker rate than we are, and thus our overall ranking relative to our peers has been decreasing in the recent past,” Norris said. Norris said a “significant” investment in research is necessary to continue GW’s trajectory of increased federal research expenditures and growth in rankings. Among peer schools, GW ranked eighth in federal research expenditures, with the University of Pittsburgh placing highest among peer schools in the 12th spot. GW, at No. 95, landed in the bottom half among peer schools but ranked higher than Northeastern, Tufts, Tulane, Georgetown and Syracuse universities. Faculty senate members asked Norris why GW fell in the research expenditures rankings. Philip Wirtz, a faculty senator and a professor of decision sciences and psychological brain sciences, said he is concerned GW isn’t spending federal funds to conduct research at similar levels as in prior years. He said the
SAGE RUSSELL | ASSISTANT PHOTO EDITOR Pamela Norris, the vice provost of research, speaks during a Faculty Senate meeting Friday.
University used to have more consistent rankings year to year, reaching No. 81 in 2016 and 2017. “Are we headed in the right direction?” Wirtz said. “Are you anticipating that our ranking will get better, or where are we headed?” In response, Norris said she sees “optimism” for a “significant” increase in research expenditures in FY2023 because the federal expenditures are up by about 23 percent compared to this time last year, but it’s “hard” to say what GW’s “competition” will be doing. Faculty senators probed Norris on staffing turnover in the Office of Research, Integrity and Compliance, which they said impeded research approvals and GW’s ability to hire and pay researchers. Faculty Senate Executive Committee Chair Ilana Feldman said staffing issues led to “very long delays” in the Institutional Review Board — which has the authority to approve or disapprove research under Food and Drug Administration guidelines — approvals for faculty research. She said delays have inhibited faculty productivity and their ability to train students. Sarah Wagner, a faculty senator
and a professor of anthropology, said GW has issues paying research staff and consultants, adding that researchers who submitted invoices have gone six months before being paid. She said when GW cannot pay researchers, it is inflicting “reputational damage” on the University. “I’m staying up at night because I can’t pay folks, but also because it’s mortifying when you can’t, for people who have done work for your project,” Wagner said. “And it takes so many emails, and that takes me away from the fundamental thing of why I get into research in the first place, which is to do research.” Norris said the Office of Research, Integrity and Compliance has faced a “very large turnover” and is working to reorganize increased responsibilities. She added that changes in federal regulations around human research subjects, GW’s “diversified” research portfolio and work to meet requirements of the Associate of American Universities — which granted GW membership last summer — have caused the backlog in research approvals. See NORRIS Page 3