Staffers share advice they wish they knew their first year

It’s the start of your first year, and all is bliss.

With parents nowhere to be seen and newfound freedom, this is the start of the rest of your life. Orientation week helps you ease into college life with fun social and professional activities. But there are still plenty of lessons to learn as you enter a more independent stage of your life. Here are a few extra tidbits that probably weren’t covered during orientation.

Ianne Salvosa | News

Editor

In the wise, poetic words of Ed Sheeran, “I’m at a party I don’t wanna be at.”

It’s a situation that nearly every first-year will encounter in the first month of school when they’re taking advantage of every social opportunity to avoid FOMO. Instead of forcing yourself to listen to “Pepas” by Farruko for the third time and participate in conversations you don’t want to be a part of, slip out the door and embrace the Irish Exit. If executed well, the Irish Exit is perfect for extracting yourself from an awkward situation: There’s nothing like a quick escape done with dramatic flair.

New and exciting social opportunities will unexpectedly pop up throughout the school year, but not every social gathering will be a perfect fit for you. If you’re not feeling the party spirit, just remember to shoot a quick text to a friend notifying them of your departure after you sneak away so they know you weren’t kidnapped. Listen to your mind and body when you’re out socializing — if you don’t want to be there, then don’t be there.

Nick Perkins | Culture Editor

Upon discovering most restaurants in this city shutter by 9 p.m., the last light on campus, Carvings, will beckon you with its siren song of hot tater tots and hearty burgers. Stumbling into the deli-style store on F Street and ordering a chicken sandwich to satiate one’s late-night hunger is an essential first-year experience — after all, Carvings proudly claims on their website to be the “best bite on campus.”

If you’re up for more of a stroll, wander into Georgetown or Adams Morgan and experience a D.C. staple: jumbo slice pizza, a gargantuan slice of pizza sold into the wee hours of the morning sure to put your stomach grumbling to an end.

Jennifer Igbonoba | Contributing News Editor position from 1988 to 2007. The bronze “river horse” statue right outside Lisner Auditorium has been a fixture of student life since Trachtenberg gifted it to the Class of 2000.

The first month of the fall semester is a prime time to make new friends, discover your interests and find your place on campus. Everyone is in the same boat as you, and you’ll find out quickly that your peers are most eager to make friends during orientation week.

But, the same people you meet during the beginning of your first year may not stick with you forever and that is OK. Everything from schedule conflicts to differing political views can cause a friend group to fall apart. People reveal themselves slowly and friends you make at the beginning of the semester might turn into acquaintances by the end as you discover more about yourself and each other. Don't force these relationships.

The official story is that when on vacation with his family, Trachtenberg’s wife, Francine, had to go home early. To make up for their time apart, Trachtenberg sent Francine the hippo statue.

She understandably declined the gift and told Trachtenberg to find the river horse a new home. Now, it stands ferociously at the corner of H and 21st streets as students take selfies riding it, throw coins into its mouth and lovingly rub its nose for luck.

Are they the Student Association or the wannabe “West Wing”?

Students looking to enter the political arena can dip their toe into government-adjacent management through the SA. From divvying up more than $1.3 million in SA fees for student organizations to securing our U-Passes, the SA has the means to impact student life.

As the saying goes: power tends to corrupt and absolute power corrupts absolutely. Last year, the SA Senate publicly released its operating budget for the first time, revealing they allocated $12,750 for their own spending, $4,000 of which was for food and drink for their meetings.

While voter participation in SA elections has been low, the drama remains at an all-time high. This past spring, the incumbent SA president was disqualified from running for a second term after it was ruled he illicitly claimed to be working for another candidate’s campaign during his own reelection.

This tomfoolery is the reality of our GWorld, but don’t worry, you’ll get used to it eventually.

Embrace the niche with these under-the-radar student orgs

KATHLEEN GIANNI REPORTER

One of the best ways to meet people in college is to get involved in student organizations, and with groups specializing in a range of topics from video game development to the Argentine tango, there’s a group at GW for everyone.

Check out these underthe-radar organizations that you might otherwise miss out on:

Art n Soul Art n Soul, an art club founded last year, is an optimal group for the creative type. The organization creates a space for members to learn new artistic skills through their meetings with studio time and arts and crafts.

For their first big project last year, the club dedicated itself to painting a GWinspired mural across the walls of the University Student Center’s fourth floor, detailed with monuments, hippos and scenes of Kogan Plaza.

GW Table Tennis

The GW Table Tennis Club gives members both a social and athletic organization by uniting GW students who share a love for the miniature sport. The team is a part of the National Collegiate Table Tennis Association, and they compete in tournaments at the divisional, regional and national levels.

GW Table Tennis works with the D.C. community through social engagements and fundraising events like bake sales to promote their mission of inclusion, sportsmanship and an active lifestyle.

George Washington University Fitness Club

Join the George Washington University Fitness Club, also known as GWFIT, for an easy and fun way to stay active during the academic year through group workouts in a lowpressure setting.

The club hosts activities like group lifts and boxing to inspire members to achieve their fitness goals while also offering monthly meetings to discuss topics like body positivity and the obstacles of getting into fitness. By joining GWFIT, members can learn how to program their personal workouts and build relationships that will motivate them in reaching their goals.

GW Reads!

GW Reads! is a campus book club offering a community for GW book lovers. Meeting every few weeks for discussion, the one-book-a-month schedule makes for a casual, low-commitment club for anyone to join. Beyond the book club, the group helps the community have easier access to books by donating to D.C. schools.

OneWorld GW

Members of OneWorld GW dedicate themselves to creating a better Earth through their shared goals of fighting climate change, making a more sustainable future and connecting students to nature. OneWorld GW spends meetings informing members about environmental matters like clean energy, composting and climate legislation while regularly hosting service events for activities like removing invasive species from Rock Creek Park.

Break the Foggy bubble with these DMV events this September

Getting out of Foggy Bottom can feel like a challenge, especially during the first couple of weeks of the semester with many GW-run events anchoring you to the neighborhood.

As we approach the beginning of the new school year, now is the time to explore some of the various events that are going on in D.C. during September. From food-themed festivals to electronic music concerts, there are events sure to entertain everyone, be they coffee lovers, music enthusiasts or foodies.

DC Coffee Festival, Sept. 30

The DC Coffee Festival, taking place at Union Market, is known for its “immersive coffee experience,” according to their website. Here, coffee lovers can enjoy the best specialty roasts with both local and exotic beans from places like Yemen and Panama, tasty snacks and even some live entertainment.

Coffee tastings are included when you buy your ticket while snacks are available for purchase. The festival also encourages visitors to bring their own mugs to limit waste as much as possible and make the tastings a little more convenient for the visitors. DC Coffee Festival at Union Market, 1309 5th St. NE, Washington, D.C. 20002. Saturday, September 30, 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Tickets are $24 for general admission. Oktoberfest Weekend at the Sept.Wharf, 15-17 With Oktoberfest — a German festival known for its traditional beer tents and cheery ambiance — right around the corner, the Wharf is again holding its annual celebration featuring a weekend full of everything from polka by the water to racing weiner dogs.

This year, the District Wharf neighborhood will host the annual Wiener 500 Dachshund Dash, where volunteered weiner dogs test their speed against one another. Other events include a polka dance party on Transit Pier featuring a how-to on polka and stein-hoisting contests, a classic German game in which participants compete to see who can hold a one-liter glass jug the longest. Throughout the weekend, visitors can enjoy traditional German food like pretzels and sausages as well as Bavarian decor and costumes.

Oktoberfest at The Wharf, 760 Maine Ave. SW, Washington, D.C. 20024. Sept. 15 to 17. Free admission. Diplo at Echostage, Sept. 2

Echostage is a hybrid music venue, mostly drawing electronic dance artists into its sprawling 30,000 square-foot layout adorned with flashing LED lights.

Those interested in electronic dance music cannot miss producer and EDM virtuoso Diplo’s DJ set at Echostage. Fans of the disk jockey should dance their way into Echostage for the show.

Diplo at Echostage, 2135 Queens Chapel Road NE, Washington, D.C. 20018. September 2, 9 p.m. Tickets are $65 for general admission.