Vol-120-Iss-27

STUDENTS TAKE U-YARD

Protesters overrun barricades blocking pro-Palestinian encampment

Hundreds of protesters broke through barricades blocking access to the pro-Palestinian encampment in University Yard on Sunday night.

At 11:28 p.m. students toppled the barricade between U-Yard and H Street after one GW Police Department officer, supported by three others, held the arms of a protester inside the encampment behind his back and moved him toward the encampment’s northwest barricade. Immediately after, one of the three officers removed his baton from its holster.

Protesters on H Street — where a second encampment has formed following officials’ construction of a fence around U-Yard Friday morning — surged to the barricade, forcing an impasse, chanting “Let him go” and “Shame on you.”

A University statement issued at 6:30 a.m. said “professional organizers,” University students and activists joined the “unauthorized” U-Yard encampment.

“This is an egregious viola-

tion of community trust and goes far beyond the boundaries of free expression and the right to protest,” the statement reads. “The university will use every avenue available to ensure those involved are held accountable for their actions.”

The statement says the University is aware of reports of an attempted arrest — the statement said those reports are false, and that a student jumped over the barricade and was being escorted out by GWPD.

The statement said the University has arranged for additional security resources to respond to the demonstration and that MPD remains on the scene.

“Despite the ongoing disturbance on University Yard, GW is open and operating with enhanced safety measures.” the statement reads. “We will release additional details as the situation evolves.”

Students pressed phone cameras into the faces of officers as they pushed against the barriers. Additional protesters, police reinforcements and members of the

press pushed their way around the barricade and into the encampment during the chaos, and police held the line, keeping most of the crowd at bay.

Organizers said demonstrators were able to “de-arrest” the detained protester as chants from the crowd against the police continued.

After a brief struggle, protesters pushed over the northwest barricade, breaking through the line of police and tearing down the rest of the metal fences surrounding the plaza as they surged into U-Yard. In moments, after more than 90 hours of protesting, the barrier that had separated demonstrators inside and outside U-Yard was gone.

Students streamed through the central entrance of U-Yard, hopping the barricade before it fell. They rushed into the U-Yard encampment shortly after, centralizing around the George Washington statue in the center of the square, locked together, arm-inarm.

“GW, shame on you, you endanger students too,” speakers

Four days inside the U-Yard, H Street camps

In the buildup to breaking through the barricades that blocked off University Yard from H Street late Sunday night, pro-Palestinian demonstrators remained inside two encampments for more than 90 hours.

The protesters demand GW’s divestment from companies tied to Israel, the removal of reported charges against pro-Palestinian student organizers, protection of pro-Palestinian speech, disclosure all its endowments and investments and the end to academic partnerships with Israel.

Nearly 35,000 Palestinians have been killed by the Israeli military in Gaza as of Monday, many of whom are women and children.

It’s been 24 years since the last major campus occupation protest. In 2000, protesters swarmed the Foggy Bottom campus, creating human chains diverting traffic to prevent the International Monetary Fund and

World Bank meetings. About 85 tents now sit in U-Yard, with roughly 24 more pitched on H Street. Demonstrators have indicated that they do not intend to leave the area. Here’s a rundown on the major events of each of the four days:

Day 1 — Thursday The encampment began early Thursday morning, four days before they broke through the barricade. About 50 protesters pitched tents in U-Yard around 5 a.m. Later that day, hundreds of pro-Palestinian

demonstrators gathered in the space.

GW, George Mason, American, Georgetown, Howard and Gallaudet universities and the universities of Maryland and Maryland, Baltimore County, collaborated to organize the encampment.

Demonstrators played live messages from students living in Gaza just after 2 p.m. A student in Gaza thanked D.C.-area chapters of Students for Justice in Palestine for hosting the demonstration.

shouted.

More students piled into UYard through the central entrance from H Street.

“F*ck your barricade,” protesters yelled.

Police briefly reconstructed the northwest barricade, but within an hour, students had broken

through again. Organizers yelled through a megaphone to tear down the barricades, and in groups, protesters grabbed the fences from all corners of U-Yard and tossed them into a heap in the center of the plaza while chanting and clapping.

Community members react to anti-war encampments, protests

As demonstrators flocked to H Street this week to support the proPalestinian encampment and join in protests calling for a ceasefire and University divestment from Israel, statements on the protest flowed in from faculty, student organizations and a member of a local governing body.

Seven hours after proPalestinian protesters erected tents in University Yard on Thursday, community members began releasing statements of both support and condemnation for the encampment and the subsequent suspension of students occupying U-Yard. Faculty and Foggy Bottom community leaders signed statements of support and many student organizations posted supportive statements on Instagram.

Over 40 student organizations, including WRGW, GW Reproductive Autonomy and Gender

Equity and GW Students for Indigenous and Native American Rights, have released statements of solidarity with students in the encampment, with more than a dozen directly condemning and calling for a reversal of the University’s alleged suspension of seven participants. Two student organizations have condemned the encampment, arguing that their chants are antisemitic, aggressive and incite hate.

The Muslim Students’ Association on Saturday released a statement on Instagram expressing solidarity with the students in the encampment and “wholeheartedly” supporting the students’ demands for the University to divest from “Zionist” companies, protect pro-Palestinian speech on campus, end academic partnerships with “Zionist” institutions and drop the reported charges against pro-Palestinian student organizers.

“We commend the courage and determination of the students who are raising their voices in support of Palestine, despite facing

suppression and opposition from university administrators,” the statement read. The Residence Hall Association issued an Instagram statement Saturday that condemned the reported suspension of seven students. The statement said without due process, GW’s suspension of students put them at risk of homelessness and food insecurity because they no longer have access to their housing or meal plans.

“For students to incur such significant harm resulting from University action is antithetical to the University’s responsibility to protect its students and its goal to eliminate food insecurity on campus,” the statement read.

J Street U at GWU issued a statement via Instagram on Saturday demanding that the reported student suspensions be overturned and said they are “deeply concerned” by the Metropolitan Police Department’s presence on campus and in the encampment area.

ERIKA FILTER NEWS EDITOR

RORY QUEALY ASSISTANT NEWS EDITOR

ERIKA FILTER NEWS EDITOR

FIONA RILEY ASSISTANT NEWS EDITOR RACHEL MOON CONTRIBUTING NEWS EDITOR

LEXI CRITCHETT | STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER Demonstrators chant outside the University Yard encampments.

DANIEL HEUER | STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

ARWEN CLEMANS | STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER A demonstrator speaks to a crowd at the barricades that bordered H Street as students sit and cheer.

PHOTO ESSAY: THE ENCAMPMENTS, DAY BY DAY

Day 1 — Thursday

Day 2 — Friday

Day 3 — Saturday

Day 4 — Sunday

DANIEL HEUER | STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER Tents make up an encampment in University Yard.

DANIEL HEUER | STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER Students watch from inside of Lisner Hall as protestors amass in the University Yard.

LEXI CRITCHETT | STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER Protesters huddle in the center of University Yard at the beginning of the day.

SAGE RUSSELL | ASSISTANT PHOTO EDITOR A protester lights Shabbat Candles on Friday night during a service.

DANIEL HEUER | STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER Chalk messages adorn H Street on the first full day of the second encampment.

DANIEL HEUER | STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER Members of the pro-Palestinian Coalition hold a press conference listing their demands and taking questions.

RAPHAEL KELLNER | STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER A demonstrator paints a sign in the H Street encampment.

KAIDEN J. YU | STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER A protester hurls a barricade toward a GW Law building.

Pro-Palestinian protesters break through barricades

From Page 1

At the north entrance, organizers urged onlookers to storm the plaza and join protesters in the center of U-Yard. Dozens more flooded in. Others grabbed tents from the H Street encampment and the northern corners of U-Yard and dragged them across the grass to every corner of the plaza — reclaiming the space that officials had fenced them out of Friday morning.

Hundreds of demonstrators surrounded the pile of barricades in U-Yard. Just before midnight, one person climbed on top of the mountain of metal to echo students’ demands: dropping the charges against pro-Palestinian student or-

ganizers and organizations, protecting pro-Palestinian speech on campus, divesting from companies selling technology and weapons to “the Zionists,” immediately disclosing all endowments and investments and ending all academic partnerships with Israel.

As the night continued, demonstrators climbed the mound of barricades and stood at the peak, waving Palestinian flags and chanting with the crowd.

“The revolution is here,” an organizer said while standing on the barricades. “Admin, y’all ready to have that meeting?”

Provost Chris Bracey arrived at U-Yard at about 12:45 a.m., and three students stood in his path, with one blocking him with his body to keep him from

Rundown on past 4 days at encampments

Page 1

University President Ellen Granberg and Provost Chris Bracey issued their first statement on the encampment at 2:22 p.m. Thursday, saying GW requested the Metropolitan Police Department’s assistance. The statement said GW will “continue to uphold” free expression but called the encampment “unauthorized.”

Dozens of faculty members from GW, Georgetown University and the University of Maryland joined hands with their backs to the encampment for about an hour and a half Thursday.

Officials initially set a 7 p.m. deadline on Thursday for the demonstration to end, but police were not visible in the area at the time. GWPD Chief James Tate said officials have offered student protestors a move to Anniversary Park, a fenced-off area on F Street.

Protesters set up a medic tent around 7:15 p.m. Hundreds of demonstrators entered the encampment around 7:20, forming a human barricade at least five people wide in most directions.

Day 2 — Friday

Organizers prepared for arrests starting around 2 a.m. Friday, citing concerns over the lack of light and protesters’ vulnerability while sleeping. They announced their plan to react to sweeps and directed demonstrators to pack their bags.

The University issued a statement at about 10 a.m. Friday saying demonstrators in U-Yard are trespassing private property and violating GW regulations.

Two more protesters left the UYard encampment around 2:10 p.m. Friday. Officials issued a statement Friday afternoon saying demonstra-

entering. A crowd of roughly 20 students followed Bracey through the plaza, facing a barrage of shouts and video recordings.

“This is your biggest nightmare,” a protester said.

“You think I’m afraid of this?” Bracey replied.

GWPD Chief James Tate arrived on scene by about 12:45 a.m. Monday, flanked by two other officers.

About a dozen MPD officers were stationed around the perimeter of U-Yard through the night, and another 16 officers stood a block away near the Academic Center for a couple of hours after the overrunning of the barricades.

“We need 400 officers to effectively do anything,” a GWPD officer was heard saying.

tors had been notified they “have been and continue to be” violating University policy and that the encampment is considered trespassing.

The Washington Post reported Friday afternoon that MPD officers had surrounded the encampment and were prepared to enter around 3 a.m. Friday, but senior leaders in the police chief and mayor’s office told University officials they wanted to avoid the potential of poor optics from a violent confrontation with protesters.

Student protesters said at a rally at about 8:23 p.m. that officials suspended seven students, charging them each with nine counts of misconduct.

Day 3 — Saturday

Two additional demonstrators exited the U-Yard encampment around 1:25 a.m. Saturday. Five people crowded the barricade to conceal their departure. Officials added barricades constraining the encampment to the northern half of U-Yard Saturday morning, separating them from Lisner and Bell halls and GW Law. Interim Vice President for Safety and Facilities Baxter Goodly said the protesters would still have access to the bathroom and have sufficient space for their tents.

Day 4 — Sunday

The University issued a campus advisory just before 5:30 p.m. stating access to buildings on the Foggy Bottom Campus remains on “GWorld Safety mode,” requiring community members with regular access to tap their GWorld cards to enter buildings. During the evening break in protest programming, around 6 p.m., roughly a dozen children sketched on pieces of paper and taped their art to the barricade.

Community members post statements on encampment

“As a majority Jewish organization, we know that the safety of Jewish and Palestinian students are intertwined,” the statement said. “Punishing pro-Palestinian activism does not guarantee our safety; it undermines it.”

GW for Israel and Alpha Epsilon Pi both issued statements condemning the demonstration.

GW for Israel said they “unequivocally” condemn the actions and speech of DMV Students for Justice in Palestine and the GW Student Coalition for Palestine in U-Yard in a statement released Thursday. The post said that statements like “There is only one solution, intifada revolution” and “Settlers, settlers go back home, Palestine is ours alone,” which protesters at the encampment are chanting, “explicitly endorse terrorism” against Israeli civilians.

“We will continue to uplift Jewish and Israeli voices on campus, decry antisemitism, call for the release of our hostages, and reaffirm Israel’s right to defend its people from terror,” the statement said.

An open letter signed by 54 GW faculty and staff members Friday condemned any attempts by GW officials to “shut down” protests or restrict access to open spaces. The letter called on the presidents and

board of trustees of universities in the D.C. region to protect students’ rights to free speech on campus.

The letter states that the 120 faculty and staff from universities in the DMV area who signed the document “will not tolerate” administrators’ attempts to silence, restrict and criminalize demonstrators.

“George Washington University, and indeed universities across the DMV and the United States as a whole, will fail in their most basic promises and commitments if they continue to repress, arrest, suspend, and stifle the free speech and political activity of their students,” the letter states.

Sara Matthiesen, an assistant professor of history and women’s, gender and sexuality studies, said she signed the letter to criticize campus administrators’ decisions to “criminalize” and discipline students who are protesting against Palestinian genocide.

“I signed because I am incredibly proud of and stand with our students who are courageously putting the ideas we discuss in our classrooms about power, justice, and solidarity into action,” Matthiesen said in an email.

Melani McAlister, a professor of American studies and international affairs, said she signed the petition with other professors to show GW administration that

the pro-Palestinian protesters “are not alone” in their efforts to exercise free speech. She said she recognizes the “urgency” of the war in Gaza and agreed with other faculty members that “silence is not an option.”

“Threatening to arrest or suspend students because of the ‘time, space, and manner’ of their use of free speech does a deep disservice to the commitment that GW should be standing for,” McAlister said in an email.

Jim Malec, the chair of the Foggy Bottom and West End Advisory Neighborhood Commission, said in an email to GW Director of Community Relations Kevin Days on Friday that he hopes GW officials will “think hard” about how community members will perceive the University’s response to the encampment.

“Rather than threatening to arrest or discipline students, it could in fact celebrate the fact that members of its student body are engaging in a demonstration pertaining to a matter they feel passionately about,” Malec said in the email.

ANC Commissioner Yannik Omictin said in a post on X, formerly known as Twitter, Friday that he stands in solidarity with the demonstrators in the encampment. .

“GW should heed the protestors’ calls and MPD+GWPD should stay out of it,” Omictin said in the post.

MPD declined officials’ request to clear encampment, Washington Post reports

Metropolitan Police Department officials rejected requests from GW officials to clear protesters from their encampment in University Yard early Friday morning, the Washington Post reported Friday afternoon.

The Post reported that police had gathered to clear the encampment around 3 a.m., about the same time organizers alarmed encampment attendees that arrests were coming. Around that time Friday morning, Assistant Dean for Student Affairs Brian Joyce told The Hatchet he “thinks” MPD officers were on their way.

Senior D.C. officials in the Mayor’s office and MPD reportedly declined GW’s requests to clear the encampment, citing concerns over the “optics” of moving against peaceful protesters, The Post reported. With protesters saying they will stay in U-Yard until their demands are met and D.C. police reportedly unwilling to remove the group, it’s unclear how long the impasse could last. Multiple University spokespeople have not returned requests for comment. Hannah Glasgow, an MPD spokesperson, said in an emailed statement that MPD has been supporting

the GW Police Department since the start of the demonstrations and that the department does not comment on operational procedures.

MPD had no plans at the time to clear the encampment, The Post reported, but that could change if the protests grow hostile. The protest has remained peaceful throughout the week.

The Post, citing a pair of unnamed D.C. officials, reported that officials wanted to avoid arresting peaceful protesters, which could result in images of altercations between police and demonstrators that have sparked criticism of other police agencies across the country.

Police have arrested protesters in at least 18 campuses in the U.S., according to a New York Times list. Protests at Columbia

University grew after New York Police Department officers arrested more than 100 members of an encampment at the university — another encampment quickly popped up. Columbia officials said they don’t plan to call NYPD again, according to the student paper Columbia Daily Spectator. The New York Times reports that police have arrested more than 800 antiwar protesters in April.

MPD has faced lawsuits for prior crackdowns on protests. Protesters last year sued the department for nonlethal uses of force during 2020 protests against the murder of George Floyd. D.C. was ordered to pay $1.6 million in damages in 2021 after the city settled police misconduct lawsuits stemming from 2017 presidential inauguration protests.

KAIDEN J. YU | STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

Protesters swarm a GW Police Department officer in University Yard on Sunday night.

FAITH WARDWELL SENIOR STAFF WRITER

NICK PASION MANAGING EDITOR

KARSYN MEYERSON | STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER Metropolitan Police Department officers wait on benches by Phillips Hall

GW’s Title IX office to change policies following update to federal regulations

JENNA LEE STAFF WRITER

GW’s Title IX office will update its policies this summer to comply with the Department of Education’s new Title IX regulations published earlier this month.

The new regulations expand the definition of what qualifies as sexual harassment, simplify the investigation process for Title IX violations and include provisions for discrimination based on gender identity, sexual orientation and pregnancy status. Asha Reynolds, the interim director and GW Title IX coordinator, said the University will review the new regulations and draft policies over the summer to comply with them.

Reynolds said the new rules will go into effect Aug. 1.

“We will communicate any updates closer to that date,” Reynolds said in an email.

Reynolds said the new rule “expands protections” against discrimination targeted at the LGBTQ+ community, or based on pregnancy and pregnancy-related conditions. The rules clarify that sex-based discrimination, which Title IX prohibits, includes discrimination against those identifying with any of these groups.

Congress enacted Title IX of the Education Amendments in 1972, which prohibits discrimination in education on the basis of sex. The Department of Health, Education and Welfare — now the Department of Education — issued final regulations on how universities should implement the law in 1975.

During former President Barack Obama’s administration, the Department of Education issued several unofficial federal guidelines for universities’ enforcement of Title IX rules. Former President Donald Trump’s administration published amendments to official regulations for the first time in 2020, and the regulations passed last week reflect President Joe Biden’s amendments to the 2020 rule.

Title IX experts said the 2024 regulations ease the process of addressing sexual harassment for universities by broadening the qualification criteria.

S. Daniel Carter, the president of Safety Advisors for Educational Campuses, LLC — an organization that assists universities in complying with federal regulations like Title IX — said

the definition of hostile environment harassment is the main difference between the 2020 regulations and the ones issued last week.

He said under the 2020 ruling, an incident needed to be “severe and pervasive” in order to count as hostile environment harassment, which made it hard for university officials to address single instances of violence. The 2024 regulations changed the definition back to “severe or pervasive,” as it was before the 2020 ruling.

“The 2024 rule is designed to make it easier for schools to respond to a wider range of hostile environment harassment by expanding the definition and by giving them more tools to respond,”

Carter said.

Carter said the 2024 ruling also allows universities to use the “single investigator model” where they assign a single official to investigate an incident, determine the consequences and supervise any proceedings related to the incident. “Everyone needs to be accountable to somebody and a true single investigator, where there’s basically supervisor, decision-maker and investigator as one doesn’t afford that,” Carter said.

Carter said changing regulations four years after the 2020 regulations has made it difficult for organizations and universities to become familiar with Title IX policy. He said there is a need for stability in policy, and the government should aim to create last-

ing regulations that give a chance to work over a long period of time instead of making changes based on evolving political agendas.

“We really hope that the department will stabilize the expectations under this law,” Carter said. “We’re having a pingpong effect, basically, where the direction on implementing the law is going from one end to the other and back repeatedly and that is causing a lot of difficulty, a lot of confusion, and it is not the best way to implement a law.”

R. Shep Melnick, a professor of American politics at Boston College, said the differences between the 2020 and 2024 regulations reflect the tension between the ease of filing complaints with Title IX and the retention of the rights of those accused of Title IX violations. He said the 2024 regulations focus more on easing the complaint filing process complaints by not requiring schools to conduct live hearings with the accused, which was required under the 2020 rule.

“There’s always this trade-off between encouraging more complaints, making it easier to prosecute the complaints and preserving the due process rights of the people that were accused,” Melnick said. “The Trump administration thought it was important to build up the due process rights, and the Biden administration have been very critical of that and they want to make it easier for people to bring and to successfully prosecute these complaints.”

THEFT I/FROM BUILDING

Academic Center

Reported 4/23/2024 – 1:30 p.m.

Open case

A male student reported their unattended backpack stolen. Case open.

UNLAWFUL ENTRY

Milken School of Public Health

4/23/2024 – 2:18 p.m.

Closed case

GW Police Department officers responded to a report of an unknown male subject who followed students into the Milken Institute School of Public Health after being told he was not permitted to enter into the building. Upon arrival, GWPD issued a bar notice.

Subject barred.

THEFT II/FROM BUILDING

School of Media & Public Affairs

4/23/2024 – 1:30 to 2 p.m.

Open case

A female GW staff member reported that her wallet was stolen from her office. Case open.

THREATS TO BODILY HARM

1900 Block of E Street NW

4/23/2024 – 11 p.m.

Closed case

A male student reported that an unknown male subject who was panhandling money threatened him the previous day. The student did not want to pursue criminal charges.

No further action.

SIMPLE ASSAULT (DOMESTIC VIOLENCE)

Science and Engineering Hall

4/24/2024 – 9:14 a.m.

Closed case

GWPD officers responded to a report of an assault. Upon arrival, GWPD officers made contact with a male student who stated his father assaulted him. The student did not want to pursue criminal charges.

No further action.

School Without Walls faces budget gaps; may lose theater, Chinese programs

RORY QUEALY ASSISTANT NEWS EDITOR

BRYSON KLOESEL REPORTER

School Without Walls High School faces budget gaps in the 2024-25 fiscal year that students said will spell the loss of its theater program and likely its Chinese program.

The proposed 2024-25 budget shows that SWW’s overall funding from the D.C. government increased, but SWW’s Local School Advisory Team — a group of parents, teachers, school staff and community members — said in a Feb. 29 letter to SWW families that increased personnel costs, inflation and the loss of pandemicera federal funding created a $235,000 funding gap that will result in the loss of two teaching positions. Students and other community members have rallied in opposition to the proposed budget shortfall over the past two months, signing a petition and testifying to the D.C. Council to push to reallocate funds toward D.C. public schools.

The Home and School Association notified students of the deficit via newsletter Feb. 29. The letter states that the administration “advocated through the budget process to address this deficit.” A request from Principal Sylvia Isaac to restore the funding “was denied” by D.C. Public Schools, the letter reads.

Two weeks later, students and alumni published a petition, which has garnered close to 900 signatures and urged D.C. officials to protect the teachers. The Foggy Bottom and West End Advisory Neighborhood Commission voted last week to send a resolution to the D.C. Council, asking them to fill the school’s budget gap.

Lea Zaslavsky, SWW’s only theater teacher and the department director, said Isaac notified her six weeks ago that her position would be cut, ending the theater program at the school.

“My reaction was one of disbelief at first, but then I had no other recourse but to accept it,” Zaslavsky said in an email. “It felt personal of course, because it cannot help but feel that way when what I bring to the school community in terms of qualifications was not ever considered.”

The LSAT said administra -

tion was “left with no choice but to cut positions and other expenses” after D.C. Public Schools declined to fill the school’s budget gap that D.C. officials proposed in a letter to SWW families. Zaslavsky said the LSAT determined cuts based on which departments had the lowest enrollment this academic year.

Zaslavsky said she disagreed with the LSAT’s method used to decide what cuts to make. Zaslavsky said this academic year was the first year her theater classes had “low enrollment” because the time slot for her course conflicted with courses required for graduation.

“I am a teacher who works before and after contract hours on committees, clubs, dances and more to make students enjoy their high school experience and to know that, as a teacher, I could be eliminated without any consideration to what I offer as a professional to the school hurts,” Zaslavsky said. “These decisions should not just be based on class size, or if the class is a graduation requirement because school is about more than that.”

Zaslavsky said she established SWW’s theater program eight years ago when she was hired, which has since put on four plays and three musicals

with at least 60 students participating in each. She said she supports students voicing their opposition to the budget cuts but that she did not ask anyone to speak out and has not been involved in any of their pushback efforts.

“I had hoped this would be the school I would retire from in 10 years, but sadly, that will not be the case,” Zaslavsky said.

D.C. Public Schools and the Office of the Deputy Mayor for Education did not return requests for comment.

Senior Hugo Rosen, the SWW student council president, said the school’s administration made the decision to eliminate two teaching positions in conjunction with the LSAT. He said administrators and the advisory team decided to cut two elective classes with the lowest enrollment — theater and Chinese — which he said would deprive students of educational opportunities.

Rosen said he organized the student testimony delivered to the D.C. Committee of the Whole, which supervises DCPS’ budget. Last month, the LSAT issued a “call to action” along with instructions and tips for students to testify. The team gave students recommendations to articulate arguments opposing the funding cuts, including

specific data points regarding enrollment, like that DCPS has projected SWW enrollment to increase from 597 to 609 next year.

“The budget cut for Walls and also budget cuts for DCPS schools around the schools is depriving kids of their right to a public education because every teacher interacts with hundreds of students a day and makes an impact on hundreds of students,” Rosen said. “I think if the D.C. Council wants to cut money, they should look elsewhere because cutting teachers is not fair to students.”

On April 4, Rosen and 30 other students testified separately in multiple statements to the D.C. Council, describing the ways at-risk programs have improved SWW and their fears of what will happen if they are lost, like no longer being able to participate in plays or musicals. One student testified to say the ability to learn Mandarin Chinese is valuable to students because it is the most commonly spoken language in the world.

In SWW sophomore Jett Morad-McCoy’s testimony, he said he felt out of place on his first day as a freshman and found support from Zaslavsky, or Ms. Z.

SWW junior Anna Meyer said she recognizes that while

SWW faces an uphill battle with the funding gap, it is worth remembering the notion of a “shared sacrifice,” as District leaders have proposed impending budget cuts to about 80 public schools in the District. She said SWW is a relatively privileged school and that the losses are still shouldered disproportionately on historically disadvantaged communities, like Anacostia High School, that would see their purchasing power shrink at nearly twice the rate of SWW.

SWW is the No. 1 rated high school in the District, according to U.S. News & World Report.

D.C. Council Chairman Phil Mendelson openly criticized the mayor’s budget, calling the proposal — which he said would require an estimated 80 out of 117 schools to make layoffs — “counterproductive” and “harmful.”

“It is my intention to restore as much, if not all, of the funding that has been taken away from schools in the mayor’s proposed budget,” Mendelson said.

Mendelson said he cannot commit to restoring funding for one school, like SWW. He said the Schools First Law, which the council approved in 2022, allows officials to calculate each school’s budget using a funding formula.

“I am going to do everything I can to make every school whole as provided in the Schools First Law,” Mendelson said. “And that should include School Without Walls.”

Avajane Lei, a senior at SWW, created a petition to try and “keep educational staff” in the face of budget cuts. The petition garnered around just under 900 signatures as of Monday morning, eclipsing the school’s 2025 enrollment of about 600 students.

Lei said she was “outraged” when she learned about the proposed budget cuts because the theater program and the Chinese department are “very close” to her. She said she is currently participating in the school’s production of “Rent” and has been enrolled in Chinese courses since her freshman year.

“Finding out that teachers who had such a big influence on my education, the possibility that they would be not longer part of our community was very shocking for me,” Lei said.

—Compiled by Ella Mitchell

TANNER NALLEY | STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER KELLNER

The GW Title IX Office along 20th St.

KAIDEN YU | STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER Students walk into The School Without Walls.

New BSU leadership to highlight Black communities, grow student involvement

The newly elected Black Student Union executive board plans to increase student involvement in the organization and foster a community for Black students beyond their first year by showcasing professional and social events.

BSU co-presidents Kalah Neal and Netaya Davis will head the executive board for the 2024-25 academic year after their elections on April 13 to 14. With a mix of new members and those with previous experience holding positions, the incoming e-board officers said they hope to strengthen the BSU community for members after their first year by investing in BSU traditions like Soul Revue, a showcase of Black culture and talent, and professional development.

Neal, a sophomore who previously served as BSU’s executive vice president this year, said she wants to emphasize build experiences, study halls and financial seminars the organization offers by striking up conversation with members and personally inviting them to events. She said hearing what attendees want to see more of in their events like what kind of food they enjoyed allows BSU to cater to students’ wishes and increase attendance.

“We genuinely want to be a space for the community to come gather and then elevate themselves,” Neal said.

Neal said being a Black student at a predominantly white institution is “hard to do and you’re doing it alone.” She said having an established Black community like the BSU gives students an outlet to share experiences that may be unfamiliar to non-Black students.

“A sense of community at a PWI, especially for Black students,

is crucial because a lot of students have dealt with small microaggressions, and who do you voice those to rather than people that can understand 100 percent where you’re coming from,” Neal said.

Davis, a sophomore and BSU’s former vice president of community outreach, said she hopes to increase collaboration with other

Student organizations cultivate native gardens in DC

A pair of student organizations designed and planted gardens of native vegetation in D.C. last weekend.

Students for Indigenous and Native American Rights and Environmental Justice Action Network participated in a challenge in April to create gardens of plants native to the area led by an organization that supports indigenous agriculture. Students in both organizations said they joined the challenge to share the significance of indigenous vegetation in an area to other students.

SINAR’s garden is located in Piscataway Park in Maryland and is shaped like a turtle with an orange, yellow and pink color scheme to resemble the Piscataway tribe’s flag. EJAN’s garden is located by the Milken Institute School of Public Health next to a sculpture the University received from the George Zongolopoulos Foundation.

The challenge, called “Wild Visions Habitat Creation Challenge,” was hosted by Garden for Wildlife, a program part of the National Wildlife Federation — a nonprofit organization focused on conservation education. Rosalie Bull, the campus engagement lead for Garden for Wildlife, said 13 participating student groups from seven universities, including GW, Gallaudet and Georgetown universities, created 5,600 square feet of new wildlife habitat throughout the D.C. area.

Bull said each student organization was responsible for designing their gardens and the program supplied plants indigenous to D.C., including Smooth Blue Aster, Black-Eyed Susan, Foxglove Beardtongue, Swamp Milkweed, Gray Leaf Goldenrod and Orange Butterfly Milkweed. Bull said native plants serve as a foundation

of a local ecology and that more individual action, like planting at their homes, can create more sustainable ecosystem.

When invasive species enter an ecosystem they spread rapidly, causing disruption to native vegetation, which has the potential to harm the environment.

“Those plants matter to the creatures that call them home,” Bull said. “Maybe you feel small, just working at an individual level. But if you think about the scale for insects, and kind of the smaller creatures that inhabit our world, your yard is a universe.”

Bull said plants provide subsistence for insects, which are the link between energy and photosynthesis and support the entire food chain. She said people should plant indigenous vegetation in their respective areas because the plants are more accustomed to the environment.

“They have evolved for millennia with the other insects in this area, as well as the other plants and vegetation,” Bull said. “They just have whether it is like a role that cannot be replaced with anything else, or just a role that’s better suited to providing food, habitat or shelter to other insects. They typically do that better than a non-native species does.”

First-year Jacob Brittingham, the secretary of SINAR, said it is important for indigenous people to maintain the landscape and ensure it is not being “abused” because of the familial, historical and cultural connection to the environment.

“During the Trail of Tears, whenever those people of the five Civilized Tribes were removed from their land, and there was nobody to take care of the land after them, that land completely lost its nutrients and its nourishment,” Brittingham said. “It wasn’t able

to sustain its environment, because native people had their systems and had their ways to maintain the land and protect it.”

The Trail of Tears was the forced migration of approximately 100,000 indigenous Americans from the southwest region to the western area of the country during the 1830s, some 15,000 people died along the journey.

SINAR president and senior Riya Sharma said the organization chose Piscataway Park because it is a park named after the indigenous Piscataway people. Since the organization’s garden is located in the park, the group designed their garden in the shape of the Piscataway flag and named it Wawpaney, which means dawn or sunrise in the Nanticoke’s peoples language, she said.

The Nanticoke people lived in what is now Maryland and southern Delaware, and migrated toward now New York state, Ohio and Indiana after 1722.

“We thought that dawn represented birth of something new, birth of these new species, birth of this bed to honor the Piscataway people,” Sharma said.

Sophomore Kaitlyn Gang, the president of EJAN, said the challenge was an opportunity for students to be creative but also educate themselves on the role of native plants and their importance in an ecological structure. She said a visual component of environmental justice on campus exposes more people to environmentalism.

“If it’s not really in front of you, it’s very hard to get people to care,” Gang said. “This is just one step in the direction of get people to start getting interested about these things, especially because green jobs and sustainability in general is such a large up and coming thing and it affects a lot more people than you think.”

Black student organizations to host programming, like when BSU hosted an event earlier this month with multiple organizations like the Black Women’s Forum and the Caribbean Students Association where attendees wrote appreciation cards and gifted decorated mugs to female faculty members. Davis said hosting networking

events and panels while continuing annual events like “Finale,” a party at the end of every Black Heritage Celebration celebrating Blackness, and “Blacksgiving,” is part of keeping upperclassmen involved with the organization.

“Overall the Black Student Union means, it means for me, family ties, like a home away from home,” Davis said.

Davis said BSU is where students can find a Black community within a PWI and hopes the organization can feel like a familiar community for Black students by personally connecting with her peers. She said last year’s BSU president, “’You don’t have to have a class with someone to get to know someone, you can just see them walking down the street,” Davis said. “You look like me, we look alike, and we are at a PWI, let’s get to know each other.”

Sophomore Devin Tennant, BSU’s incoming executive vice president and last year’s vice president of marketing, said the BSU’s role on campus extends beyond creating a safe space for Black students to also educate those unfamiliar with Black culture. Tennant said BSU’s large events “spotlight” Black culture and ensure Black students are seen on campus.

“I feel like in leadership, in student leadership on campus we lack a voice,” Tennant said. “If you look at SGA and other other groups that kind of speak for the students, there really isn’t much representation.”

Online hate stems from small platforms, researchers find

Researchers found online hate develops on smaller social media platforms instead of mainstream ones in a study published earlier this month.

Researchers found that online hate speech originates on smaller platforms like 4chan, Discord and Telegram by using mapping technology only available at GW to see how content connects to larger platforms like Facebook and X, formerly known as Twitter. Neil Johnson, a professor of physics and researcher for the study, said the findings challenge public understanding and policy efforts to control online hate speech, which focus on regulating content on larger platforms.

Johnson said mainstream platforms are “passive receivers” of hate speech content because content does not originate there but instead on smaller platforms. Johnson said the findings contradict the conception among researchers and the public that large platforms are the main method for spreading online hate.

“The assumption is the large platforms are the ones that create the largest problem, that somehow they’re the big influence, but they’re not,” Johnson said.

To study the relationship, researchers created a comprehensive map of “adaptive linked dynamics,” large ecosystems of 30 smaller platforms that feed hate speech onto mainstream ones, according to the study. Johnson said users’ continued engagement on mainstream platforms with the content generated on smaller platforms strengthen these “hate highways.” Johnson said the researchers’ goal was to unravel the source of online hate speech.

“That’s the largest map, it’s almost like the James Webb telescope of the on-

line world regarding hate,” Johnson said.

Researchers applied their model to the Jan. 6, 2021 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol and found hate speech on smaller platforms like 4chan and Telegram increased two days prior to the insurrection and originated from preexisting hate networks on these platforms.

Johnson said hate speech originates from thousands of online communities dedicated to conspiracy theories and extremism on smaller platforms that drive narratives amplified on the main platforms. He said this finding contradicts the idea that hate communities are isolated echo chambers because they are connected across smaller platforms and easily spread to larger audiences.

Johnson said current efforts to regulate hate speech on social media like the European Union Digital Services Act — which requires certain platforms to provide data on content moderation and remove illegal speech — will fail because they only focus on regulating content on large platforms. He said lawmakers need to evaluate small and large platforms and proposed that company leaders could collaborate to sever network ties, keeping hateful content contained on smaller platforms.

“Until policymakers include this slew, this whole ecosystem of smaller platforms in the discussions, the problems of online harm, hate misinformation, disinformation, will not go away,” Johnson said. “In fact, they’ll get worse.”

He said his previous work studying online hate “missed the point” because researchers exclusively focused on X, ignoring smaller platforms and online communities.

Richard Sear, a GW senior faculty programmer and data administrator, said he handled data management and collection for the study. Sear said they tracked

“hub” communities like the “politically incorrect” group on 4chan, which are popular among hate speech followers. He said hate speech communities coordinate the spread of their content to the larger platforms and find ways to circumvent moderation.

“They figure out ways of dodging the content moderation, the new policies that exist on the original platform,” Sear said. Sear said approaching hate speech from a datadriven perspective will help companies moderate their content more effectively because they will know where to look for it. He said platforms must understand the way hate communities are connected instead of playing “whack a mole” by guessing where the hateful speech is going to pop up.

“It’s very important to constantly be taking a realistic and data driven approach to this stuff,” Sear said. “I think it’s very easy to get kind of bogged down in specific little cases.”

Experts in the fields of media studies, hate speech and communication said the study’s findings raise questions to conventional research, but expressed doubts that hate speech can be easily controlled on smaller platforms.

Joseph Walther, a distinguished professor of communication studies at the University of California, Santa Barbara, said he was “surprised” by the researchers’ findings. He said most of the research he studied focuses on an opposite trend, with hate speech users spreading content on smaller platforms only after they have been removed from larger platforms.

“It’s a surprise to me,” Walther said. “There’s other research that shows the opposite direction, but what I find most fascinating in this field is cross platform hate behavior and the level of coordination that takes place between platforms.”

Opinions

“Spring Fling concert should be accessible to the entire GW community, but students were priced out of this year’s event and deterred by its location.”

— MATTHEW DONNELL on 4/25/24

Officials aren’t delivering the leadership GW needs

GW is making history.

The images from University Yard and H Street in recent days echo past student demonstrations and round out an academic year in which officials have consistently struggled to find their footing on free speech.

Hundreds of students, staff, faculty and members of other D.C.-area universities have flocked to U-Yard since dawn Thursday. A rotating cast of officials have made appearances inside and outside of the barricades, walls officials erected Friday morning that lock students inside U-Yard and stop others from getting in.

At around 11:30 p.m. Sunday, those barricades came down.

Time and time again in the wake of Oct. 7, officials have consistently failed to address the challenges protests pose. Nor have they acknowledged protesters’ demands, let alone, it seems, met them at the bargaining table.

And now, GW has proven protesters’ worst fears right. Officials have stifled student, staff and faculty speech and jeopardized their safety. We need leadership who won’t.

At about 9 p.m. Sunday, University President Ellen Granberg and Provost Chris Bracey released their second of two statements regarding the protest. “GW remains dedicated to protecting our community’s rights to activism, engagement, and the free expres-

STAFF EDITORIAL

sion of diverse viewpoints,” they wrote. “Free expression and activism, however, are not unlimited.”

Freedom of expression and freedom from disruption exist in tension, and establishing a balance between these two principles

Letter to the editor: Retired professor banned from listserv after supporting encampment

Dear Editors, I am the alum (1996) and retiree (2018) from the Milken Institute School of Public Health whom Dean Lynn Goldman expelled from our listserv for supporting students in their encampment. The Hatchet reported the Dean’s statement in their daily updates on the protest April 26.

As a former organizer against the war on Vietnam and current opponent of imperialist wars, I urge students, staff, faculty and community to continue supporting the workers and students of Palestine, Israel and the U.S. to fight Zionism, genocide and repression. Zionism is another type of nationalism in the form of Jewish superiority; it affirms that Jewish people deserve their own land to avoid persecution and justifies the ethnic cleansing of Palestinians.

The world is largely divided between those with wealth and power versus those who work to make them rich. This is true in Israel, the U.S., the West Bank and Gaza. (See the multiracialunity.org blog for the collection of articles on Israel and Palestine). While there is

isn’t easy. But officials’ allor-nothing approach has contributed to tearing the University community apart.

Whether protests, projections, vigils or now encampments, GW’s response to pro-Palestinian, anti-war

Aa long history of antisemitic persecution, Zionism and its wars do not make Jews safe. Multiethnic and multiracial solidarity will.

Universities and other educational institutions are part of the cultural landscape of a country’s ruling elites. They indoctrinate students with ideologies and false narratives of history. They operate like corporations, hiring the cheapest labor, paying low wages, creating precarious teaching positions and serving military research needs. Their administrators make millions and respond to their donors.

Yet, universities are also centers of dissent for peace, labor, anti-racism and climate. Kudos to all the students, Jewish, Palestinian, Black and white, who are organizing today despite threats of jail and suspension. Continue to resist repression, imperialism and racism. Engage with unions to stop business as usual. Elections do not change conditions even as Biden does his best to win over students with loan forgiveness and crocodile tears. Let your administrators know you will not support repression and censorship.

—Karyn Pomerantz is an alum from the Class of 1996 and a former member of the Milken Institute School of Public Health.

activism has ranged from rapid condemnation to radio silence. And it’s alarming how the same administrators who quickly voiced their concerns about antisemitism last semester have yet to specifically address a spate of antisemitic signs on campus. Given their record, it appears officials believe they can either discipline demonstrators or do nothing at all. Neither route, as Granberg said, “strengthens” the University during these “challenging times.”

Rather, they signify how officials have become unable to lead the campus.

Bracey came face to face with a group of protesters as he walked through U-Yard Monday around 1 a.m. “This is your biggest nightmare,” a protester said. “You think I’m afraid of this?” Bracey replied, before walking into Lisner Hall.

This remark isn’t just offhanded. It sums up officials’ utter detachment from students, staff and faculty. When the University community and officials are living in different universes, how are we supposed to come together?

This past year has taught us that cracking down on one protest only leads to another. When institutions respond with heavy-handed tactics and police violence, they mobilize others to act. Look no further than Sunday night. After GWPD officers confronted two protesters and grabbed at least one by the arm, demonstrators pushed down barricades, rushed into U-Yard and moved tents.

As it stands, citing GW’s mission and values doesn’t satisfy the demands of protesters, restore the routine of students, staff and faculty whose lives and work have been interrupted, or assuage the concerns of parents, alumni or donors.

Creating an environment where free speech and safety coexist isn’t impossible. But for our leaders, it seems it is.

As protests erupt, GW betrays its mission

s protests have erupted across the country, university leaders have shown us who they serve and who they are accountable to — and it is not the mission of the university. By caving into political and donor pressures, they have also made fissures within higher education appear even more visible.

Shaista E. Khilji Guest

To understand how we ended up here, first understand universities are founded on the principle of freedom of thought and expression. They are the bedrock of a healthy, functioning democracy. They are expected to allow open interpretation and exploration of ideas, the transmission of knowledge and robust debate.

In a free society, university leaders promote and defend these values.

But universities have been gradually hollowed out, due to neoliberal reforms implemented to address rising tuition costs and dwindling funding.

Such reforms have changed the character of universities.

Shared governance, the most distinctive feature of higher education, became contested and eroded. And as trustees and wealthy donors accumulated more power, the role of university leaders changed from chief mission officers to CEOs.

The ineffectual congressional testimony of Columbia University President Minouche Shafik in recent weeks and her subsequent stringent actions to break up the student protests and encampments are testaments to the weakened foundation of our universities. They also reveal a disturbing rise of authoritarianism on our campuses.

For many people, the images of police cuffing students, wrestling protestors to the ground and faculty being arrested will be hard to shake off. University leaders’ draconian actions are destructive to campus climate. They are likely to further alienate a significant portion of the public

Virginia Region” indicates, GW’s repression of the peaceful proPalestinian protest and suspension of protesting students do not build a community “that reflects and embraces a rich and broad range of human experiences and perspectives.”

GW leaders claim these peaceful protestors are making unauthorized use of the campus space. Do they need reminding that the very foundation of a university — its very purpose — is freedom of expression?

While officials lament that “such activities are inconsistent with the university’s mission and values,” GW’s Student Code states dissent is essential to its commitment to free speech. They are emphasizing the safety of the community, forgetting that heavy police presence, their intimidation techniques on peaceful student protestors and their prior unilateral decision to arm GW Police Department officers have not made all people feel safer. The role of a university is to empower its students and teach them compassion, civic duty, global citizenship and empathy so they can collaboratively tackle problems of their time.

GW leaders claim these peaceful protestors are making unauthorized use of the campus space. Do they need reminding that the very foundation of a university — its very purpose — is freedom of expression?

What were once “communities of scholars” became conventional workplaces focused on revenue generation. This has significantly impacted the daily experiences of faculty and students: the way we teach, what we teach, how we interact with each other, the topics we research and how society sees us.

from the promise and intellectual excitement of higher education.

Protests are a rich university tradition. They offer the space to express dissent, shaping the political, economic and social landscape. As the “Open Letter from Faculty and Staff across the DC, Maryland, and

In addressing this tidal wave of student protests at GW, I hope the University’s leaders act as Revolutionaries and model the democratic and moral ideals of the institution it represents. Otherwise, student and faculty dissent will only fester, which will further erode the integrity and legitimacy of higher education.

— Shaista E. Khilji is a professor of human and organizational learning and international affairs.

Contributor

Karyn Pomerantz Guest Contributor

RAPHAEL KELLNER | STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

Sports

Baseball head coach builds legacy at GW

At GW, baseball isn’t just a team, it’s a family Head Baseball Coach and former student-athlete Gregg Ritchie has been a core member of that family since his playing days. Viewed as both a mentor and father figure by his squad, Ritchie’s holistic commitment to fostering player growth has been a hallmark of his coaching mentality, fostering success among his players both on and off the field.

“There’s a total buy in, you can look at me and say, ‘Hey, I hear you and I trust you,’” Ritchie said. “So if you can’t build a relationship, you can’t create trust, and if you can’t create trust, the truth doesn’t come out.”

Prior to his coaching career, Ritchie made his mark on the field at GW as a pitcher and outfielder. He batted a .492 average during the 1986 season, second highest in the country. As a pitcher, he earned a 6-3 record on top of a 1.91 ERA that same year. Ritchie was selected as the 188th pick in the 1986 MLB Draft by the San Francisco Giants. He spent a majority of his career in the minor leagues, playing for Giants affiliates before playing one season with the Texas Rangers’ triple-A affiliate.

His coaching career began in 1996 as a hitting coach for the Bristol White Sox, a member of the Chicago White Sox’s minor league system. After stints with various minor league teams, including the Winston-Salem Dash, Burlington Bees, Birmingham Barons and Charlotte Knights, Ritchie joined the Pittsburgh Pirates as a hitting coach in 2006.

Ritchie returned to D.C. in 2012, this time as his head coach at his alma mater.

“I was always coming back here,” Ritchie said. “It didn’t matter when I was playing or when I was coaching the White Sox or Pirates, or when I was in the big leagues. Every offseason, in any chance I

Williams

could get, I was always coming back here with the other coaches. All the other coaches that were here, and sitting in the office and talking to the players, or going to the cage and watching them.”

For Ritchie, baseball wasn’t the only factor when returning to GW as head coach. Ritchie who is married to Kelly Siegel, an 1986 GW alum and former men’s rowing coxswain, is the father of four children, who were concluding their middle, high school and college degrees when he rejoined the Revs. Ritchie and Siegel met through mutual friends and have been together for 42 years.

“I got a chance to be a better father, a better husband and get back to my kids, which I didn’t know my kids as well as I should and be with my kids and grow up with at least a little bit.” Ritchie said. “You can’t replace what you missed, but you can be there for them.”

During his inaugural season in 2013, Ritchie secured the title of Atlantic 10 Coach of the Year after guiding the Revs to a 15-9 conference record. That same graduating class later described him as “a father away from home” at their 2017 commencement ceremony.

Graduate student utility player Steve DiTomaso said he and Ritchie grew closer throughout his five years at GW, ultimately creating a unique bond.

“Even though I didn’t really know him, the way I know him now, that’s the reason I chose to come to this school, and it’s exceeded expectations,” DiTomaso said. “We’ve become very close and I wouldn’t trade our relationship for the world.”

Charles Tsintolas, a 2020 GW alum, said Ritchie differs from most coaches he’s played for due to his parental role, influencing him beyond the diamond. Tsintolas said Ritchie sends a message to players on their birthday every year. So far, Ritchie has not missed a text to him.

“He routinely follows up every year with me on my birthday, calls

me on my birthday, always wants to know how I’m doing,” Tsintolas said.

Tsintolas said when his own throwing ability suffered a decline, Ritchie offered him referrals to sports psychologists and said Ritchie notices when players struggle mentally or physically and offers solutions.

“Even though I wasn’t able to ultimately figure it out, Greg stuck by me,” Tsintolas said. “He sent me to sports psychologists who he recommended. He never made me feel as if I was a burden, or anything like that. And because of that, I gave everything I could to help the team in whatever capacity I could.”

Ritchie said his homecoming to GW demonstrates his devotion to his alma mater, and more importantly, his home.

“It was my alma mater,”

Ritchie said. “I saw the impact, and understood the impact I can make on younger guys in this environment because this is the environment where they’re making big strides in life.” Ritchie said he has nurtured a tight-knit group of athletes devoted to baseball and bettering one another on and off the mound. He also said that masses of alumni frequently return to watch games and support younger players.

“Oh, it’s joy,” Ritchie said. “It really is. It doesn’t matter where the day is, when you see those guys, and they came to be a part of what they were already a part of. They say, ‘I still love this. I’m coming back.’ I think that speaks volumes to the coaching staff here, us and all our brothers and players, and they want to come back and be a part of it.”

Ritchie earned his status as the

takes the helm as new women’s soccer head coach

According to Jeremy Williams, a team should be two things: “organized” and “exciting.” Williams plans to instill these two tenets as the new head coach of the women’s soccer team.

Williams travels north from University of Miami where he was an assistant coach to take on leading his first program at GW. He returns to GW after a short stint as an assistant coach from 2015 to 2017.

Athletic Director Tonya Vogel announced the hiring of Williams on Dec. 22, 2023. The leadership turnover came after the team went 1-8-1 in the Atlantic 10 conference and 4-11-3 overall under previous Head Coach Michelle Demko last season. Williams brought back Assistant Coaches Alan Fread and Kayley Sullivan, who both have ties to the GW program. Fread was a volunteer assistant in 2016 and an assistant coach in 2017. Sullivan played four years at GW, graduating in 2012. The trio followed former GW Head Coach Sarah Barnes to the University of Miami in 2018 when she led the Hurricanes’ program. They stuck together once Williams took over back in Foggy Bottom. “It’s been fun, I think is the is the first word I would use,” Williams said on his return to coaching at GW thus far. “You know, I think it’s obviously different players. But I think the types of student-athletes the University attracts, the type of students, the type of people that we have, they’re driven, they’re high achievers, they want to do, they want to get better.”

During his previous stint with the Revs, the team sported a 37-17-7 record. In his first season at GW, the women’s soccer program earned their first Atlantic 10 regular-season title in 20 years and first-ever undefeated season in the Atlantic 10. Williams helped the team to a school record in 2015 with 14 consecutive victories. But he

understands that things have changed since he was last on the Mount Vernon sidelines.

“We’re starting to kind of forge out the path forward of what makes sense for this group and where we’re at,” Williams said. “Because as we did have success that was, you know, seven, eight years ago, so some things may have changed or shifted a little bit. So, you know, we want to make sure we’re getting everything right, rather than just going in with a plan that worked two years ago.”

GW has not secured a regular season A-10 Championship since 2015 when Williams was last on staff. The team went to the finals of the A-10 tournament in 2019 but lost 3-1 to St. Louis.

Before his first run at GW, Williams gained experience through a three-season campaign at Florida State University as a volunteer assistant. The team won their first national championship in 2014 while Williams was on staff. While Williams was with the Seminoles, FSU went 66-7-4, winning more than 20 matches each season and playing for the national title

twice. Williams served under former Head Coach Mark Krikorian during his time at FSU, a mentor he still looks to regularly for advice. Krikorian is now the president of soccer operations and general manager for the Washington Spirit, D.C.’s professional women’s soccer club.

Williams said his move back to the District has brought the pair closer together.

“It’s been funny, him being back in D.C. now,” Williams said. “You know, now being around him a little bit more. And with the Washington Spirit, it’s been fun because now it’s a little bit easier to chat with him.”

The first thing Williams told the team when he met with them in person for the first time in January was that they were going to build an identity for themselves on and off the field. Williams has stressed creating a clear, positive vision not only for how the team plays but for how they treat facilities and how they carry themselves around campus.

“Any person that’s ever

been around us or ever seen, whether that’s playing, interacted with us, they should be able to walk away from their first encounter or, you know, after a few encounters and say, ‘GW women’s soccer is blank’. They should see it, they should know it.” Williams said.

While a respectable character is important to the team, Williams understands that producing admirable players is bigger than just GW’s program.

“Professionalism, attention to detail, how you prepare, the thoughtfulness in your approach, teamwork, working with one another, all of those things,” Williams said. “Whether they’re going off to play with another team, to professional ranks, or they’re going off into the business world, or whatever it is, from that standpoint those are all going to translate.”

Williams’ history of helping successful teams win brings promise to the GW program ahead of their fall season. As the new season approaches, the spotlight is shining squarely on Williams and his ensemble.

University’s winningest baseball coach March 1, notching 276 career wins. He currently stands at 296 wins.

“I bleed Buff and Blue,” Ritchie said. “So it was a real honor to number one, come back here, and number two, to be able to help this program grow.”

Ritchie said the strong relationships he has built among and with players is the reason he coaches and a testament to its power.

“It’s really about our relationships, it’s really about the growth of human beings and turning boys into men if you can say that today,” Ritchie said. “I say that with all sincerity and all heartfilled passion for all the kids that are here, that they have a special life and a special experience here and to look back and say, ‘Hey, what’s your legacy?’”

Women’s

basketball adds Lafayette transfer guard

RYAN JAINCHILL STAFF WRITER

Women’s basketball landed Lafayette transfer senior guard Makayla Andrews, according to an announcement Andrews made on X on Saturday.

The former Leopards guard averaged 13.2 points per game this season on 42 percent from the field, along with 1.4 assists and 5.2 rebounds. Andrews’ transfer to GW for her graduate year comes after four seasons at Lafayette. Andrews marks the sixth offseason addition to Head Coach Caroline McCombs’ roster. The Revs’ bench boss has already added incoming freshmen Gabby Reynolds, Morgan Matthews and Kyraha Parnell, as well as transfer additions Filipa Calisto and Maéva Fotsa.

Lafayette finished 5-13 in Patriot League play, going 10-20 overall on the season which put them in last place in the conference.

The senior started 28 of the Leopards’ 30 games this past season, scoring in double figures in 21 outings. Andrews finished eight in the Patriot League in points scored, recording 396. She would also place 16th in the conference in total rebounds with 156. Andrews had her best offensive game of the season in the Leopards’ game against New Jersey Institute of Technology on Nov. 21, when she recorded 24 points on 10 of 15 shooting from the field in 27 minutes in Lafayette’s 83-60 victory. Throughout her time at Lafayette, Andrews collected numerous awards. In her freshman season, she earned Patriot League All-Rookie team honors, as well as winning the Rookie of the Week in March of that year. Her sophomore campaign saw Andrews win Player of the Week for the week of Feb. 28, and the subsequent season saw her earn third team all conference honors. In her final season at Lafayette, Andrews earned second team all-Patriot League honors.

Andrews should slot into the roll that departing guard Nya Robertson leaves. The Lafayette transfer’s ability to score should certainly aid the Revs as Robertson’s departure removes 14.4 points per game.

JORDYN BAILER | ASSISTANT PHOTO EDITOR

GW’s announcement of Jeremy Williams hiring as head coach.

CROSS

SOFTBALL

SYD HEISE STAFF WRITER

CARRIE MCGUINNESS STAFF WRITER

ARWEN CLEMANS | STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

Head Coach Gregg Ritchie watches over his players in a win against Coppin State.

Culture Revolutionaries: 1967 to 2024

JENNA BAER CONTRIBUTING CULTURE EDITOR

Since Thursday, pro-Palestinian demonstrators have occupied University Yard to protest the war in Gaza. This is far from the first time anti-war protests have swept through GW.

Within the pages of more than 100 dusty, leather-bound ledgers of The Hatchet’s archives lies coverage of student protests against wars and conflicts dating back to the 1960s. Glimpses of photographs and reporting across 60 years of demonstrations on GW’s campus reveals parallels in the scenes of the U-Yard encampment and other protests at the University.

Students rally across time and the District

A revolution is only as strong as its revolutionaries, a mantra GW students have embodied since the 1960s. From left to right: GW students and other protesters gather against the Vietnam War on Oct. 24, 1967, the Iraq War on Jan. 19, 2003, and the war in Gaza on April 28, 2024.

“Thousands of anti-war protestors march across Memorial Bridge on their way to the Pentagon to demonstrate against the Vietnam war.” – Oct. 24, 1967, edition of The Hatchet (Brechner)

“‘I think what we’re doing here is really important,’ junior Hannah Clark said.” – Michael Barnett and Zach Ahmad, Jan. 21, 2003, edition of The Hatchet (Andrew Snow)

United arm-in-arm

Protesters at GW have united over more than a shared cause, many linking arms as a way to prevent themselves and others from being forcibly removed. On the left, student protesters against the war in Vietnam join hands on Nov. 5, 1968. On the right, faculty protesters against the war in Gaza join hands on April 25, 2024.

“‘I need you guys to stay with me, I need students to stand as things happen, and our community to continue to show

up because

we

cannot give up,’ an organizer said.” – April 25, 2024 Hatchet coverage (Daniel Heuer)

“Chanting ‘We want peace,’ and ‘The streets belong to the people,’ the marchers began to cross Constitution Ave. at 18th St.” – B.D. Colen and Henry Ziegler, Nov. 8, 1968, edition of The Hatchet

“Demonstrators inside the U-Yard encampment began synchronized clapping at about 11 a.m. while gathered in a circle at the center of the encampmentww.” – April 28, 2024, Hatchet coverage (Lexi Critchett)

‘Money for tuition,’ not war

Three decades apart, students center on GW’s role in conflicts in the Middle East. On the left, student protesters in front of the White House in December 1990 call for less spending on the Gulf War and more on education. On the right, students pressured GW to divest from the Israeli government amid the war in Gaza on April 24, 2024.

“Protesters have formed a ring around the encampments in U-Yard, with demonstrators belting chants like ‘Long live the intifada,’ ‘MPD, KKK, [Israeli Occupying Force] are all the same’ [and] ‘Free Palestine,’” – April 25, 2024, Hatchet coverage (Sage Russell)

“‘Students should all be concerned with the war,’ [GW Progressive Student Union member] Brad Sagal said. ‘The money that goes (to Saudi Arabia) comes out of domestic spending budgets … and grants and loans for tuition are affected.’” – David Weber, Dec. 3, 1990, edition of The Hatchet

Students tear down their own walls, administration’s barriers

Thirty years after students built and tore down a replica of the Berlin Wall in U-Yard to celebrate the fall of the real version, University officials erected a new barrier. Students still knocked it down. On the farthest left, students commemorate the fall of the Berlin Wall and the end of the Cold War in November 1990. Next, a barrier that officials put up to confine the pro-Palestinian encampment in U-Yard prevented demonstrators from moving in and out of the space. Following, a student knocks down the fake Berlin Wall in U-Yard in November 1990. On the farthest right, a student hoists a portion of the barricade aside, while heading into U-Yard.

“A replica of the Berlin Wall rose and fell in a span of three hours on the University Yard last Friday. The wall was built and torn down to commemorate the anniversary of the destruction of the Berlin Wall.” –Karmela Lejarde, Nov. 12, 1990, edition of the Hatchet (Jeremy Azif)

“Officials tightened the barricades in U-Yard Saturday morning, splitting access to the plaza in half and cutting off access to Bell and Lisner halls and GW Law.” – April 28, 2024, Hatchet coverage (Daniel Heuer)

“The wall’s historic demise is a year old now, and last Friday the Freedom Day 1990 committee at GW commemorated that powerful event with Freedom Day 1990 on the University Yard. The committee constructed a 150-foot replica of the Berlin Wall from cardboard boxes and then let passersby graffiti the creation with various slogans.” – Ali Sacash, Nov. 12, 1990

(Jeremy Azif)

“The barricade fell at 11:28 pm and students rushed into the encampment. Students ran into the encampment. ‘Get on the line now!’” – April 28, 2024, Hatchet coverage (Raphael Kellner)