GW reached a resolution agreement last week with the Department of Education Office for Civil Rights, concluding yearslong investigations into a pair of Title VI complaints alleging anti-Palestinian discrimination and antisemitism at the University, a pro-Palestinian legal group said Thursday.
Palestine Legal said in a release that the Office for Civil Rights on Jan. 17 found a pro-Israel advocacy group’s January 2023 complaint alleging antisemitism in a psychology course “unsubstantial.”
The office also reportedly ruled that the University “may have treated [a proPalestine student] differently on the basis of shared ancestry” in response to a complaint filed by Palestine Legal in February 2023 that claimed years of anti-Palestinian discrimination against students, according to the release.
The Office for Civil Rights had been investigating the complaints since April and May 2023, respectively. Both investigations against GW are still listed as active on the department’s website, and the agreement isn’t available on the office’s resolution database.
University spokesperson Julia Metjian said the University entered a voluntary resolution agreement with the Office for Civil Rights on Jan. 16 and that the office’s investigations concluded without finding that GW had violated
HATCHET
Title VI law. Metjian said as part of the agreement, the University committed to evaluating policies to ensure they articulate standards and procedures regarding demonstrations and discrimination.
Metjian also said the University will implement additional training for faculty, staff and students on discrimination and conduct a survey to measure the perceived level of discrimination and harassment based on national origin at the University as part of the agreement. She said GW also agreed to correct the records regarding actions taken involv-
Men’s basketball (14-6, 3-4) defeated Saint Louis (12-8, 5-2) 67-61 to snap a three-game losing streak on Saturday.
After dropping three straight Atlantic-10 games, the Revolutionaries rode a strong first half and thwarted the Billikens’ comeback attempt at the tail end of the game at the Smith Center.
Leading the way offensively for the Revs was redshirt junior forward Rafael Castro, who recorded 21 points on nine of 11 from the field and added nine rebounds, averaging 19.8 points per game over his last 5. Redshirt freshman guard Christian Jones continues to solidify himself as the first-option guard, stuffing the stat sheet with 16 points, six rebounds and four assists.
The Revs got off to a powerful start in the first half, dominating the inside with Castro leading the way early off assists from Jones. The former Providence Friar had eight of the Revs’ first 10 points, using his size and leverage to come down with rebounds and put the ball back up. At halftime, GW was winning the rebound battle (22-19), the assist battle (9-2) and the turnover battle (5-2). All five starters had a +/- higher than 10 at the break.
The Revs picked up the second half right where they left
ing “several” students.
The Office for Civil Rights did not return a request for comment.
Palestine Legal alleged that GW opted to enter into a resolution agreement with the Office for Civil Rights instead of completing the investigation, which could have resulted in GW losing federal funding. Palestine Legal did not return a request for comment.
As part of the resolution, GW must ensure all of its policies and procedures define what constitutes discrimination under Title VI, the release claims.
The University must also revise policies and procedures for protests and other forms of expression to provide “safeguards for non-discriminatory application” and enforcement without regard to the race or national origin or cause, according to Palestine Legal. The group claimed that the Office for Civil Rights asked officials to conduct and share a “climate survey” that will “define national origin as including shared Palestinian, Arab, South Asian, and/or Muslim, and Jewish or Israeli ancestry and/or the association with these national origins.”
off, with graduate student guard Gerald Drumgoole Jr. throwing down a dunk to open the secondframe scoring.
The Billikens managed to slim the lead down to as little as three points on the backs of senior guard Kobe Johnson and some timely makes from junior center Robbie Avila. A missed threepoint attempt in the final minute by Swope resulted in free throws by Castro, which iced the game for the Revs.
Head Coach Chris Caputo said postgame that his team’s defensive structure limited Avila, who was Saint Louis’ highly touted transfer after spending last season at Indiana State.
“I would just say it’s sort of similar to what we’ve done, people trying to give them different books throughout the game, not the same steady diet,” Caputo said. “We are a switching team, a traffic team and a pressing team. We’re not like a ‘do what we do defense,’ but we are, in some ways, in terms of the base. And you can build out that, build out some schemes from the base.”
Caputo said this victory is a step toward the team’s end-ofseason goal of finishing at the top of the A-10.
“We’re amongst the best teams in the league,” Caputo said. I believe that.”
The Revs finish out their home stand when they host the University of Richmond Spiders on Wednesday, with tip-off set for 7 p.m.
Top MFA trustee serves on board of independent contractor
Medical Faculty Associates Board of Trustees Chair Ellen Zane also sits on the Board of Directors of the MFA’s top independent contractor, according to a press release and several online profiles.
Zane, who leads the MFA’s highest governing body as its chair, has also served since 2018 on the board of Savista, the MFA’s independent contractor for revenue management. University spokesperson Shannon McClendon said Zane disclosed her relationship with Savista as part of the annual Trustee Conflict of Interest process and is recused from all conversations relating to Savista’s financial management services for the MFA as a result.
The agreement also allegedly requires GW to provide nondiscrimination training for students and employees and additional training for Conflict Education & Student Accountability staff to ensure charges are consistent with Title VI.
The release states that GW also declined to adopt the International Holocaust Remembrance Association’s working definition of antisemitism, which has been disputed due to concerns the framework could be used to improperly prohibit rhetoric critical of the state of Israel.
Savista is responsible for managing revenue cycle functions for the MFA — a network of health care providers and faculty affiliated with GW’s medical school and hospital. Savista’s roles include coding for insurance claims, billing, helping patients understand payment options and collecting the organization’s unpaid balances, per a 2020 press release announcing the two organizations’ partnership.
Zane was recused from the MFA board’s deliberation and vote in December 2019 on whether to enter into a relationship with Savista, formerly known as nThrive until 2021, McClendon said. She declined to specify when Zane disclosed the dual relationships or which officials she alerted.
Students heartened by Gaza ceasefire remain on edge for region’s
future
Community members hope the ceasefire established between Israel and Hamas last week will bring long-awaited peace to a region battered from more than a year of war, but some question the agreement’s longevity.
Former President Joe Biden announced Jan. 15 that the two parties had entered a three-phase ceasefire deal with plans to release the remaining Israeli hostages held captive by Hamas in exchange for Palestinians imprisoned in Israel. The prospect of an end in violence toward civilians was celebrated by student leaders, faculty and staff, but doubts remain about the ceasefire’s sustainability due to remaining tensions in a region fractured by decades of hostilities.
After Hamas attacked Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, killing more than 1,200 Israelis and taking more than 250 hostages, the Israeli government declared war on the group. More than 46,600 Palestinians have been killed in the Israeli military’s counteroffensive since the war began, according to Palestinian health authorities.
A representative from Students for Justice in Palestine at GWU, who requested anonymity due to fears of doxxing and retaliation, said he was relieved but apprehensive when he first heard of the ceasefire due to failed attempts to halt the violence earlier on in the war. But he recalled feeling a “deep sense of victory” as he watched videos of Palestinian children celebrating the news in the streets of Gaza and families returning to their homes.
“This is a victory for our people, that they were able to defeat the most powerful empire in history, to not be broken by this genocide and to emerge victorious,” the representative said.
The first phase of the ceasefire deal, which is set to last for six weeks, requires Israeli troops to withdraw from populated areas in Gaza and the release of 33 Israeli hostages from Hamas captivity in exchange for about 1,000 Palestinians in Israeli prisons, CNN reported earlier this
month. Biden said the second phase, which will last another six weeks, prolongs the ceasefire and requires the release of male soldiers held by Hamas and the withdrawal of remaining Israeli forces from Gaza. Authorities will return the remains of deceased hostages to their families in the third phase and efforts to reconstruct Gaza will begin, Biden said. Now that the ceasefire deal has been brokered, the SJP representative said there is a collective duty to help Palestinians in Gaza rebuild their homes. About twothirds of Gaza’s total infrastructure has been damaged in varying degrees, and Israel’s repeated attacks on and near hospitals
has placed the area at a “point of almost complete collapse,” according to multiple U.N. reports released last summer.
The representative said SJP is fundraising to aid the rebuilding effort and will remain “vigilant” in fighting against imperialism in Gaza, pointing to concerns that President Donald Trump might turn the territory into a “beautiful beachfront property” — sentiments the president’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner, expressed in February.
Trump on Saturday suggested the idea of moving Palestinian refugees to neighboring countries to “clean out” the territory.
TANNER NALLEY | STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
Demonstrators drape Israeli flags over their shoulders in October 2023.
JORDAN TOVIN | ASSISTANT PHOTO EDITOR Fog fills University Yard on an early December morning.
HANNAH MARR NEWS EDITOR
KAIDEN J. YU | ASSISTANT PHOTO EDITOR
Demonstrators in Freedom Plaza call for a ceasefire in Gaza in January 2024.
See ZANE Page 5
Two residents launch bids to revive ANC’s governing power
Two months after a local election left the governing body representing Foggy Bottom unable to operate in an official capacity due to vacancies and three failed write-in campaigns, a pair of residents have registered to run in a special election in February.
Keaton Dicapo and Sean Youngstone are seeking election to Foggy Bottom and West End Advisory Neighborhood Commission seats 2A01, representing the area encompassing Mitchell and Thurston halls, and 2A09, representing Amsterdam, Madison, Fulbright and JBKO halls and GW Hospital. The candidates are stepping up two months after the ANC lost its ability to make formal recommendations to the D.C. government because the body filled fewer than half of its seats in November’s election.
New candidates can seek election between Jan. 13 and Feb. 3 in vacant single-member districts — which, for the Foggy Bottom ANC, are districts 2A01, 2A05, 2A06, 2A07 and 2A09.
The special election will follow a November decision by the D.C. Board of Elections asserting that three writein candidates who were presumed to have won single-member districts 2A01, 2A06 and 2A09, respectively, did not earn the seats. For Dicapo and Youngstone to gain the seats, they must collect at least 25 signatures from registered D.C. voters within their respec-
CRIME LOG
tive single-member districts. The D.C. Board of Elections will publish candidates’ petitions for “public inspection” between Feb. 6 and Feb. 12, at which point the board will certify a list of candidates who qualify for appointment. If the Board of Elections certifies only one qualified candidate for a single-member district, the vacancy is deemed filled. If two or more candidates are running for the same district, the ANC gives notice at a public meeting that an open vote will take place at a subsequent meeting, according to D.C. Board of Elections.
If there’s no qualified candidates — as is currently the case in singlemember districts 2A05, 2A06 and 2A07 — the process repeats the following month.
Meet the candidates seeking to fill
ANC 2A01 and 2A09:
ANC 2A01: Keaton Dicapo
Dicapo, who works in government affairs, said he plans to make the body more “accessible.” Dicapo said he hopes to connect all the bike lanes in Foggy Bottom, revamp bus routes, utilize native plants and green spaces and improve services for unhoused neighbors through community partnerships.
ANC 2A09: Sean Youngstone Youngstone, a software engineer, said regularly engaging with the community is a cornerstone of his platform. He said he supports The Aston, a bridge housing facility that opened on New Hampshire Avenue in November. He said he wants to engage in “good faith” dialogue with the community.
HARASSMENT (VERBAL OR WRITTEN)
Somers Hall
1/19/25 – 1 p.m.
Closed Case
A student reported harassment by a suitemate. Referred to the Title IX Office.
UNLAWFUL ENTRY
Academic Center
1/21/25 – 12:28 p.m.
Closed Case
A male subject attempted to enter the Academic Center. Upon arrival, the GW Police Department barred the subject from campus. Subject barred.
BLACKMAIL
Mitchell Hall
1/22/25 – 10:51 a.m.
Closed Case
A male student reported being blackmailed by another male student using information from a dating app. Referred to the Title IX Office.
THEFT II/FROM BUILDING
Mitchell Hall
1/22/25 – 8:29 p.m.
Open Case
A student reported their carry-out food stolen from the delivery shelves in Mitchell Hall. Case open.
THEFT II/FROM BUILDING
Gelman Library
1/22/25 – Between 2 and 3 p.m.
Open Case
A student reported their AirPods, which they previously left in Gelman, stolen when they returned and could not locate them. Case open.
Locals lose oversight measure as ANC lacks formal power: commissioners
BRYSON KLOESEL STAFF WRITER
RORY QUEALY NEWS EDITOR
Members of a local governing body say the Foggy Bottom and West End community lost a crucial oversight measure when the group’s failure to reach a legally mandated five-person quorum in November’s election revoked its ability to conduct official business.
Only four members earned seats in the Foggy Bottom and West End Advisory Neighborhood Commission’s November election, forcing the D.C. Board of Elections to revoke the group’s ability to conduct formal business, like approving alcohol license applications and developing agreements between real estate developers and residents. Commissioners said the ANC’s lack of governing power revokes its oversight over development projects that could harm neighbors and its ability to advocate on behalf of residents to the D.C. Council as community issues pile up.
“The longer this goes on, the more of an impact it’s going to cause, and the more the community is going to feel it,” 2A08 Commissioner Jim Malec said.
ANCs receive notice for public space and construction permits, land use changes, alcohol license applications and other actions taken by independent agencies, according to D.C. Code. ANCs can file resolutions in support or opposition, which are given “great weight” by agencies, meaning the governing bodies must articulate their decision with “explicit reference to each of the Commission’s issues and concerns,” per D.C. Code.
The Foggy Bottom and West End ANC has never failed to elect enough members to reach quorum in recent memory, though the group intermittently struggled with meeting quorum due to a lack of attendance in its last two-year term. Two locals, Keaton Dicapo and Sean Youngstone, intend to run for the seats representing single-member districts 2A01 and 2A09, respectively, in a special
election to fill the vacancies next month.
Malec said the “most significant” effect of the lack of quorum is the body’s inability to file formal protests, which express dissent to plans like businesses’ applications for liquor licenses or construction permits. Malec said the ANC’s protests often serve as catalysts for community benefits agreements that mitigate the issues or disruptions the ANC foresees a project will cause.
Malec said in the short term, the ANC’s lack of quorum won’t have large implications, but as time goes on, the ANC will likely see applications that “require a greater degree of scrutiny,” which the body won’t be able to “appropriately” handle if vacancies persist. He added that the individual commissioners can still work on “problems on the ground,” like helping community members ensure that the District removes snow from sidewalks or collects trash.
Commissioners in September voiced concerns about proposed rent prices at longvacant office building at 2100 M Street, which real estate firm Post Brothers plans to convert into an apartment and price at $4,000 per month for a studio apartment.
The unease prompted a community benefits agreement, a legally binding contract, that required Post Brothers to disburse funds to local organizations, like Miriam’s Kitchen and
the Foggy Bottom Association and establish an apprenticeship program during construction that will prioritize the participation of those living in The Aston — a former GW residence hall that D.C. converted to an unhoused shelter in November — or visit Miriam’s Kitchen.
Malec said when the ANC doesn’t formally protest a proposal, the District agency typically doesn’t view it as a vote against the project. He said that if the ANC supports a project, the community won’t face any disruptions or issues, unlike if the ANC opposes a plan.
“It’s much different when we’re talking about something that the commission has a problem with,” Malec said. “In those cases, we really have no voice in the matter and certainly no way to really start a negotiation.”
2A03 Commissioner Trupti Patel said the ANC’s ability to pass resolutions is essential to hold District government stakeholders accountable for overseeing The Aston. She said the ANC’s oversight could help ensure that the shelter adheres to “high standards of excellence” and that D.C. officials allocate more funds for maintenance if The Aston requires it. The D.C. Council allocated $300,000 for necessary roof repairs for The Aston in June after the ANC in April sent two resolutions to officials requesting the shelter secure funding to repair its roof in 2025 instead of 2028, as the Department of General Services projected.
Music department community reports persistent Phillips Hall temperature irregularities
ALEXIA MASSOUD REPORTER
RORY QUEALY
Members of GW’s music program are continuing to report temperature fluctuations in Phillips Hall that have disrupted classes and damaged instruments amid a three-year HVAC overhaul in the building.
Seven faculty, staff and students said the building’s basement, which houses Corcoran School of the Arts & Design’s music program, has faced temperature irregularities for years that range between 40 and 90 degrees and render instruments offkey. Music department faculty and staff said the temperature has dipped into the frigid end of the spectrum this winter, with temperatures hovering between 45 and 50 degrees forcing some to bundle up and use space heaters to work comfortably.
Mara Sherman, the department’s music program administrator, said their office has been without heat since before Thanksgiving, and the HVAC unit in their office blew 40-degree air on Jan. 8 when they returned to campus this semester. Sherman said they submitted 19 FixIt requests about the basement’s temperature in 2024, but temperature issues persisted this year.
Sherman said they underwent surgery to correct a deformity on their foot over the summer, which made it more sensitive and reduced blood flow in the cold. Sherman said that without two layers of wool socks, their foot turns “periwinkle” and
becomes uncomfortable. They said for the past few weeks they’ve been wearing a parka, a winter hat and a wool blanket to keep warm while working.
Sherman said the lack of heat is damaging the more than 20 pianos in the Phillips basement because when the temperature changes by more than 2 degrees, pianos go out of tune by a quarter step. They said the extreme temperatures mean pianos are going multiple notes out of tune, stretching the strings inside the piano.
The temperature concerns echoed those expressed by more than a dozen students in April 2023, who said hot practice rooms were damaging Phillips Hall’s pianos and requested that GW employees conduct more frequent checks of the instruments for tuning. At the time, the chair
of the music program said Phillips, Smith and Rome halls have had “serious” issues with maintaining “consistent temperatures” and that the department has devoted a “significant” portion of its budget to maintaining the pianos in Phillips.
Sherman said they’ve seen the Phillips basement hit temperatures in the 80s and 90s since starting at GW in September 2023. Student flutists have also complained in the past few weeks that it’s difficult to practice their instruments because their fingers are cold, Sherman said.
University spokesperson Julia Metjian said the Academic Center, which houses Phillips, Rome and Smith halls, is in the second year of a three-year HVAC improvement project, which includes replacing pieces of equipment like the chiller, boilers
and air handling units.
Officials first upgraded the air conditioning system in the Academic Center complex in March, but a University spokesperson declined to say at the time why the repairs were occurring. Metjian said that as officials move into the third phase of the project, they have found that the smaller in-room HVAC units in offices and classrooms are underperforming or failing. She added that HVAC control replacements are set to finish this spring, which “further enable” facilities staff to receive real-time updates on building HVAC operations. Junior Abhinav Ranganathan said despite the instruments’ high quality, they are not properly cared for because they are stored in rooms that are not temperature controlled.
—Compiled
PHOTOS BY KRIS PARK & MATHYLDA DULIAN
Foggy Bottom and West End Advisory Neighborhood Commission candidates Keaton Dicapo and Sean Youngstone pose for portraits.
CAROLINE MOORE | STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
Jim Malec attends a Foggy Bottom and West End Advisory Neighborhood Commission meeting in November.
SMHS undergraduate enrollment falls amid COVID-era health care shifts
The School of Medicine & Health Sciences saw a nearly 20 percent decrease from 2023 to 2024 in undergraduate degree enrollment, a drop that experts said is specific to the University but could be attributed to national trends in undergraduate health science enrollment.
SMHS undergraduate enrollment dropped 17.6 percent from fall 2023 to fall 2024 and has fallen 41.6 percent since 2020, according to a report presented at last month’s Faculty Senate meeting. University spokesperson Katelyn Deckelbaum said factors including increased health science employment opportunities, a growth in competition from other universities for online degree programs and the school’s focus on inperson programs have contributed to the decrease in enrollment.
Nationally, undergraduate degrees in health professions and clinical sciences increased by 8.3 percent between 2023 and 2024, according to the National Student Clearinghouse.
Nonresidential and virtual undergraduate enrollment dropped 8.3 percent from 2023 to 2024, which includes programs in SMHS, the College of Professional Studies and the School of Nursing, according to the report.
Deckelbaum said the school has recently closed admissions to its Clinical Health Sciences, Clinical Research Administration and Biomedical Informatics undergraduate programs, which composed three of its six undergraduate programs, contributing to the decline in enrollment.
The school’s three remaining undergraduate programs in Clinical Embryology and Assisted Reproductive Technology, Medical Genetics and Molecular Biology and Medical Laboratory Sciences are hybrid or entirely online and require students to enter the program with college credits from an associate’s degree program or an accredited college, according to their webpages.
Deckelbaum said the decrease in enrollment can partly be attributed to the University’s focus on inperson instruction over the online degree programs as a primarily on-campus institution. She said while the school’s online undergraduate programs have seen a decline in enrollment, the in-person programs have increased.
No SMHS undergraduate program increased in enrollment from 2023 to 2024, according to the enrollment dashboard.
Deckelbaum said one trend impacting enrollment is expanded opportunities in
the health sciences that don’t require people to obtain new skills and more options in micro-credentialing and other professional development programs, which allows students to acquire skills without obtaining a degree.
Deckelbaum said the pandemic caused many uni-
Backed by White House, anti-abortion activists rally at annual March for Life
KATYA LUZARRAGA REPORTER
RAINA PAWLOSKI REPORTER
Tens of thousands of antiabortion protesters gathered on the National Mall on Friday to rally against abortion access nationwide during this year’s March for Life just four days after the inauguration of President Donald Trump.
Protesters began to gather at the Washington Monument at about 11 a.m. and just before 2 p.m. made their way to the area outside of the Supreme Court to call on the justices to continue to push for an end to abortion protections across the country. Speakers included Bethany Hamilton, a professional surfer known for surviving a shark attack in 2003, who delivered the keynote address, as well as newly inaugurated Vice President JD Vance, Speaker of the House Mike Johnson, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, president of anti-abortion group Live Action Lila Rose and Trump via a prerecorded video presented on jumbotrons by the Washington Monument.
In the virtual message, Trump thanked the attendees for the effort they made to attend the rally and their “compassion for the unborn.”
“In my second term we will again stand proudly for families and for life,” Trump said.
Trump mentioned his recent pardon of 23 anti-abortion activists Thursday who were convicted of blockading abortion clinic entrances, including the Washington Surgi-Clinic in Foggy Bottom, saying that the previous administration under former President Joe Biden targeted protesters for their anti-abortion stances.
“I’m releasing the Christians and pro-life activists who were persecuted by the Biden regime for praying and living out their faith,” Trump said.
Following the video, Vance arrived on stage, marking in his first public appear-
ance since being sworn into office Monday morning.
Vance praised the large crowd for coming out on an “especially frigid” January day, as temperatures reached 20 degrees. During his speech, Vance acknowledged the dedication of pro-life supporters and announced the support of the Trump administration on pro-life policies, including the Born-Alive Abortion Survivors Protection Act, an act passed by the House of Representatives on Tuesday, which ensures that babies born during or after an abortion attempt are given the same medical care by health care professionals as babies born during a natural birth.
“You guys are the beating heart of the pro-life movement, and you have saved many lives already, and you’re going to save more again,” Vance said. “You being here, this very march is a reminder of the incredible strength and unity of the pro-life movement, and from the bottom of my heart, thank you. Thank you for being here, and thank you for marching here today.”
As the morning progressed, the streets echoed with chants, prayers and calland-responses from protesters. Chants included slogans like “B-A-B-Y we love babies, yes we do, we love babies how ‘bout you?”
Sean Heim from The New Columbia Movement, a Christian-based organization across the United States of men with values of “faith, family and fraternity,” said the group attended the rally in order to address the “core issue” of defining life at its most “vulnerable and innocent” stage.
“When you look at all the issues across the United States and things that need to be fixed, if you can’t define life, and if you can’t recognize valuing life at its most vulnerable and most innocent stage, then you really have a hard time justifying and implementing any other level of moral justice laws across society broadly,” Heim said.
versities to begin offering online degree programs, which increased the competition for GW and SMHS since their programs also include online options.
Bruce Maki, the senior content editor at the American Institutes for Research, said the decrease in SMHS
undergraduate enrollment is abnormal because undergraduate health science degrees have had a “modest dip” in enrollment nationally since 2020 but rebounded since 2022 to near pre-pandemic levels.
Maki said after the pandemic, many students com-
pare the costs of getting a bachelor’s degree to how much they will make once they enter the workforce. He said most jobs in medicine and health sciences require a degree, but micro-credentialing allows students to obtain skills for a specific job they are looking to enter.
West End locals withdraw lawsuit, zoning appeal, wrapping up legal battle over Aston
RORY QUEALY NEWS EDITOR
An unincorporated group of West End locals late last week withdrew their lawsuit and zoning appeal attempting to thwart The Aston unhoused shelter’s operations, wrapping up a yearslong legal battle that had left the future of its operations in limbo.
The West End D.C. Community Association — an unnamed group of locals within “close proximity” to The Aston — withdrew its lawsuit and appeal to the Board of Zoning Adjustment on Thursday, both of which argued that the shelter’s operations violated city zoning laws.
WEDCCA’s withdrawals canceled a Jan. 29 BZA hearing and a Feb. 7 D.C. Superior Court hearing, both of which would’ve decided if The Aston could continue operations and signals an end to the local group’s protests against the shelter over the last year and a half.
WEDCCA filed the lawsuit in November 2023, alleging that D.C. officials could not open The Aston as an unhoused shelter due to zoning constraints associated with providing medical services and temporary housing at the shelter. The zoning ap-
peal, which the group filed in October, mirrored the lawsuit and states that the Department of Buildings violated the same zoning rules by issuing a building permit in August, which allowed for the building’s conversion.
In each complaint, WEDCCA contended that The Aston should be identified as an “emergency shelter” under D.C. zoning regulations because it provides services to medically vulnerable individuals and temporarily houses people experiencing homelessness, which would have required the District to obtain a special exception from the BZA. The zoning appeal also alleged that District officials required approval from the D.C. Zoning Commission to change The Aston’s use from student housing to an unhoused shelter because the building falls under a preexisting Planned Unit Development, which grants property zoning rights for mixed uses.
Before WEDCCA withdrew the lawsuit, a District judge twice rejected D.C. officials’ requests to dismiss the case and in August scheduled a now-canceled hearing for Feb. 7. The BZA in November rejected the group’s emergency request to postpone the shelter’s opening that
month and to expedite the Jan. 29 BZA hearing.
WEDCCA filed its first lawsuit in July 2023, which it withdrew a month later, in an attempt to stop The Aston’s sale from GW to the District, alleging D.C. officials failed to provide community members with adequate time to comment on The Aston’s purchase prior to the sale. But Foggy Bottom and West End Advisory Neighborhood Commission held public meetings on the District’s plan to convert the building into a shelter on June 21 and June 28 of that year, and the panel expressed its support for the plan in the second meeting. The lawsuit came weeks after D.C. officials announced they purchased the building in a $27.5 million contract.
The Aston opened its doors to 50 unhoused residents in November as the city’s first noncongregate shelter, offering private living spaces to medically vulnerable people, mixedgender couples, families with adult children and people waiting to move into permanent housing. The shelter opened a year after officials’ initial prediction of November 2023, as complications like challenges securing a provider, repairs and building code violations and WEDCCA’s lawsuits delayed its opening five times.
Federal Title IX reversion to leave GW unaffected: experts
ARJUN SRINIVAS REPORTER
SOPHIE LHERT STAFF WRITER
A federal judge’s decision to strike down former President Joe Biden’s Title IX policy will likely not affect GW’s current protections for sexual assault survivors, experts in Title IX policy said. Federal courts vacated Biden’s 2024 updated Title IX regulation on Jan. 9, after a Kentucky federal judge ruled that the administration’s updated definitions of gender identity and sexual harassment overstepped Biden’s executive’s power, voiding the changes and reverting Title IX policy back to President Donald Trump’s 2020 policy. Assistant Provost and Title IX Coordinator Asha Reynolds said that as the office announced in July, GW’s current Sexual Harassment and Related Conduct Policy “remains in effect until further notice.”
Reynolds said the University is continuing to monitor federal Title IX policy developments and D.C. law, and the office will review its current policy as new guidance is received.
“The University prohibits discrimination based on gender identity
and expression, sexual orientation, and pregnancy, consistent with federal and District of Columbia law and pursuant to the Equal Opportunity, Nondiscrimination, Anti-Harassment, and Non-Retaliation Policy,” Reynolds said in an email.
Reynolds also said the University “recently” updated its Title IX website and training to include more “reasonable modifications” for students who are pregnant or experiencing other related conditions — a policy no longer required by Trump’s 2020 version, which narrowed Title IX’s by reducing re-
sponsibilities for addressing sexual harassment and discrimination. The Biden administration’s regulation expanded on the 2020 policy to prohibit discrimination based on gender identity and pregnancy and provided additional protections for students experiencing sexual harassment and assault allegations, which included eliminating live hearings and expanding jurisdiction for off-campus and international students. Biden’s policy also broadened the 2020 version’s definition of sexual harassment to include conduct that is severe or per-
vasive. In May 2024, 26 states sued his administration, arguing that the executive branch exceeded its legal authority by changing the definition of sex and expanding the definition of sexual harassment beyond what was intended by Congress when they passed Title IX in 1972. GW updated its Title IX policies in April 2024 to comply with the Biden administration’s new procedures, and in August, changed its policy to align with both the 2020 and 2024 regulations after judges initially ordered injunctions on the 2024
COLIN WAGNER | STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
A pair of students hold hands as they walk toward the entrance of Ross Hall.
RAPHAEL KELLNER | STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
Protesters at the March for Life hold signs in support of defunding Planned Parenthood.
TANNER NALLEY | STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
Pedestrians walk across the sidewalk in front of the Title IX office along 20th Street.
From publisher to professor, former Washington Post CEO joins SMPA
At the Washington Post, Katharine Weymouth held roles like associate counsel, sales director, vice president of advertising and publisher, but she wishes she had given one more job a try — being a journalist.
Weymouth, an adjunct professor of media law at the School of Media & Public Affairs who joined the University this semester, said she never gave reporting a shot because it was her family’s “turf.” Now, as a media law professor, she said she hopes to bring her converging backgrounds as a lawyer and as the publisher of the Post into the classroom to show students how cases can be approached from different perspectives.
Weymouth is the granddaughter of Katharine Graham, the former chairwoman and publisher of the Post, the daughter of Lally Weymouth, a journalist and senior associate editor of the Post and the niece of Donald Graham, the Post’s former publisher.
“I took a totally different path, but I actually love journalism,” Weymouth said. “I’m a total junkie. All I do is read all the newspapers and everything I can lay my hands on, so I wish I had had more courage and taken the journalism path.”
Weymouth said her path to the Post was “accidental” and that in 1996, one of the partners at her former law firm Williams and Connolly sent out an email to the firm’s associates about the Post being short-staffed by one attorney and needing a lawyer for three months. She said she had just finished a trial and was “exhausted” but decided to accept the position to see what it was like to work for the “family business.”
“I joined as a lawyer there, and I really just loved it,” Weymouth said. “It’s al-
ways been important to me to be part of something that is mission oriented, whether it’s education or journalism or a case you’re arguing or whatever it is, so I think that’s what really appealed to me about it.”
When she was hired as publisher in 2008, Weymouth said she first merged the print and digital entities of the Post into one organization because she had worked for both sides and saw “tension” between the two. She said she and Marcus Brauchli, the first editor she hired in 2008, started the Post’s 24-hour news cycle by having reporters covering the news around the clock so that readers had the news as it was happening.
“Digital’s the future, but of course, the print side is producing all the news that’s going digital,” Weymouth said.
Weymouth said one of the biggest challenges she faced as publisher was in 2009 when she attempted to launch a live events business called Washington Post Live. She said the Post planned a series of dinners to sell sponsorships and advertisements in the paper, but fliers for the events made it seem like “pay-for-play” dinners, which she said was never her intention.
“I was on the front page of the New York Times as ‘publisher stumbles’ and all that, and I had never been in the public eye like that before,” Weymouth said. “I cried my eyes out for two weeks, I offered my uncle my resignation, but I would also say, like many mistakes, it was a great lesson for me and a learning opportunity.”
Weymouth said after the public backlash she and the Post received, she had jour-
Young adults seeking permanent contraception rose post-Dobbs: study
JENNA
LEE ASSISTANT NEWS EDITOR
GW researchers found a spike in young adults seeking forms of permanent contraception after the overturning of federal abortion protections in a study published this month.
The study, led by Julia Strasser — an assistant research professor and the director of the Jacobs Institute of Women’s Health at the GW Milken Institute School of Public Health — found a 70 percent increase in tubal sterilizations and a 95 percent increase in vasectomies from May 2022 to August 2022 nationally among 19- to 26year-olds. Strasser said young adults and adolescents reported “fear” about the fate of their bodily autonomy after the Supreme Court’s Dobbs v. Jackson decision in open-ended surveys analyzed as part of the study.
“What we found is that the young people in this study described that their interest in permanent contraception was motivated by concerns about losing access to abortion or the ability to make decisions regarding pregnancy,” Strasser said in an email.
Tubal sterilization is a procedure that severs the fallopian tubes from the uterus so a person can no longer get pregnant. A vasectomy is a procedure that seals the vas deferens tubes that carry sperm.
In May 2022, Politico reported that an unknown party leaked the Dobbs v. Jackson opinion, indicating that Supreme Court justices were going to overturn the landmark Roe v. Wade decision that federally protected the right to abortion up to viability of the fetus, which is usually around 24
weeks. The official decision came out in June 2022, putting abortion regulations in the hands of states.
Strasser said researchers used the IQVIA medical claims database, which shows bills from physicians across the United States, to see the number of in tubal sterilizations and vasectomies provided to 19- to 26-year-olds nationwide.
“We used the moment of the Dobbs decision leak in May 2022 and conducted a difference-in-difference analysis comparing increases in states that were deemed likely to ban abortion at the time of the leak vs not likely to ban abortion,” Strasser said in an email.
Since the decision, 28 states have enacted laws banning abortion before viability, with the procedure being illegal in 12 states. The study found that vasectomies and tubal sterilizations increased at a greater rate in states that seemed likely to place restrictions on abortion access after the decision like Arkansas and Kentucky, which had trigger bans meant to automatically go into effect once Roe v. Wade was overturned.
Strasser said researchers also took qualitative data from the MyVoice national survey. According to the study, MyVoice surveyed 638 people aged 14 to 24 in 2022 and 2023 and asked young people open-ended questions on political issues, ranging from gun violence to climate change. Strasser said researchers used the survey to analyze attitudes toward contraception and found young people said the Dobbs v. Jackson decision played a factor in their decision to pursue permanent contraception.
nalists tell her that she did not understand the business. She said it was a learning opportunity and told her staff she accepted full responsibility for it but told them the paper should continue to be able to take risks.
After 80 years of the Graham family’s ownership of the Post, Weymouth said she and her family made the difficult decision to sell the newspaper in 2013 because it was no longer a “sustainable” business model and shareholders were “not on board” with losing money.
She said she could not see a way out of financial losses without cutting costs to the point where the Post would not be the same publication that readers and journalists currently “know and love.”
The Post reported in 2013 that Weymouth explained to her uncle, the then-chief executive, that the paper
was slated to face a seventhstraight year of declines in revenue.
This decline led to Jeff Bezos, the founder and executive chairman of Amazon, purchasing the Post in a $250 million sale in 2013.
Weymouth said it was the “rational” decision to sell the Post to Bezos, who has proven to be a “good steward” through actions like standing by the Post when Trump attacked the paper during his first term.
“He really has not interfered much, so I think that has all been great for the Post,” Weymouth said. “But it has been publicly reported, they lost a lot of money last year, so the business challenges remain.”
Weymouth said she does not believe it “matters per se” if large media outlets like the Post are owned by billionaires. Instead, the challenge
surrounds the motivations of the owners, who have a strong “fingerprint” on their publications and use them as “mouthpieces,” she said. She said Bezos has kept a “light touch” on the Post. “The way my family tried to operate the newspaper was to let the journalists do their job and tell important stories, and we were there to run the business and support them,” Weymouth said. In her classes, Weymouth said she plans on discussing more “practical” media law cases, like her grandmother’s decision to publish the Pentagon Papers despite potentially risking the Post’s business. She said she hopes to show students cases where national security interests intersect with the right of the public to know information. Weymouth said she had her students make arguments about the Jan. 6, 2021 attack on the Capitol as if they were lawyers or judges deciding whether the riot and Trump’s comments incited violence or were protected by the First Amendment.
“I’m just hoping they can know the case law but also bring it into their daily life, or when they’re writing their own stories or reading a story in the paper, able to think about it from a different lens,” Weymouth said.
Weymouth said journalism is more necessary than ever because of the “massive erosion” of trust in the news media, exacerbated by Trump and his followers, who deny the credibility of news outlets because they do not like what is published.
“We need great people going into the field, whether it’s through documentaries or photographs or writing articles or doing a blog or whatever it is,” Weymouth said. “I hope people who are interested in the field won’t be scared away by all the challenges the industry faces and will go out there and do great work.”
Spring sorority recruitment drops amid snowstorms after swell since 2021
ALEXANDRA SOURDIS REPORTER
ZAINAB RENTIA STAFF WRITER
Participation in the Panhellenic Association formal recruitment dropped by 35 percent this year, a shift officials attributed to a string of winter weather causing travel disruptions, reversing an upward trend since 2021.
A total of 280 students participated in recruitment this year, down from 378 participants last year, according to Director of Student Involvement Meredith Bielaska, who attributed the decline to earlier recruitment dates this January compared to past years, which typically started two days later. Panhel executive board members said they expanded their diversity initiatives this year to enhance inclusion efforts and dispel common stereotypes about sororities.
“The Panhellenic community is mindful of how those changes influenced participation and is continuing to have discussions about how to make recruitment the best possible experience for all individuals in the coming years,” Bielaska said in an email.
Bielaska said 205 students were offered bids, with 202 accepting their offers. Panhel has offered an additional 46 bids to students after bid day through continuous open bidding, an informal recruitment process that allows students to join chapters after bid day.
A total of 378 students participated in formal recruitment last year, a 20 percent increase from 2023, according to Assistant Dean of Student Life Brian Joyce. Joyce said 11 sororities offered bids to 266 students in 2024 and 250 in 2023.
This year’s Panhel recruitment week took place from Jan. 8 to 12 in the University Student Center. After attending recruitment orientation on Jan. 7, potential new members participated in four different rounds that focus on the tenets of sorority life — values, philanthropy, sisterhood and preference — each day, while narrowing down potential new members through a mutual ranking process.
On bid day — the last day of recruitment — new members received final offers to join a sorority and celebrated in a ceremony on the National Mall.
Junior Grace Munn, Panhel’s outgoing vice president of recruitment, said the council conducted annual marketing events throughout the first semester like “Passport to Panhel,” where students can meet sororities and ask questions about recruitment, and “Meet the Greeks,” where students can meet different fraternities and sororities from multiple councils to market recruitment.
Munn said chapters are responsible for their individual marketing during the recruitment process. She added the council also used Snapchat Ads this year.
After GW closed all campus buildings due to snow on Jan. 6, sororities’ mock recruitment in preparation for the week was forced to take place in alternative spaces instead of the student center. Munn said chapters were only allowed back into the student center on the first day of recruitment, stoking “jitters and nervousness” among chapter members.
Last year, Panhel created a new recruitment-specific diversity, equity and inclusion coordinator position to aid in diversity and inclusion efforts. Munn said this year, she expanded the position to two coordinators from one to ensure a more “collaborative and discussion-oriented role."
“Their passion for creating a safe and positive recruitment space was evident and I think contributed greatly to
the overall positive outcome of recruitment,” Munn said. “I’m super grateful for them and super lucky to have worked with such passionate and dedicated individuals.”
Munn said DEI coordinators were able to place infractions on both chapter members and prospective members during recruitment for incidents like the initiation of uncomfortable questions about romantic relationships, money, religion or drug and alcohol usage. Prospective members and chapter members could report these incidents to the DEI coordinators, which would be handled on a case-by-case basis. Prerecruitment DEI programming included a community event on Zoom for chapter members and a talk with Victoria Alexander, a public speaker and DEI practitioner who facilitates conversations about racism in various environments to create more inclusive environments.
Munn said this year Panhel sent prospective members a list of chapter fees before recruitment week in order to help students decide if they are able to financially commit to each sorority. Munn said she hopes to develop more effective marketing strategies for next year to attract more interest and engage individuals who aren’t certain about recruitment.
“I wanted to fight against the harmful sorority woman stereotype that is portrayed by the media and showcase a community of bright, ambitious, talented, intelligent, and passionate individuals,” Munn said.
COOPER TYKSINSKI | STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
Professor Katharine Weymouth poses for a portrait inside of a classroom in the Media & Public Affairs Building.
JENNIFER IGBONOBA | STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER New members of Chi Omega run to meet their fellow chapter members.
Zane recused from Savista-MFA business, University spokesperson says
workforce members, per the document.
Zane’s relationship with Savista has not been disclosed on any of the MFA’s Form 990 tax forms since they entered the partnership in 2019. Zane and former interim University President Mark Wrighton disclosed a business relationship on GW’s fiscal year 2022 Form 990 but did not further specify what the relationship entailed.
McClendon said all executives undergo an annual Trustee Conflict of Interest process. She didn’t clarify what the process consisted of, but the GW Office of Ethics, Compliance and Risk’s website states that trustees are required to complete a disclosure form before their election and annually thereafter.
The policy states that an appearance of a conflict occurs when it appears to “an outside party” that a trustee may be in a position to take actions that would “personally benefit that trustee.”
The MFA’s conflict of interest policy, which isn’t available online but was obtained by The Hatchet as the MFA’s tax forms state the policy is available to the public upon request, states that a conflict occurs when an individual’s financial, professional or other personal interests “directly or indirectly affect” or have the “appearance of affecting” their professional judgment in exercising their responsibilities at the MFA. The policy applies to all MFA
McClendon said the MFA entered into an agreement with Savista in December 2019 — more than a year after Zane joined Savista’s board — following a review of “several potential vendors.” McClendon declined to say which other companies the MFA was considering and what distinguished Savista from them.
The MFA and Savista announced their partnership in late June 2020, reporting that Savista would take over the MFA’s revenue management on July 6, 2020.
The MFA has faced a mounting financial burden in recent years, with the organization losing more than $107 million in FY2024, which more than doubled officials’ projected deficit and marked the medical enterprise’s greatest annual loss since GW assumed control in 2018.
The MFA has paid Savista almost $50 million since entering the contract in 2019, including $10.5 million in FY2021, $8.4 million in FY2022 and almost $30 million in FY2023, according to MFA tax forms. Despite the MFA losing roughly $80 million in FY2023 — consistent with the prior fiscal year — its FY2023 payment to Savista tripled from the previous year.
The payment accounted for about 10 percent of the roughly $366 million in patient revenue the MFA collected that year. McClendon declined to comment on why the MFA paid Savista almost triple in FY2023.
McClendon declined to comment on what Zane’s responsibilities are as a member of Savista’s board and which MFA officials were involved in the decision to partner with Savista in 2019.
She also declined to comment on whether Savista’s services are essential to the MFA or how long the
contract between the MFA and Savista is set to last. Savista did not return a request for comment on Zane’s relationship with Savista and the MFA.
University President Ellen Granberg said at the January Faculty Senate meeting that the MFA’s “senior leadership,” and MFA trustees are
responsible for evaluating the potential impact of its financial losses on students and determining when those losses become unsustainable.
McClendon declined to comment on whether Zane’s fiduciary duty to Savista has influenced her decision making or ability to act impartially in her role with the MFA.
A dream of ‘lasting peace’: Student leaders, faculty, staff on Gaza ceasefire
From Page 1
The SJP representative said residents of North Gaza are currently returning to their homes to find the skeletons of relatives and friends they couldn’t contact due to the regional siege by Israel. He and other organizers will always remember the Palestinians who “paid the ultimate price for liberation,” the representative said.
“We know that the rebuilding process is coming, but ultimately our end goal is the total liberation of Palestine,” the SJP representative said.
Pro-Palestinian student activism against the war in Gaza culminated on campus last year with a nearly two-weeklong encampment in University Yard, which local police later cleared.
The representative said student organizers will continue to demand GW divests from companies with ties to Israel and demand financial disclosure.
“I’m sure GW is hoping that the announcement of a ceasefire means that
they will be able to sweep all their complicity in the genocide and the oppression of their own students under the rug, but we’re not going to let GW forget that,” the representative said.
Junior Sean Shekhman, the president of GW for Israel, said he knew the war would result in a “negotiated settlement” that ceased fighting and allowed for the release of remaining Israeli hostages as done in previous agreements between Israel and Hamas. He said he believes there is an interest among the general Israeli public to “move forward” through reconciliation and rebuilding, but it remains up to authorities in Gaza to decide the next steps.
“I seriously, seriously hope that this could be the end of what has been a very long, very long period of conflict in the area,” Shekhman said.
Ceasefires between Israel and militant groups in Gaza have occurred since Hamas took control of the territory in 2007, but both entities have repeatedly accused each other of violating agreements. Israel and
Hamas agreed to a four-day truce in November 2023 to release 50 Israeli hostages in exchange for 150 imprisoned Palestinians and allow emergency aid into Gaza.
Shekhman said there’s been “a lot of pain” within the Jewish campus community in the past 15 months, as many of his peers lost friendships due to their beliefs about the war, but the community will rebuild.
“It’s been a difficult time for many, but it has led to some beautiful moments, and I’m hoping that now we’ll be able to take that energy and be able to share with the campus community and bring everyone together,” Shekhman said.
Adena Kirstein, the executive director of GW Hillel, said it brought the center “deep joy” last week to remove posters from their windows of the first three Israeli hostages freed under the ceasefire: Romi Gonen, Emily Damari and Doron Steinbrecher. The center hopes to do the same for the remaining hostages still displayed in posters on the window as more are released, she said.
Of the 251 hostages that Hamas kidnapped, 74 have been confirmed killed, with the remains of 34 Israelis remaining in Gaza. The Israeli government believes 53 hostages are still alive as of Saturday, the Washington Post reported.
“The past 15 months have been an unbearable ordeal for those who were captured and their loved ones, who endured unimaginable uncertainty every single day,” Kirstein said in an email. “We pray for their safety — and continue to dream of a lasting peace for the entire region.”
A representative of the Lebanese Student Association, who requested anonymity due to fear of doxxing and retaliation, said the “energy” of the student activism against the war in Gaza has weakened since its onset, as he’s noticed people stopped participating in boycotts against companies like Starbucks and McDonald’s for their ties to Israel.
“I will go to class and now all of a sudden, everyone has a Starbucks cup, or I walk past Gelman, and it’s
more popular than it was two semesters ago,” the representative said.
The representative added that ceasefires can easily be undermined, leading to the continuation of longstanding disputes like the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan. Since the ceasefire, the Israeli military has killed at least 10 Palestinians during military operations in Jenin, a refugee camp in the occupied West Bank, BBC reported last week.
“We’ve been seeing that in the news, where attacks are still being perpetrated even after announcement of a ceasefire, after it supposedly takes effect,” the representative said. “There are still people who are getting shot like raids and stuff.”
Senior Sabrina Soffer, who is studying Judaic studies and philosophy and public affairs, said she views the agreement as a “bad but necessary” deal because it frees Israeli hostages from Hamas but releases some Palestinian prisoners who she said could potentially harm Israeli civilians be-
cause of their alleged past involvement in violent crimes.
“It’s very, very scary, but at the same time, it’s necessary because we do need to bring our people back home,” Soffer said. Ned Lazarus, a teaching associate professor of international affairs, said the agreement tries to balance some of the “irreconcilable” goals of the war. Hamas’ primary demand is the release of Palestinian prisoners and removal of Israeli forces from Gaza, and Israel’s main goal is removing and preventing the group from ruling Gaza and releasing the hostages taken by Hamas on Oct. 7, he said. Lazarus said the second phase of the agreement is the “decisive” stage that determines if the ceasefire is temporary or final. Israel and Hamas are due to start negotiating the second phase of the ceasefire on Feb. 4 to end the war, Reuters reported Thursday. “That’s what’s kind of hanging right now,” he said. “We don’t know if they’re going to actually go to the second stage.”
GW researchers link melting permafrost to land sinkage in Arctic Circle
AIDAN FARRELL REPORTER
Frozen ground in the Arctic is sinking at an accelerated rate due to rising temperatures, per a GW study published this month by researchers in the Department of Geography and Environment.
The study, led by Dmitry Streletskiy, a professor of geography and international affairs, showed that permafrost — soil that stays frozen for more than two years — that is melting because of rising temperatures due to climate change is causing land sinkage in the Northern Hemisphere at a rate of up to 3 centimeters per year. The study states that land shrinkage rates are higher in areas impacted by wildfires and human-related activity, like road construction, specifically in countries with high latitudes.
“On a global scale, we showed that it is a primarily climatic-driven phenomenon that occurs in natural environments.
Now, on top of climate-driven changes in areas of economic industrial activities, subsidence rates were higher because of disturbances,” Streletskiy said.
Land sinks due to melting permafrost, also called thaw subsidence, refers to the gradual decrease in ground levels as ice within the permafrost melts. Researchers used field observations, remote sensing technology and numeric modeling to record the rates at which thaw subsidence is occurring in North America and Eurasia, according to the study. The study primarily focused on countries with high latitudes, like Russia and the
Scandinavian countries, which are the most vulnerable since they are close to the Arctic. The study found land in areas with less ice content in its soil, like the western Yamal Peninsula in Siberia, were sinking up to 2 centimeters per year and areas with higher ice content, like the Lena River Delta in eastern Siberia, were sinking up to 3 centimeters per year.
Nikolay Shiklomanov, a professor of climate and environmental change and researcher on the study, said a concern related to thaw subsidence is the emission of carbon dioxide
stored within vegetation in the permafrost into the atmosphere. 1460 to 1600 billion metric tons of organic carbon is stored in permafrost around the Arctic, about twice the amount of carbon in the atmosphere today, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
Shiklomanov said the release of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere could create a feedback loop, where increased global temperatures from carbon dioxide in permafrost soils contribute to the release of more carbon dioxide.
“In terms of organic carbon, most of it is in vegetation,” Shiklomanov said. “If this is just taken out, it begins to decompose very quickly, and decomposition returns carbon back to the atmosphere, which can potentially serve as a major feedback to the climate system.”
The Natural Resources Defense Council states that 10 percent of permafrost in the Northern Hemisphere has melted since the early 1900s due to rising temperatures. Even if the targets to decrease emissions by 43 percent by 2030 set by the 2015 Paris Agreement on cli-
mate change were met, 2.5 million square miles of permafrost could melt, according to the organization.
Streletskiy said in response to these concerns, the international community must cooperate to monitor thaw subsidence despite geopolitical tensions.
“Arctic research comes with very high logistical and operational costs, and now on top of that, we have a complicated geopolitical association which limits data exchange. But in an ideal world, this is a process of happening,” Streletskiy said.
Julienne Stroeve, a professor of polar observation and modeling at University College London, said human structures, like infrastructure and habitation are vulnerable to destruction and damage due to the effects of melting permafrost, like coastal erosion and thaw subsidence.
“They’re already dealing with permafrost thaw in the Arctic and having to redo infrastructure and entire villages are going to have to get moved,” Stroeve said.
Stroeve said another effect of melting permafrost is the release of chemicals and viruses previously frozen in hibernation, an occurrence that puts natural ecosystems and humans at risk. In 2016, an anthrax outbreak in Russia was thought by scholars to have been a result of melting permafrost in the Arctic releasing the pathogen into the air.
“There’s a lot of mercury also stored in permafrost, so that’s a big contaminant,” Stroeve said. “There’s a whole host of things. Then of course there’s concerns about different viruses that have been frozen for a long time.”
COURTESY OF NIKOLAY SHIKLOMANOV
Nikolay Shiklomanov tests the frozen ground in the Arctic.
HATCHET FILE PHOTO
Ellen Zane at a meeting in 2019
OPINIONS
— MARA RIEGEL on 01/13/2025 FROM
“Attending this inauguration is wrong for the kind of person I want to be: someone with integrity, compassion and empathy for those like and unlike myself.”
Don’t let Trump’s antics monopolize your attention
Recently inaugurated President Donald Trump’s pledges to take over Greenland, the Panama Canal and even Canada have dominated headlines with a certain blend of irony and amusement. But focusing on the ridiculousness of Trump’s first-week promises only distracts from the tangible harm that some of his actions pose, like his pledge to end birthright citizenship and pardon Jan. 6 felons. To combat those orders and search for solutions, we have to stop feeding Trump’s attention-mongering.
Just look at what some of his executive orders for the country and D.C. The federal hiring freeze and promised mass layoffs mean people in GW’s backyard are losing their jobs while students’ possible employment opportunities are drying up. The District’s population of nearly 100,000 immigrants now have to live under perpetual fears from the administration’s increasingly restrictive policies. Trump has also hinted at ending home rule in D.C., which would effectively strip the District of its self-governance and place the key to the city in a Republican Congress’ hands. Only talking about the absurdities can brush even the most alarming headlines under the rug, as laughing at Trump wielding a saber at the inaugural ball pulls attention from his moves to pull out of the Paris Climate Agreement, withdraw from the World Health Organization and eliminate diversity, equity and inclusion programs.
At the end of the day, unless you’re on the Supreme Court, your options to prevent an executive order from going into effect are unfortunately limited. But you can begin to mobilize to support the communities put at risk by these actions and stop fueling the perpetual cycle
TSTAFF EDITORIAL
of over-the-top, attention-grabbing headlines that have been key to Trump’s success. The reality is that Trump is our
Stop buying into ‘For You’ fitness
he start of the new year inspires motivation for self-improvement and lifestyle changes. For years, people have tried trendy diets and set new goals to change their daily habits.
But while self-improvement has always been a norm for the new year, I have noticed working out and fitness have become commercialized and reduced to a trend on social media, often deterring from the main goal of working out — to better your own health and mind. Social media tries to package certain lifestyles to people, and it’s increasingly easy to fall into that trap for exercise. Last year, I found myself sitting on social media comparing myself to the influencers on my feed. The harmful comparison made me feel bad about my body image and lifestyle and enticed me to buy into these prepackaged lifestyles of certain clothing and habits, like Pinterest-esque clean girl aesthetic to change myself for the wrong reasons. My motivation to go to the gym and eat healthy did not stem from my own needs but the desire to be someone else — whatever social media told me was trending. I see others from our generation, even on
campus, are embracing the trend of fitness. Lerner Health and Wellness Center has been packed and I see fellow students on social media, in their private stories or on Instagram posts, suddenly making exercise and wellness their entire personality.
Fitness and health has always been commercialized, from workout routines being sold via VHS tapes in the 1980s or hundreds of YouTube videos with 10 or 15-minute workouts, but social media has taken it a step further. Not only have influencers promised someone they will be fit or toned in a matter of a couple of weeks, but it now comes with a lifestyle and aesthetic. Currently, we have the “pilates princess” trend, complete with light pink hues, bows, heatless curlers and a Stanley tumbler, of course. Social media has made my generation treat fitness like fashion, jumping from trend to trend, “coastal grandma” to “coquette.”
Reaching a certain desired social media standard now brings additional costs, from the most exclusive spin classes to workout clothes from the best brands and in the rarest colors. I’ve heard many TikTok influencers promoting a cute workout set and a matching water bottle. Most of the time, the influencer makes money if you buy the clothes or water bottle featured in the video. Pilates princesses have become more about
ABBY TURNER | CARTOONIST
neighbor for the next four years, but we shouldn’t exhaust ourselves by throwing stones at the castle on the hill, and instead, focus on engaging
pushing consumer goods on people than actually improving yourself.
When fitness becomes an aesthetic, the benefits of exercise are devalued. The trend of working out has turned into teenagers and young adults wanting to be more like their favorite influencer than doing it for themselves.
This For You page fitness destroys the whole point of working out: consistency. Going to the gym for a week will show no progress, and neither will jumping from one trend to another. The over-commercialization of the fitness world has made it harder for people to find a workout routine that works for them, moves them toward their goals and is fun.
Because influencers generalize workout routines and create the illusion that their routines will work for everyone, many people become discouraged to exercise. People’s bodies have different needs and one person’s “shredded arm workout” won’t work as well for someone as it does for other people.
Working out is all about being healthy and feeling good about yourself in your own body, but when we allow it to turn into a trend or something to pour our money into, we lose sight of that and instead let it become something fleeting, or worse, unhealthy.
—Alexia Green, a firstyear majoring in journalism and mass communications, is an opinions writer.
with state-level officials to demand actions that will protect our communities from the wrath of Trump’s pen. Just last week, for example,
Democratic attorneys general from 22 states, filed lawsuits challenging Trump’s move to restrict birthright citizenship. Putting time into these local offices can often be more accessible than jumping into the national fray.
Plus, there are enough things that might stress one out about living in Trump’s America. Putting his intentionally provocative yet unsubstantial comments at the front of your mind can only make everyone more exhausted, without the energy to do any of the necessary work to push back against ideas one finds objectionable. This information burnout poses a roadblock to educating yourself about the legislation the president is proposing and signing into law.
In November, right after Trump was elected to office, we urged students to remember that power is still in our hands if we chose to lean in and commit ourselves to chasing change. “Just because the election may not have turned out in some people’s favor, doesn’t mean the issues that many people felt so passionately about no longer matter or need to be advocated for,” we argued. We echo that call now.
Advocacy groups, like the Amica Center for Immigrant Rights or the American Federation of Government Employees, are always looking for organizers, for people to join the ranks and help those most affected by Trump’s avalanche of executive orders. Go out into the District, offer support to local communities and directly combat both Trump’s actual policies and the culture of isolation that’s helped breed his political success.
We all only have so much brain space and energy for politics. Don’t let Trump force you to fill your mind with his folly.
A TikTok ban would hurt its online community
et to take effect Jan.
S19, the proposed congressional ban of TikTok would’ve ceased the app’s functioning for more than 170 million American users. The move was paused — for now — after an executive order by President Donald Trump the next day. But during the few hours that the platform went dark, we got a glimpse at what may lay ahead for TikTok’s community, from small businesses to lonely teenagers.
Ava Hurwitz Opinions Writer
Lawmakers and former President Joe Biden pushed forward the ban, a decision that was later backed by the Supreme Court, due to fears that TikTok’s Chinese parent company, ByteDance, has been using the platform to influence and indirectly promote Chinese propaganda. It’s under debate if Trump’s executive order will override an act of Congress, but TikTok remains unavailable to download.
Trump’s block appears to cater to rich investors who see immense potential to profit off the platform — specifically the algorithm that runs it. Commentators have argued Trump’s block of the ban, announced via a notification on the app that featured his name, was a political play to curry favor with voters. It’s easier for the average person to go viral on TikTok — with a For You
Page where practically any TikToker can be discovered — than other social media apps. For nonfamous folks, this rare opportunity presents a huge upside to preserving the platform. Start-up businesses don’t have to be affiliated with conglomerates or industry insiders to reach a wider audience. Across YouTube, Instagram and TikTok, the latter app has the highest engagement rate for microinfluencers with few followers.
TikTok is home to millions of small business owners who utilize the app’s immense reach to promote and sell their products and gain popularity in their respective markets. Small businesses have gone global with the rise of TikTok marketing strategies. Now, a 15-year-old girl crocheting a top in her room could go viral with a trending audio and receive 100 orders immediately after, shipping all over the world.
If the ban ends up going through in the future, these small businesses would lose access to an entire community of potential customers. In fact, TikTok estimated that around $1.3 billion in revenue would be lost in a single month if the app is shut down. TikTok’s U.S. ad revenue is expected to hit $11.01 billion in 2024.
TikTok is a culture, a community. In fact, aside from TikTok small businesses, slang — or brain rot — the app has offered a place where subcultures can thrive. Its distinctive
algorithm is trained to one’s particular interests, so if a person is passionate about a niche hobby, the platform will curate content tailored to them. Book lovers can join BookTok, where they can recommend new releases by their favorite authors. FitTok inspires fashion trends worldwide. Through this communal space, TikTokers have formed genuine connections by discussing shared hobbies and pop culture to the beat of a Billboard Hot 100 hit. When I was in the thick of my senior-year search for universities to apply to, I looked to TikTok for advice. After a quick search, I stumbled across a student at GW who filmed a tour of the Foggy Bottom Campus. They were honest about the various pros and cons of the University because they had been in my shoes before. Without TikTok, I would have never heard a first-hand perspective of what it is really like to attend GW. The video helped me to visualize life in college beyond the glossy brochures.
Losing TikTok would smother the United States’ entrepreneurial spirit and erase opportunities to forge virtual friendships. It means letting a network of people like us slip between our fingers — a community that can encourage new ideas, discourage bad ones and make our generation recognize that we’re not alone.
—Ava Hurwitz, a firstyear majoring in international affairs, is an opinions writer.
Alexia Green Opinions Writer
CULTURE
How a brewery transformed hoops to hops with Dribblin’ George’s Lager
A local brewery has transformed a Founding Father into a frontcourt firebrand.
Dribblin’ George’s Lager is the product of a November partnership between GW Athletics and the District-based brewery DC Brau to create a Revolutionaries-branded ale served at GW’s home games. Advertisements of the new beer line, featuring the can’s design of George Washington dribbling a basketball decked out in colonial garb, have emblazoned the Smith Center’s jumbotrons this season.
I wanted to know the history of the love child that blended hops and hoops, so last Wednesday, I schlepped up to the Maryland border to the DC Brau brewery, which employs fewer than 20 people, to witness the beer’s production.
The brewery holds a warehouse where massive kegs, pipes and barrels churn through wheats and waters for hours to craft DC Brau brews, a brand created by D.C. native Brandon Skall 14 years ago. Skall said that before the basketball season, GW was looking to partner with a brewery, and athletics officials reached out to his “mom and pop”-style, family-owned brewery to gauge interest.
“‘We could do a beer for you,’” he remembers suggesting to GW officials at the time. “And that’s how the Dribblin’ George’s Lager was born.”
Dribblin’ George’s Lager was born in a small room on the left side of the DC Brau warehouse: the lab, which shelves cans of each of the more than 100 beers that brew technicians have produced to identify mishaps in the rare situations where batches are sent back.
Down a hallway was another massive warehouse, where waist-high wooden wine barrels for sour beers, bulky metal kegs and towers of beer cans stood
near shipping platforms ready to depart for the taste buds of boozehounds and beer connoisseurs alike.
Almost as if we were spinning back in a Bill and Ted-style phone booth, we wound up at the end of the row of fermenters and back at the beginning of both the beer brewing and DC Brau business building process. Behind all the fermenters were two machines — the manual brewing machines Skall used at DC Brau when he first opened the business in 2011 that are now used for smaller specialty batches.
We walked away from the old machines and traveled back to the present, toward a Willy Wonka-esque assembly line where a series of devices were working in tandem to can the beer.
In the back of that room were four massive vats where DC Brau’s brewing operations currently take place for all of its beers, including the Dribblin’ George and other D.C.-themed names like “The Corruption.”
After the beers go through the initial four steps of brewing in those containers, large pipes transfer them back into the fermentation machines in the other room.
Three days after my tour of the birthplace of Dribblin’ George, I made my way down to 23rd Street to see GW take on St. Louis at the Smith Center, purchasing a Dribblin’ George for $9 at the downstairs concessions stand. The beer was classic, with a taste so easily associated with “beer” that it wouldn’t have seemed out of place to George Washington himself. It had a light flavor but one tailored to absent-minded sipping while cheering Rafael Castro’s heroics. I stared into the solemn eyes of George on the can and felt a camaraderie with the illustrated revolutionary. As the buzzer sounded a GW victory, I finished the remaining beer in one gulp.
‘God,
On the third floor of an unassuming downtown corporate building wedged between a denture care center and a consulting firm is a gold mine of political memorabilia.
Capitol Coin, which opened in 1979, buys and sells collectors items, like specialty coins, silver and gold, rare signed photographs, antique bills and political memorabilia, like posters, buttons and presidential pens used to sign bills. Nelson Whitman, the owner of the store since it opened, said the shop is similar to other D.C. institutions, like museums, due to its strong presence and preservation of political history — but here, it’s all for sale.
“People come in and see it all and I say, ‘Well, it’s all for sale,’” Whitman said. “A museum, but it’s not to look at, you can buy anything in here.”
Every inch of the shoebox store is packed with relics of America’s political, cultural and economic past. Glass cases gleam with coins dating back to the first century B.C., binders brimming with presidential campaign buttons for everyone from William McKinley to Donald Trump teeter on packed shelves, a wall of oversized pre-1929 dollar bills towers over visitors and signed photographs of political icons sit in frames lining the walls. Whitman moves with a knowing
ease through the shop, after having moved with it around D.C. seven times and having been in the current location since last year, his tall frame bent slightly to tending to the treasures he’s spent a lifetime collecting. Whitman said he appreciates that even as the years go on, young clientele still flow into the store.
Whitman said he sources the majority of his inventory from customers who visit the store looking to sell personal mementos, some passed down from family, others given by the federal government as gifts and souvenirs of various administrations. He said some customers come in with extremely valuable items, but most are selling “pretty common stuff,” which he takes but often gives away to kids for school projects rather than reselling.
Whitman said the store has changed location seven times in the past 45 years. He said when there were other collection shops still in existence in the 1970s, he’d collaborate with them by sending customers back and forth to different dealers to find the item they wanted. He said he believes Capitol Coin has endured because his honesty and patience with customers has garnered their respect.
Whitman said growing up, all of his friends collected, and they’d trade coins with each other. He said his mom would give him a weekly allowance, and he used it primarily
All the world’s a stage, and GW students are merely the players.
A team of those players — better known as Forbidden Planet Productions, one of GW’s student theater companies — took the stage in the University Student Center on Jan. 15 for its first general body meeting of the semester. Veteran thespians and amateur actors gathered in the student center’s presentation space as anticipation mounted for the curtain to rise on the theater company’s spring season.
About 70 attendees stomped their feet and broke out into a decibel of applause comparable to the ovation that followed Patti LuPone’s legendary performance of “Anything Goes” at the 1988 Tony Awards. The theater company’s 12-student executive board then delivered a celestial-themed presentation on their upcoming slate of shows: their 18th annual cabaret — a medley of 11 songs from a variety of shows, like “Hairspray” and “Cats” — and the musical adaptations of “Little Women” and “Legally Blonde.”
Senior Eva Sell, the
co-director of the cabaret’s rendition of “Another Day of Sun” from “La La Land,” said the cabaret has historically included a cast of 50 to 70 students — offering an opportunity for a wide range of performers with varying repertoires to step into the limelight with FPP. Sell said she has been involved with the theater company since her first year at GW after seeing flyers around campus advertising the annual Halloweekend performance of “The Rocky Horror Picture Show,” the show that sparked FPP’s founding in 1994. She is also directing the full-length “Little Women” production later this semester and said this year marks her first turn in the director’s chair after choreographing for previous productions.
The cabaret directors gathered in a room on the first floor of Funger, ready to judge the auditions, while stage hopefuls waited in an adjacent, cavernous lecture hall. Instead of the frantic vocal warm-ups and lip trills that typically precede audition scenes on screen, like those of Sharpay Evans in “High School Musical,” friendly conversations filled the lecture hall. Auditions for the FPP cabaret and fulllength shows are a fairly casual ordeal, with students singing 30 seconds
to buy coins to fill his collection.
He said although he’s loved collecting his whole life, he decided to make it his life’s work after a year at Duquesne University Kline School of Law convinced him the legal field wasn’t for him.
He said he took a job working in the now-defunct Woodward & Lothrop department store in Pittsburgh and moved to D.C. in 1963 after being offered the chance to run the coin department at the store. When the department went under in 1979, Whitman used the experience selling coins to create Capitol Coin.
Whitman said that once he opened the store and started collecting for business, he stopped adding to his personal collection because he would be too tempted to “collect all the good stuff” that comes into the store.
Whitman said his favorite thing in the store is a photograph marking the 10th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall — signed by the former Russian president Mikhail Gorbachev. He said someone who knew Gorbachev brought the photograph into the store to sell before returning to Russia.
Whitman said political events like elections and the inauguration often drive extra interest in items related to those occurrences.
Case in point, a set of TrumpVance inauguration invitations in Whitman’s store already sold this week, according to his website. The pins that still line his walls include
from any song of their choosing — “you can literally sing your ABCs,” according to Sell. Callbacks, which usually occur about two days later, are slightly more laborious as select performers are tested on their dancing and acting. Emily Saffer, a firstyear majoring in political science and psychology, said to prepare for cabaret auditions, she drank a Monster Energy, took a puff from her inhaler and prayed she wouldn’t forget the words to her audition song, “Fly, Fly Away” from the Broadway adaptation of “Catch Me If You Can.”
A week later, Generic Theatre Company cued the spotlight on the second floor of the student center to kick off its first general body meeting of the semester. While a bit quieter than the chaos of the FPP meeting, members of Generic were just as supportive, cheering and clapping as they announced their spring fulllength musicals: “Dog Fight” and “Fun Home.”
Nine members of the executive board ran through a presentation, including a desperate plea for a cellist to play in their orchestra pit. After the meeting concluded, students headed upstairs, where the company’s first night of auditions were set to begin. The air buzzed with a simmering
tension as students waited to be called into a room down the hall, where they would audition with 30 seconds from their song of choice, just like in FPP. Emily Neuwirth, a sophomore studying international affairs, said she is directing “Fun Home” this semester, a musical adaptation of Alison Bechdel’s memoir that explores the author’s coming of age as a lesbian and the discovery that her father was closeted. She said putting on the production, which she has revered since first seeing an off-Broadway production of the show at Queens University of Charlotte in North Carolina when she was 13 years old, presents an opportunity to explore themes of identity and grief in a musical format.
Katrina Heil, a sophomore studying political science and theater, said she decided to audition for the musical this semester because she loves Neuwirth, the director and the show’s exploration of complex fatherdaughter relationships and focus on self-discovery.
“Theater, being in person and you’re seeing it live in front of you with actual people, really just gives a form of personal connection to humanity,” Heil said.
everything from a button declaring that Hillary Clinton would turn Georgia blue in 2016 to a $675 button for Teddy Roosevelt’s 1904 campaign. Nearby are a gold paper weight with Richard Nixon’s face on it, a letter from William Howard Taft about cartridge shells and a stuffed animal of Joe Biden’s snappy dog, Commander. Several D.C. luminaries have stopped by his store over the years, including former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright, who shopped around with a pack of Secret Service agents to buy a stamp book for her daughter, and Johnny Cash, who came in looking to invest in silver and left with a 100-ounce bar. Whitman said he has a “photo-
graphic memory” of prices, allowing him to easily appraise items. But if he’s unsure of an item’s worth, he said he consults books that list the current prices for items like coins. He said his expertise comes from decades of experience. Whitman said he refuses to sell items for people to invest in and resell for profit, preferring to sell just for the joy of “the old hobby.” At 88 years old, Whitman said his family has been pushing him to retire, but he’s determined to stay in the collecting game for as long as possible — he said it’s what keeps him feeling young.
“If I retire, I can’t sit at home and watch TV. I’ll die in a week,” Whitman said.
COOPER TYKSINSKI | STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER Nelson Whitman poses for a portrait in his store.
RAPHAEL KELLNER | STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER A student auditions for Forbidden Planet Productions in Funger Hall. RACHEL KURLANDSKY | STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER DC Brau’s new Dribblin’ George’s Lager.
SPORTS
Women’s basketball trounced by George Mason, marking sixth-straight loss
Women’s basketball (8-11, 1-7 Atlantic 10) on Saturday fell to George Mason (17-3, 7-2 A-10) 9150 in Fairfax, Virginia, getting outscored 66-20 in the second half after leading at halftime.
The second-half collapse for the Revs included getting triumphed 36-5 in the fourth quarter, with the Patriots ending the game on a 49-12 run dating to midway through the third quarter. The loss continues GW on its slide down the A-10 standings, as the Revs are currently ahead of only La Salle and St. Bonaventure.
The first quarter began with the teams trading baskets, until a 3-pointer from junior guard Filipa Calisto knotted the game six minutes in at 10 apiece. The Revs held the Patriots to zero points to end the quarter, while adding four of their own to end the first period up 14-10.
This competitive first quarter was in stark contrast to the first matchup between these two teams, which ended with the Patriots up 10 points behind nine turnovers from the Revs. GW ended up losing the early December game 87-55, being outscored in every quarter.
The Revs continued to extend their lead in the second quarter, ending the half up 30-25. Sophomore forward Sara Lewis dropped seven points in the quarter on her way to a team-leading 16. She was the only Rev to score in double-figures compared to four for the Patriots. Calisto was second on the team in scoring with nine points, off an efficient three shots of 5 attempts scoring.
Entering the third quarter, the Patriots, looking to extend their winning streak to six, connected on seven straight points to take the lead for the first time since the
Column: What can make a good men’s basketball team great?
What separates good teams from great ones? Men’s basketball’s season so far is a perfect case study on the topic.
A holistically great team found their stride in the Smith Center this season as the Revolutionaries began to amass an early slew of nonconference victories — brimming with team-wide cohesion, defensive dominance and playmaking success. A great team came alive in their dominant Atlantic 10 win over a competitive Dayton roster earlier this month. But the signs of a great team fell dormant in GW’s recent threegame conference slump, though a win on Saturday gives me cautious optimism. The energetic crew fans saw early on is creeping closer toward mediocrity.
GW’s recent stumbles against Duquesne, George Mason and Massachusetts revealed three tipping-point issues for the team. Unforced errors like turnovers in key moments derail late-game
Young
ETHAN TSAI REPORTER
chances. GW has also spent four straight games giving up at least 15 offensive boards, limiting second-chance opportunities. Plus, the Revs’ failure to capitalize at the line has created unnecessary pressure, especially in close games like double overtime against George Mason last week, where they missed 10 free throws in a game they lost by 3. Not only do these challenges take a toll on the scoreboard, they also have a broader emotional tax on players. High-stress final minutes and missed playmaking opportunities can demoralize a team and injure momentum.
The Revs had the chance to prove themselves as a great team against George Mason. With 1.9 seconds left in regulation, GW saw a serious chance to snag a road win in Rafael Castro shooting two. Playing in front of a national audience, they failed to get a shot off in the final seconds of competition, ultimately falling 8077. The win could’ve been easily secured at the charity stripe, but a
pair of misses sent the game into a first overtime stanza. Great teams don’t miss game-winning free throws.
Castro finished a staggering 4-10 from the line against George Mason. The team abandoned 10 points total at the line, shooting a subpar .630 against the Patriots, including the pair of misses that could’ve won it all. George Mason ran away with the win in a second overtime period against a foulridden GW bench.
GW’s recent win against 5-2 Saint Louis points to what can happen when these issues don’t rear their heads. The team strolled out to an early lead and maintained a strong defensive presence, forcing one of the A-10’s best teams to score over 13 points under their per game average and shutting down superstar Robbie Avila. Yet, even in the win, the Revs weren’t as comfortable as they should have been. A turnover by graduate student guard Gerald Drumgoole Jr. with less than a minute left and a missed free throw by
sophomore guard Christian Jones gave the Billikens the ball with the opportunity to tie it late, despite GW leading by double digits just three minutes earlier.
Losing two dominant guards to injury, sophomore Darren Buchanan Jr. and junior Trey Moss, was a significant blow to the team but also an opportunity for new faces to step up. Graduate forward Sean Hansen has been a stepping stone, but not quite a savior, in replacing Buchanan in GW’s starting lineup. Hansen provides relief with smooth passing and playmaking abilities but has shown limited dominance on the board for a player of his stature.
But overall guard play has been the team’s Achilles’ heel. In his return to the court post-ankle issues, it is difficult to decipher whether injury or regression is plaguing Buchanan Jr. His recent performances have lacked their usual baseline-to-baseline dominance, tabbing just 3 points against Saint Louis compared to a 13.5 points per game average.
first quarter. Lewis answered back with an and-1 layup to retake the lead, but the Patriots responded immediately with a 10-0 run in less than a minute. Two free throws from Lewis stopped the scoring run, but George Mason ended the quarter up 55-45.
The Revs collapsed on offense and defense in the fourth quarter, scoring two buckets in 10 minutes while the Patriots brought in 36 points. George Mason knocked down seven 3-pointers in the quarter alone, including on six straight possessions, compared to five for the Revs throughout the whole game.
The quarter saw both a 14-0 run and a 12-0 run for George Mason. The Patriots finished the game 1529 from deep, good for 51.7 percent. By comparison, the Revs went 5-13 from three-point and 19-52 from the field, 38.5 percent and 36.5 percent, respectively.
Notably, the Revs committed 25 turnovers throughout the game, compared to nine from George Mason. This helped the Patriots score 34 points off turnovers while the Revs only scored three. Turnovers have been an issue for GW all season, as before the game, they ranked second in the A-10 with 18.4 per game, compared to George Mason’s average of the least amount of turnovers at 11.0.
Graduate student guard Makayla Andrews, who entered the game with a team-leading 11.5 points per game, scored just four points in 17 minutes off the bench. Freshman guard Gabby Reynolds, who is second on the team in scoring, added five points of her own on 2-9 shooting, although she did connect on her lone three-point attempt.
The Revs will travel to Amherst, Massachusetts, to take on UMass (10-10, 5-4 A-10) for their next game on Wednesday at 6 p.m.
GW ranks a 101st in adjusted defensive efficiency on KenPom, which measures opponents‘ points per 100 possessions, marking a 160-spot boost that signals improvement under Head Coach Chris Caputo. It is their highest ranking since the 2015-16 team saw an NIT championship. Yet offensively, leading up to the win against Saint Louis, GW had spent four straight games under 40 percent from the field and 28 percent from three. An alarming .345 clip emerged in their stagnant second half against George Mason. It is too soon to determine whether this is just a rut for the Revs or a sign of deeper inability to rise from good to great. GW must challenge itself to translate potential into consistent powerful performances. Upcoming games will be a crucial test of both character and capability for a struggling team. The rest of the season will answer a question for players, coaches and fans: Is it enough to be good, or does GW have what it takes to be great?
roster at women’s indoor track and field shines at Cardinal Classic
Several women’s indoor track and field runners earned top-10 finishes at the Cardinal Classic hosted by Catholic University earlier this month, their second meet of the season.
The Revolutionaries showed strong performances both individually and as a team at the Jan. 18 meet, with the majority of runners placing in the top 15 of their events.
Five Revs placed in the top five during sprinting and distance events, indicating that the women’s indoor team is benefiting from an influx of new sprinting recruits and team camaraderie.
Junior Sarah Mitchell placed first in the mile with a time of 5:01.42 and followed it up with a fourthplace finish in the 800m with 2:17.67, earning a personal record in the process.
Sophomore Emma Friedrich also recorded her personal best in the 3000m with a time of 11:02.45, followed only two seconds behind by
junior Ashley Robinson. Mitchell said she was content with her performance but is more focused on what lies ahead for the team at the Atlantic 10 Championships in late February.
“Every point and every second counts at conference so between now and then I’m focusing on working on running faster times and placing as high as I can in races,” Mitchell said in an email interview.
Junior Madison Hardamon set a personal record placing fifth in the 60m with a time of 7.91, as well as placing fifth in the 200m with a time of 26.27. Freshman Rylan Priest, the only Revolutionary in the 400m, finished in fourth place with a personal record of 1:00.98, nearly breaking the subminute barrier in the process.
Aside from the strong showing at the Cardinal Classic, the team has been making moves in other areas. With a seven-week indoor season, and one of two seniors left on the roster, Head Coach Terry
Weir said he and assistant coaches Samantha Nadel and Justin Lupone have taken an experience-focused approach with the team this winter.
“We’re really not focusing on end result times or performances,” Weir said.
“We’re really focusing on the whole picture of competing: tactics, gaining experience, that sort of thing.”
Weir said the team has typically focused on middle-distance events, meaning its highest scoring performances have been in events such as the 800m and mile. Efforts to strengthen the sprinting program have intensified, marked by the hiring of Lupone as a full-time sprinting coach that replaced the previous arrangement where Weir said he and Nadel coached the distance and sprinting teams. The number of sprinters on the team has also doubled since the 2023 season, growing from six to 12.
The coaching staff has also recruited a trio of graduate students in part for their leadership potential:
Dami Oyatayo, Danielle Dyer and Monika Kubai, all with at least a couple years of experience from racing at Howard, Elon and Flagler, respectively. Nadel said Oyatayo and Dyer have been especially active in teaching the newer sprinters lessons from their
own experiences, leading drills, setting an example for the team and providing a general sense of direction for the sprinting team.
Weir said the addition of more sprinters to this season’s roster will lead to short-distance runners of
a higher caliber during the indoor season. “We’re going to have a very strong sprint crew åthis year,” Weir said. “And I think for indoors this year, we’re probably going to be led by our sprint group, more so than our middle distance or distance group.”
Makayla Andrews’ free throw percentage, good for first on women’s basketball .776
BEN SPITALNY SPORTS EDITOR
NICHOLAS WARE | STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
A GW runner ties their shoes before a track practice on Thursday.
KAIDEN J. YU | ASSISTANT PHOTO EDITOR
Graduate guard Makayla Andrews attempts to shoot a basket during Saturday’s game at George Mason.
