The GW
HATCHET
November 9, 2026 Vol. 123
Iss. 13
AN INDEPENDENT STUDENT NEWSPAPER • SERVING THE GW COMMUNITY SINCE 1904 • ONLINE AT GWHATCHET.COM
Students say Granberg’s lack of campus visibility has persisted into fourth year of presidency EMMA LAMICHHANE REPORTER
RUBY CORRIVEAU-ROCHE REPORTER
As the Board of Trustees conducts a standard review of University President Ellen Granberg’s performance in her fourth year of leadership, students maintain concerns that first emerged at the beginning of her tenure about her lack of campus presence and ability to understand student issues. Board Chair Mark Chichester sent students, faculty and staff a survey on Oct. 19 that was active until Oct. 30, seeking feedback on Granberg’s leadership as the Board conducts their first standard review of Granberg’s job performance during her fourth year in office. Thirty-four of the 40 students The Hatchet spoke to said they had not completed the survey because they didn’t know much about Granberg or her work as president, citing her lack of visibility on campus
and limited interaction with students, which echo of concerns students voiced after her first year as president. “I feel like she’s outside of the University, like she’s not really on campus,” said Jelena Wofford, a first-year student studying political science. While multiple students said they were not aware of the Board’s survey evaluating Granberg’s performance, 34 students said they felt they wouldn’t be able to adequately complete it since they didn’t know enough about Granberg and her initiatives beyond what they had heard from word of mouth from other students, rather than direct communication from Granberg. Eight students recommended that Granberg host and attend more casual student events, like forums where students can ask her questions about her initiatives and explain their concerns, to get a better understanding of student life and make herself more approachable to the student body.
PARIS ALBRECHT
CONTRIBUTING NEWS EDITOR
SARAH GROSS
ASSISTANT NEWS EDITOR
KRIS PARK | ASSISTANT PHOTO EDITOR University President Ellen Granberg speaks at a Board of Trustees meeting in October.
The Hatchet directed questions to Granberg regarding student concerns about her presence on campus and her ability to communicate her initiative to students, but McClendon responded instead. McClendon said Granberg takes “great pride” in leading
GW and being part of its community. “What she hears and sees across all of these interactions shapes her understanding of the student experience and informs how the university approaches its work and communicates with students,” McClendon said.
Students hope Democrats’ sweeping midterm victories will steer country in positive direction ADELAIDE PETRAS
ASSISTANT NEWS EDITOR
Students said they are hopeful for the country’s future after Tuesday’s elections, where Democrats swept into sizable majorities in both chambers of Congress as voters delivered a nationwide repudiation of President Donald Trump’s policies. Of the 50 students who spoke to The Hatchet about their thoughts on the election results, the vast majority said they are thrilled with Democrats’ seismic success across the country and optimistic the new Democratic-controlled Congress will combat Trump’s actions, like global tariffs and restrictions on immigration. Of the students who said they were not optimistic about the election’s results, some said they were disappointed by Republicans’ poor performances at the polls and believe the party should reckon with its relationship to Trump, while others said they don’t anticipate much widespread policy change because of the Democrats’ inability to take unified policy stances and because of Trump’s threats to utilize the president’s veto powers. Forty-two students celebrated Democrats’
RAFAEL TOROK | PHOTOGRAPHER Students cheer while watching election results at the GW Democrats election night watch party.
midterm performance, with many saying they expect major policy changes in areas like education and gun control, both nationally and within traditionally red states. Saria Trivedi, a firstyear from Texas, said Democratic candidates in the state, like Governor-elect Gina Hinojosa and Senator-elect James Talarico, tapped into
International enrollment impacts may continue after Trump: experts
Texans’ love for their state and country, motivating them to vote blue by pointing out how Democratic policies will help Americans. She said she predicts Talarico and Hinojosa will help reduce gun violence in Texas by furthering gun control measures on the state and national levels, which Talarico prioritized in his campaign.
“I am absolutely astounded in the best way possible,” Trivedi said. Jacob Ohebshalom, a first-year from New York, said he is unhappy with the election results but understands why Americans voted blue, since the war in Iran is causing oil and energy costs to rise, and voters want the government to focus on the United States, rather than wars. He said Trump has
told voters affordability is not a problem, which hurt Republicans’ performance in the midterms. “I do like Donald Trump, but one of his main flaws is he can’t admit when he’s wrong,” Ohebshalom said. “So he told everyone, ‘What do you mean? Everything’s affordable,” trying to gaslight people, even though that’s not really the truth.”
As GW prepares to tackle losses of up to $100 million over the next several years due to declining international student enrollment, experts warn the University could face additional losses in research output and incoming student talent while grappling with President Donald Trump’s restrictions on visas and loans. After over a year of the Trump administration’s policies targeting international students, GW’s international student enrollment — largely at the graduate level — has declined by 865 students in a single academic year, positioning the University to face financial losses up to $100 million over the next several years, according to University President Ellen Granberg’s October’s Faculty Senate pre-read report. Experts in higher education said the revenue losses from a shrinking international student population could outlast Trump’s term as international students lose trust that American universities will protect them, forcing tuition-dependent institutions like GW to revamp their domestic recruitment strategies to make up for international losses. GW has continued to face declining international and graduate enrollment in the wake of the Trump administration’s continued visa restrictions, including a travel ban impacting international student applications from 38 countries, a Department of Homeland Security rule shortening the time frame international students can stay in the United States, the elimination of Grad PLUS loans and increased vetting for visa applicants. A University spokesperson said GW’s international enrollment has declined 34 percent since 2024, while graduate international enrollment has declined 43 percent in the same time period. They added GW’s enrollment from India and China have decreased by 70 percent and 44 percent, respectively, since 2024, with enrollment from 139 other countries decreasing by 16 percent since 2024. Officials have reported the decline in enrollment could have significant fiscal impacts for the University, as GW is a tuition-dependent institution. International students also often do not qualify for needbased financial aid, meaning they typically pay the full cost of attendance, which supports a large part of the University’s revenue. Granberg said in her October pre-read report officials expect international market pressures to persist in the coming years, and they are prioritizing “renewed” domestic demand and implementing a revised “international market prioritization strategy” to increase international enrollment. University spokesperson Julia Garbitt said the University’s recruitment efforts include a new customer relationship management system for graduate recruitment that will better identify prospective students in different geographic markets, tailor communications to their academic interests and improve the support provided to prospective students in the recruitment, application and enrollment process.
Computer science department enrollment plummets in age of AI CHRIS POISSON REPORTER
DAVID DEMAKOS REPORTER
Amid a 34 percent enrollment drop in its undergraduate programs since 2023, the Department of Computer Science is revamping its curriculum and finding new ways to appeal to students in response to developments in artificial intelligence and national enrollment headwinds. The number of computer science majors declined by 106 students over the last three years, according to GW enrollment data, dropping from 311 declared majors in 2023 to 205 in 2026, its lowest number since 2016. School of Engineering & Applied Science leadership and computer science faculty said they attribute the decline to uncertainty about AI’s impact on the field and national enrollment challenges, like changes in international student visa policies, prompting curricu-
WHAT’S
INSIDE
lum changes to better prepare current students for the field and attract more prospective ones. SEAS Dean John Lach said the school as a whole has “not escaped” national trends impacted by immigration policies, demographic shifts, economic constraints and AI, though officials have been “active” in mitigating the impact of these factors. The school’s undergraduate enrollment has declined by 8 percent in the past year, while graduate enrollment has declined by nearly 10 percent, according to enrollment data. As a result, Lach said officials have increased outreach to prospective first-year, transfer and graduate students and are developing new programs within the school. Lach said the computer science department updated its undergraduate programs this fall to include a “strong AI foundation” in the first and second year, with more AIdriven software development concepts being introduced later in the degree program. He said students
NEWS GW students studying in Paris have voiced support for French student protesters calling for improved conditions in schools. Page 2
can also pursue a dual bachelor of arts degree with programs like business, international affairs, public health, public policy and criminal justice because AI will likely play a “critical role” in these fields. The computer science bachelor of arts program is designed for students who seek to combine computer science with a second major or two minors in a different discipline, according to the program website. The number of undergraduate students majoring in computer science declined by 8.4 percent nationally across four-year institutions as of spring 2026, according to a report from the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center. The decline in students enrolling in computer science follows a shrinking job market in the technology sector, which has lost over 127,000 jobs so far this year, largely due to the decline of the “coding boom,” which peaked in early 2022 with a surge in software development jobs, because of the abilities of AI. Sibin Mohan, a computer sci-
OPINIONS The Editorial Board implores GW to continue bargaining with campus unions to ensure fair compensation for all their workers. Page 6
ence professor , said a reason for the drop in enrollment could be uncertainty caused by the rise of AI tools that can complete programming tasks that would typically require a computer science degree. He said the department’s faculty have discussed how to stay relevant despite AI advancements and find ways to communicate to students that there are jobs for computer scientists beyond programming or coding, like systems engineering and machine learning. Mohan said faculty have discussed how to revamp the curriculum over the past six to eight months to ensure students still learn the fundamentals they need to be computer science graduates, while also giving them the tools and capabilities they need in the age of AI. He said the department plans to emphasize the fundamentals of computer science in the redesigned curriculum to give students the skill set needed to responsibly use and understand AI’s intersection with the field.
CULTURE Meet the improvising actors that make up GW’s longest-running improv comedy troupe. Page 7
Mohan said another change to the curriculum is that classes will soon start teaching how to use AI tools and techniques, and how to use the technology responsibly. He said the department also has plans to introduce new courses centered around AI, including a course on using autonomous AI agents for programming and introducing AI into some capstone projects. Timothy Wood, a computer science professor, said the department is adapting to AI by revising the curriculum so students build a strong foundation in technical skills while also learning new AI development techniques. He said computer science has always been more than programming, teaching skills like algorithmic thinking and system design. “We need to train the next generation of GW students to understand the capabilities and weaknesses of AI models, as well as think about how the advent of AI affects law, public policy and government decisions,” Wood said.
SPORTS Women’s soccer fell to Dayton in the first round of the Atlantic 10 tournament Friday in a season-ending defeat. Page 8
NEWS THIS WEEK’S
EVENTS
THE GW HATCHET
SOUTH KOREAN CAPITALISM Monday, Nov. 9 | 5:30 p.m. | Elliott School of International Affairs Attend a book talk about the growth of South Korean capitalism between 1945 and 2025.
ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE IN HEALTHCARE Tuesday, Nov. 10 | 6 p.m. | GW Law Join experts for a discussion about the growing influence of AI within the healthcare sector.
The Faculty Senate forms a committee to craft the University’s affirmative action policy.
Nov. 12, 1990
Man fatally stabbed inside West End Library ISAAC HARTE
LIQUOR LAW VIOLATION
CONTRIBUTING NEWS EDITOR
An unknown male was fatally stabbed inside the West End Neighborhood Library shortly before 2:00 p.m. Friday, police said. Interim Metropolitan Police Department Chief Jeffery Carroll briefed members of the media outside the library — which sits at the intersection of 23rd and L streets north of Washington Circle — shortly after 4:00 p.m. and said Second District officers responded to a report of a “man down” inside one of the library’s restrooms. Carroll said officers located an adult male upon arrival suffering from a stab wound inside of the library’s bathroom, and police are reviewing video footage from the library to search for suspects. Caroll said the weapon — which he said appears to be a kitchen knife — remains on scene and that officials are reviewing footage in order to identify a suspect in the case. Carroll said MPD’s homicide unit is on the scene and is conducting an investigation, but there is currently no clear motive. MPD did not return a request for comment. Carroll said MPD does not have any reason to believe the stabbing happened outside of the library, and the information officials currently have indicates the incident
Thurston Hall 11/1/2026 – 1:03 a.m. Closed Case GWPD officers and EMeRG responded to a report of an intoxicated female GW student. Upon arrival, EMeRG evaluated the student and concluded that further medical treatment was not necessary.
Case closed. Referred to Conflict Education & Student Accountability.
BLACKMAIL
JULIA BRIXIUS | PHOTOGRAPHER Metropolitan Police Department cars outside the West End Library on 23rd Street NW.
occurred in the bathroom. Carroll said the victim of the stabbing has not been identified, but the individual is not a library employee. D.C. Public Libraries Executive Director Richard Reyes-Gavilan joined Carroll for the press conference, stating the library has a dedicated safety officer in the building, and these types of incidents are “increasingly rare.” D.C. Public Libraries said in a statement that the library will remain closed through Sunday, Nov. 8, and will reopen on Monday, Nov. 9, in consideration of staff who were
working during the “traumatic event.” This marks the second homicide within the boundaries of the Foggy Bottom and West End Advisory Neighborhood Commission this year, according to D.C. crime data. In February, MPD officers arrested and charged a suspect for fatally stabbing an adult male at Miriam’s Kitchen on the 2400 block of Virginia Avenue. There were no homicides in ANC 2A in 2023, 2024 or 2025, according to crime data. The stabbing Friday night occurred on the same intersection of a fatal hit-
and-run earlier this year, where in April a woman died after a driver struck her while she was using a crosswalk at the intersection. Police in July arrested Shaneia Gregnesia Lincoln, 34, of Upper Marlboro, Maryland, charging her with involuntary manslaughter in connection to the April crash. In 2022, MPD found a man dead near the Kennedy Center, who appeared to have suffered from several new and old “trauma injuries,” though the department said it looked like the crime occurred elsewhere from where officers located the victim.
District House 11/1/2026 – 11:30 p.m. Open Case A male GW student reported befriending an unknown subject through Snapchat. After the student exchanged intimate photos, the subject threatened to disclose the images unless the student provided them payment in the form of gift cards.
Case open.
DRUG LAW VIOLATION
Private Property on Campus (2000 Block of F Street) 11/2/2026 – 11:07 a.m. Closed Case During a routine patrol, GWPD officers observed two male students in the possession of marijuana. The Administrator on-Call was notified, the marijuana was confiscated, and the students were sent on their way. The marijuana was transported to Academic Center for processing and safekeeping.
Case closed. Referred to CESA.
—Compiled by Isaac Harte
Students abroad in Paris support protests for school improvements, oppose riots ADELAIDE PETRAS
ASSISTANT NEWS EDITOR
GW students studying abroad in Paris voiced support for French students calling for improved conditions in public schools but said they have largely steered clear of the clashes between protesters and police that have swept the nation. Protests began in mid-September in the suburbs of Paris, with a group of high school students calling for increased resources and more manageable workloads, and have since spread — first to other academic institutions, then across the country, where French citizens rallied against President Emmanuel Macron and a rising costs of living. GW students studying in the French capital said they support the students’ goals, but some said violent protests have clouded their experiences abroad, as they witness riots and looting and their classes are moved primarily online. Hundreds of thousands of protesters have participated in demonstrations across the country since September, which on Oct. 17 resulted in conflicts with police and over 1,200 arrests. Almost 150,000 people rallied across France on Saturday, ending with police deploying tear gas on protesters who threw projectiles and homemade fireworks at security forces. United Nations experts late last month condemned the use of police force against student protesters. Police projectiles and grenades have injured at least 20 protesters since mid-September — including several teenagers — and French police have opened more than 50 investigations into police brutality as of Oct. 30, France 24 reported. University spokesperson Nadia Payne said 36 undergraduate and graduate students are currently studying abroad in France, including 33 in Paris. Payne said no students have reported feeling unsafe to GW staff.
Kimberly Wong, a junior who is studying abroad at Paris Dauphine University, said being in Paris during the protests and speaking to French students at her university has been “eye-opening” and has helped her understand how the French government has failed to sufficiently fund schools. She said she supports the students’ cause and believes they should continue to push for more teachers and improved conditions in schools. “The students, they have to keep protesting because they’re not receiving what they’re asking for from the government, which is to make their schools better,” Wong said. But Wong said the people who have joined the movement and turned to violence and looting have diluted the students’ message. She said while she has not encountered any protests in Paris, she came across a large demonstration of mostly students when she was in Nice, a city in southern France, when a firecracker went off in front of her. She said the experience was “scary” and said her eyes burned throughout the day because of tear gas lingering from protests in the area. Wong said she feels she is missing out on academic experiences because the university moved classes mostly online. She compared the educational experience to online classes during the COVID-19 pandemic, which she said made it difficult to focus and participate in class. “Missing out on the real engagement from these European teachers who also have a different point of view and being in a class with a bunch of other students from around the world, I’m not really happy that I’m missing out on forming relationships and getting to really learn from everyone,” Wong said. Anna Barrett, a junior studying abroad at Sciences Po in Paris, said despite GW advising students
to stay away from the protests altogether, she marched with protesters last month in what began as a student and teacher strike, and expanded to calls for government climate action and reduced defense spending as others joined the demonstration. Payne said University officials have been in continual contact, both virtually and in person, with GW students studying in Paris and other parts of France and Europe, informing them of how to safely navigate the protests. In an email obtained by The Hatchet, officials advised students studying abroad in Europe to avoid all demonstrations and “associated crowds,” as well as areas of “significant” police activity because they expected clashes between protesters and police. She said American media outlets have overstated the violence of the protests, and most demonstrations have been peaceful, with the exception of some violent interactions with police at night. Dylan Shugar, a senior studying abroad at Dauphine, said the protesters started off with positive goals, pushing for improved conditions in schools, but have since turned to looting, which he said overshadows their message. He said he would have been more supportive of the protesters had they not been “destroying” the city and said rioters and looters have latched onto the students’ movement to use it as an outlet for violence — though he has not encountered any protests himself. Shugar said he has not felt his safety was at risk because he and most of his peers stay away from the demonstrations, and his housing is on the outskirts of Paris, while most protests have occurred centrally. Shugar said the university has been blockaded by protesters for several weeks, with a group of student protesters blocking the sole entrance, so students can’t enter the building. He said he is disap-
COURTESY OF KIMBERLY WONG An image taken by GW students studying abroad show protests in Nice, France, in midOctober.
pointed he has not been able to attend classes at Dauphine in person for about a month, but he has spent the extra time from canceled classes with his classmates and exploring the country. “I’m taking some of the extra
time that I’ve gotten from canceled classes to go explore more of Paris or explore different parts of France,” Shugar said. “So in a way, I’ve made the best of it, but it’s a different experience.”
PHOTO ESSAY: VOTERS FLOCK TO POLLS FOR MIDTERM ELECTIONS
NICHOLAS WARE | STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER MATHYLDA DULIAN | SENIOR PHOTO EDITOR LIZ HELGESEN | PHOTOGRAPHER GRACE LONG | PHOTOGRAPHER A kid throws a football as his mother votes beside him The face of Initiative 86, the anti-foe gras movement, Voters mark their ballots at Eastern Market. An Election Official holds up “I Voted” stickers at in the Turkey Thicket Recreation Center. Olivia the duck is shown off at a watch party. Eastern Market.
NEWS
November 9, 2026 • Page 3
THE GW HATCHET
GW’s student-run food pantry marks 10 years of operations DIYA JHAWAR
CONTRIBUTING NEWS EDITOR
GW’s student-run food pantry is marking 10 years of providing fresh produce, pantry staples and personal hygiene items to the GW student community. The Store, which officials opened in October 2016 and is located in the basement of District House, provides undergraduate and graduate students with free groceries, fresh produce and hygiene products in an effort to alleviate food insecurity on campus. Student managers and volunteers said changes to the pantry’s operations over the past decade have helped expand access to resources for students facing food insecurity and distribute responsibilities among staff and volunteers. The Store operates as an inperson pantry where students can visit and select groceries and other essential items to take home. Students check in upon arrival and shop from shelves stocked with food and hygiene products, with limits on how much they can take depending on the type of item. At checkout, staff members track students’ fresh food intake using punch cards and ensure shoppers follow the pantry’s daily item limits. Staff at The Store said the pantry relies on a team of undergraduate student volunteers, undergraduate student managers who oversee daily operations and graduate student supervisors who oversee the managers, with the Division for Student Affairs providing oversight in coordinating funding. University spokesperson Julia Garbitt said over the past decade of operations, The Store has played a “critical role” in supporting students and has evolved over the past few years to improve the student experience. She said officials have expanded offerings for students
The entrance to The Store, GW’s on-campus food pantry, is in the basement of District House.
via partnerships with GW Dining and local businesses, and in the next year the Division for Student Affairs is considering implementing new software to “streamline and simplify” the shopping experience. Garbitt said in the last academic year, The Store had about 900 student shoppers and offered about 16,000 pounds of food and toiletries to the GW community, seeing continuous growth in student use of The Store since its 2016 founding. According to a GW Food Institute report, the pantry had 513 registered shoppers in January 2018. “As we celebrate this milestone, we are continuously seeking to ensure that The Store provides healthy, nutritious and culturally relevant food to our diverse stu-
dent population, while educating our community about food insecurity,” Garbitt said in an email. Mritika Rahman, a senior majoring in public health and nutrition who began working as a store manager in September, said she joined The Store to gain experience in a charitable food system. She said she hopes to use her future career to improve “dignified access” to food, or ensuring people receive more food than just meeting basic calorie needs, and The Store has given her an opportunity to contribute to that effort on campus. Rahman said students must be enrolled in at least one credit at GW to shop at The Store and must complete an intake form at the beginning of each academic year to register or renew their registration
JULIA BRIXIUS | PHOTOGRAPHER
from previous years. She said they each receive a welcome bag when they first register with items like spices and cooking oil, as well as cards to track how often they shop for fresh food, which is limited to five visits per month and five freshfood items per visit. Rahman said The Store receives monthly deliveries of pantry staples, like canned goods, pasta and breakfast items from the Capital Area Food Bank, as well as donations of fresh produce from GW Dining each week. Jayden Wheatley, a junior majoring in organizational sciences and a store manager, said The Store’s operations has introduced several changes during his three years managing the pantry, including the addition of a volunteer pro-
gram and a system limiting how much fresh food shoppers can take. When Wheatley started working at The Store in fall 2024, he said managers handled stocking, packaging and other daily tasks without volunteer assistance, and shoppers could take as much food as they wanted because the pantry did not have an item limit system, which has since changed to now limit students to specific quantities of items based on the food’s category, like snacks, pantry stables and fresh food. He said The Store established its volunteer program in spring 2025, which lifted the “weight” off managers who previously found it “stressful” to handle an abundance of daily tasks without assistance. He said the pantry introduced its fresh-food card system and food limits in fall 2025 to ensure students visiting at different times throughout the week still had access to food. “It’s just so everyone can have a fair chance of getting fresh food instead of someone coming in every day, taking a lump sum amount of fresh food and stuff,” Wheatley said. Looking ahead, Wheatley said he hopes The Store can move into a larger space on campus because its current location limits how much food it can store and how many volunteers and managers can work at once. He said additional space would allow the pantry to expand its operations and serve more students. Wheatley said he enjoys building relationships with shoppers by greeting them around campus and creating an environment where students feel comfortable accessing free food without feeling judged. “No one’s judging you, so you can come in as much as you want or as many times as you need, and no one’s even gonna bat an eye,” Wheatley said.
Officials file motion to dismiss amended campus antisemitism lawsuit ISAAC HARTE
CONTRIBUTING NEWS EDITOR
Officials filed a motion to dismiss an amended antisemitism lawsuit filed against GW by current and former students, arguing the new complaint failed to demonstrate how the University itself had engaged in intentional discrimination against Jewish students. GW filed the motion to dismiss Oct. 30, alleging the amended complaint violated federal pleading rules, failed to show the University engaged in intentional discrimination and did not show a deliberate indifference or denial of educational services on the part of GW because the antisemitism in question was perpetrated by individuals rather than the University itself. The amended complaint, which alums Sabrina Soffer and Ari Shapiro — along with an anonymous group of students, alumni and other stakeholders known as “Compliance, Accountability, Policy, Ethics – Ed,” or CAPE-Ed — filed
in U.S. District Court for D.C. on Sept. 30, alleged GW failed to respond to a pattern of “extensive, repeated and pervasive animosity and hatred” toward Jewish students, which caused the plaintiffs emotional, psychological and physical harm. Soffer and Shapiro originally filed suit against the University in May 2025, but U.S. District Court Judge Trevor McFadden, who is presiding over the case, dismissed the complaint without prejudice in late July 2026, allowing the plaintiffs 30 days to refile the suit. In his July dismissal, McFadden said the initial 176-page complaint was too long due to its inclusion of “excessive narrative,” which he said violated federal pleading guidelines that require brevity. The firm Advocates for Faith & Freedom is representing Soffer and CAPE-Ed, while The Deborah Project — which provides pro-bono legal representation — is representing Shapiro. Neither firm nor GW returned
a request for comment. Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLP, the firm representing GW in the case, also did not immediately return a request for comment. The plaintiffs’ amended complaint spanned 78 pages, but in its motion to dismiss, GW’s lawyers argued the amended complaint still contained “pages of narrative,” which they say violates Rule 8 of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure, which demands plaintiffs provide “a short and plain statement of the claim showing that the pleader is entitled to relief.” The amended complaint maintains accusations from the original suit that the University failed to mitigate antisemitic acts and deprived Jewish and Israeli students of their educational experience on the basis of their national origin, ethnicity and ancestry, but also included the addition of the Department of Justice’s August 2025 findings that the University had acted deliberately indifferent to antisemitism on its campus. In the University’s
motion to dismiss, officials argued the DOJ findings constituted the amended complaint’s main addition but added “no new facts” and had “no legal force.” In both the amended complaint and the original complaint, the plaintiffs argued GW engaged in actions that violated Title VI of the Civil Rights Act and the D.C. Human Rights Act, citing the treatment of Jewish and Israeli students in the leadup to and during the 13-day pro-Palestinian encampment in University Yard in spring 2024. In the motion to dismiss, GW’s lawyers argued that for a violation of Title VI or the D.C. Human Rights Act to have occurred, the University itself must have intentionally engaged in discrimination. The motion argues that officials condemned what the lawsuit cites as discriminatory behavior and that such behavior was undertaken by individuals, rather than GW as an institution. “Plaintiffs’ discrimina-
tion claims do not allege intentional conduct by the University, nor do they meet the high bar for deliberate indifference or denial of educational access under Title VI,” the motion to dismiss reads. In the motion to dismiss, GW’s lawyers argued both the original and the amended complaint cite instances of First Amendmentprotected antisemitic speech by individual actors that was inherently discriminatory, but those instances did not equate to GW being responsible for the antisemitic speech. “What Plaintiffs really complain about is speech — specifically, speech they found offensive or hostile to their views,” the motion to dismiss reads. “But that speech, as their Amended Complaint makes clear, came from students, faculty or outside speakers—not from the University itself. And much of it, while reprehensible, is plainly protected by the First Amendment.” GW’s lawyers cited sever-
al examples of courts ruling that universities were not responsible for discriminatory speech relating to post-Oct. 7 campus unrest under Title VI, like in lawsuits against Haverford College and the University of Pennsylvania, where courts ruled universities were not responsible for perceived antisemitic rhetoric and conduct. GW’s lawyers also provide several examples in the motion to dismiss of officials taking steps to “unequivocally” condemn antisemitic incidents on campus, like when University President Ellen Granberg denounced the projection of anti-Israel images on the side of Gelman Library. In the motion to dismiss, GW’s lawyers argue the University took “concrete action” when protesters “crossed the line” during the encampment. GW’s lawyers are asking the court to dismiss the lawsuit in its entirety with prejudice, meaning it would not be possible for the plaintiffs to file an amended complaint.
Student organizations reunite for joint Diwali celebration after three years DIYA JHAWAR
CONTRIBUTING NEWS EDITOR
LOUISA HANNOUCENE STAFF WRITER
Two student organizations collaborated for the first time in three years to host an annual Diwali celebration Saturday, bringing together the University’s South Asian community for an evening of cultural performances and festivities. The Indian Students’ Association and the Hindu Students Association hosted the celebration in the University Student Center’s Columbian Square, drawing over 400 attendees Saturday evening. The joint celebration featured performances by student dance teams, including GW Garmi, a Bollywood fusion dance team, GW Chamak, a multicultural dance team and Georgetown University’s Jawani, a Bhangra dance team, and highlighted the cultural and religious traditions associated with Diwali. Diwali, also known as the Festival of Lights, is a five-day festival celebrated throughout the South Asian diaspora and associated with the triumph of light over darkness and good over evil. The celebrations, which this
year fall on Nov. 6 through Nov. 10, traditionally include lighting oil lamps called diyas, decorating homes with colorful rangoli designs, sharing meals and gathering with family and friends. The celebration featured an enchanted forest-themed backdrop, colorful lighting and a stage for the evening’s performances. Before the performances began around 8 p.m., attendees participated in aarti, a Hindu prayer ritual involving the offering of light. The organizations served traditional Indian food after the performances, and the event concluded with a DJ and an open dance floor where attendees could dance to varying styles of Indian music. Deepti Pillai, a junior majoring in political science and international business and ISA co-president, said celebrating Diwali at GW allows students to engage with their culture while away from home. “It’s a very important cultural event throughout India, and so I was really excited when I got to college to have an expanded South Asian community that also celebrated Diwali,” Pillai said. Pillai said Saturday’s
celebration marked the first time ISA and HSA had jointly hosted a Diwali event since fall 2023. She said both groups hosted separate Diwali events in the interim and decided to reunite for a joint celebration this year because their differing perspectives on the celebration of Diwali complemented each other. Pillai said the ISA highlighted the diverse ways Diwali is celebrated across India and globally through a presentation to attendees, while HSA, a religious organization, hoped to focus in on the holiday’s religious significance through their contribution of the aarti ritual. Pillai said both organizations initially planned to host separate Diwali celebrations this year, as they had in recent years, and independently booked spaces in the student center during the previous academic year to secure dates as close to the holiday as possible. The organizations discussed combining the events in early October of this year and ultimately decided to host a joint celebration. Anusha Patil, a junior majoring in biology and HSA’s co-president, said she wanted the celebrations on
GW Chamak performs at a Diwali celebration Saturday.
Saturday to bring together students beyond the University’s Hindu and South Asian communities, recalling seeing students from diverse cultural and religious backgrounds coming together for HSA’s Diwali as a firstyear student. Separate from Saturday’s joint celebration in the student center, Patil said ISA and HSA hosted general body meetings during the
LOGAN ROTUNNO | STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
week where students decorated diyas for Diwali. She said HSA also partnered with the University’s Center for Interfaith & Spiritual Life to “light up” Kogan Plaza Sunday evening with the decorated diyas. Patil said she hopes the student center celebration and initiative to “light up” Kogan will create a welcoming space for students from different backgrounds, in-
cluding those who don’t typically celebrate the holiday, to take part in the festivities and give them an opportunity to learn about Diwali and its significance across religious and cultural traditions. “I just want everyone to have the same experience that I had my freshman year, if not better,” Patil said. “Again, feel close to home, feel like you found a whole new community here.”
NEWS
November 9, 2026 • Page 4
THE GW HATCHET
GW researchers find global disparities in ozone pollution heighten health risks HENRY CORLEY REPORTER
LAKSHMI DEV
ASSISTANT NEWS EDITOR
CARSTEN HOLST | ASSISTANT PHOTO EDITOR Memorial Circle, the proposed site of President Donald Trump’s Triumphal Arch, is seen with the Lincoln Memorial in the distance.
Lawsuits, advocacy groups look to stop Trump’s triumphal arch SHIVU SATHE
ASSISTANT NEWS EDITOR
Preservation and veterans’ groups are continuing to challenge President Donald Trump’s proposed triumphal arch, calling it a threat to the legacy of Memorial Circle and Arlington National Cemetery, as it moves through regulatory and legal processes. The National Capital Planning Commission — the federal government’s planning agency for the National Capital Region — approved the construction plans for the arch in an 8-4 vote late Thursday night, but U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan quickly blocked work on it the same night for two weeks after the attorneys general of D.C. and Virginia filed a lawsuit against the project, saying the Trump administration did not follow proper legal procedure for approval. Members of veterans organizations and D.C. architecture and landscape advocates, who are speaking out and filing amicus briefs in the lawsuits, said a monument of this nature so close to Arlington National Cemetery “tarnishes” the memories and legacies of those buried on the grounds. Trump first proposed constructing the “Arc de Trump” in October 2025 to commemorate the nation’s 250th anniversary, with his administration deciding on Memorial Circle across the Potomac River from the Lincoln Memorial as the arch’s location. The Trump administration cited a 1925 plan to construct pillars in the circle as justification for why that site is a good location for the arch. The Trump administration originally proposed finishing the monument, a white and gold arch standing at 250 feet, in time for the country’s 250th birthday, but was halted due to the NCPC not approving the construction on time. Trump now says it would serve as a tourist attraction and a military complex storing drones, ammunition and sniper nests, with construction planned to start this week, but now halted as a result of the court order. D.C. Attorney General Brian Schwalb and Virginia Attorney General Jay Jones filed their lawsuit on Oct. 31, arguing the arch was illegal because it lacked congressional approval
and violated the District’s height restrictions for buildings. Sherman Neal II, the deputy director for the Sierra Club Military Outdoors, an organization aiming to support veterans and their families in gaining access to outdoor spaces, said he is invested in the arch’s future as a veteran, worried about the implications the project could have so close to a site that is supposed to be peaceful for the 430,000 veterans and their families buried on the Arlington Cemetery grounds. “For myself and as a representative of the military outdoors campaign with Arlington, we have heightened interest due to the 400,000 people that are interred there,” Neal said. He said Memorial Circle is left empty on purpose and that putting something there is breaking the circle’s “original intent.” The architectural firm that built Memorial Circle originally intended it to be left empty to create a sight line between the Lincoln Memorial, Arlington Memorial Bridge and Arlington House to represent the post-Civil War reconciliation of the North and South of the United States. Brittany Meyer, the senior director of government affairs at the American Institute of Architects, said her organization was a consulting party in the initial planning process with the NCPC to determine where to place the arch, and that her organization suggested several other locations to avoid these issues, but the Trump administration chose this spot regardless. She said a monument of this size would have required a much longer approval process, similar to that of newer D.C. monuments like the recently opened Desert Shield and Desert Storm Memorial and the World War II Memorial. She said the World War II Memorial took nearly 11 years to go through the congressional approval process and that officials had to make changes to get congressional approval, which Meyer said should be occurring with the arch. “Whatever we’re looking at now, it being like nine months is, I don’t think on any planet that that is sufficient, and it isn’t,” Meyer said. “They stopped the process, and they are not going through it, and they are not taking adequate public voices into account.”
GW researchers found ground-level ozone pollution is declining in some regions while rising in others, leaving certain global populations facing unequal respiratory health risks. Gaige Kerr, an associate researcher and professional lecturer in the Department of Environmental and Occupational Health at the Milken Institute School of Public Health, and Susan Anenberg, the department’s chair and director of the Climate and Health Institute, co-authored a study published Oct. 26 in Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society A, which found that ozone concentrations declined in parts of North America and Europe but increased across South Asia and sub-Saharan Africa. The findings highlight the need for stronger domestic emissions controls and international cooperation to reduce ozone-related illnesses and deaths, according to the study. The researchers synthesized existing research and global ozone measurements to examine how long-term exposure to ozone contributes to chronic obstructive pulmonary disease — a respiratory condition that restricts airflow and makes breathing difficult. The researchers called for governments and public health agencies to expand air quality monitoring, improve health data and continue reductions in emissions that contribute to ozone formation. “It’s causing inflammation in our lungs, and inflammation
can cascade into more clinically visible health impacts like asthma attacks, wheezing, lung cancer, COPD, et cetera,” Kerr said. Kerr, the study’s lead author, said the assessment differs from his previous research into air pollution and its health effects because it brings together existing scientific findings on global ozone concentrations, longterm exposure and associated health effects rather than investigating a single research question. He said an international atmospheric chemistry consortium organized the assessment and asked him to lead the section examining the pollutant’s effects on human health. Kerr said ground-level ozone forms when pollutants known as nitrogen oxides and volatile organic compounds react in sunlight. He said vehicles, power plants and vegetation release the substances that contribute to ozone formation, and heat accelerates the chemical reactions that produce the pollutant. Unlike ozone that exists in the upper atmosphere, which protects the Earth from ultraviolet radiation, ground-level ozone can harm human health, according to the study. The study linked long-term ozone exposure to impaired lung function, the development of asthma in children and increased asthma-related emergency room visits and hospitalizations. Researchers also identified an association between prolonged exposure and the development of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Kerr said the researchers focused primarily on COPD because existing scientific evidence more strongly supports the disease’s association with long-term ozone exposure. Kerr said emissions from
vehicles, power plants and industrial facilities remain the primary driver of ozone pollution, but rising temperatures associated with climate change can increase ozone concentrations even if emissions remain constant. He said this relationship between rising temperatures and increased ozone formation, known as the ozone climate penalty, could complicate efforts by governments and environmental regulators to reduce exposure as global temperatures rise. “Even if we fix or hold constant these ingredients that make ozone, what we call precursor emissions, we’re going to likely be locked into increases of ozone just by virtue of this strong association between ozone and temperature,” Kerr said. Anenberg said differences in emissions regulations, population growth and climate conditions between countries explain why ozone concentrations have declined in some regions while increasing in others. Anenberg said countries including the United States and several European nations have reduced ozone concentrations through air quality regulations including limits on vehicle emissions and industrial pollution that reduce nitrogen oxides and volatile organic compounds, the pollutants that contribute to ozone formation. She said emissions continue to increase in parts of Asia, where population growth, less stringent environmental regulations and hot, sunny conditions contribute to ozone formation. “The population is growing and they don’t have the same stringency of regulations that we have here in the United States,” Anenberg said.
MICHAEL PEREZ | PHOTOGRAPHER
The Milken Institute School of Public Health.
SGA to advocate for student organization leaders to receive academic credit AMELIA NELSON
ASSISTANT NEWS EDITOR
As the Student Government Association reignites efforts to give student organization leaders academic credit, students and faculty question the idea’s logistics and feasibility. SGA members said they will begin developing a proposal to offer student organization leaders academic credit for their positions — a system they feel student leaders deserve given their contributions to GW’s student life culture — although they have not yet determined how this process would work for leaders seeking credit. Faculty members said a successful SGA-led initiative must consider additional factors, like adhering to federal policies that mandate academic content accompany any distribution of credit hours and establishing criteria for which student leaders would receive credit. The renewed efforts this year, which SGA President MJ Childs and the Senate’s Committee on Education Policy have been considering over the past few weeks and plan to continue developing next semester, come after former SGA Vice President Liz Stoddard’s presidential campaign in April outlined working with University officials to provide student organization leaders with academic credit for their campus leadership. Stoddard said last spring GW should award student leaders with three credit hours per semester given
their positions’ high time commitments akin to parttime jobs, proposing a course structured similarly to CCAS 2154 — a Columbian College of Arts & Sciences class that grants students completing internships with academic credit by pairing them with a faculty adviser to whom they submit related academic coursework. SGA Sen. Zachary Brivio (ESIA-U), chair of the education policy committee, said creating student organization leader credit could alleviate pressure from students who want to hold leadership positions in organizations but have heavy academic workloads. He said credit could serve as a form of “recognition” for leaders and a way the University could express that they “appreciate” students’ time commitments by allowing them to incorporate organization involvement into their course load to balance their workloads. “Organization leaders can contribute 10-plus hours a week, even more, and that’s a lot of time for not getting any compensation,” Brivio said. In order to maintain accreditation, the University can only distribute credit hours if it proves it is concurrently providing academic content. Brivio said framing student leadership as a form of professional development related to a student’s intended major could garner University “buy-in,” but added that the policy would only benefit a “very small minority” of students who are in pre-professional organiza-
tions. Brivio said while he wants to advocate for student organization credit, he does not have a timeline or proposal, adding that he plans to consult with all “stakeholders,” like student organization leaders, other SGA members, faculty senators and University officials, before developing an official proposal. “We’re really just exploring all the possible methods,” Brivio said. “It’s really about trying to do the most good for the most amount of people and, to be honest, we’re not exactly sure on what that plan is yet.” Daina Eglitis, an associate professor of sociology and international affairs who serves as a faculty adviser for students in CCAS 2154, said she would support students receiving credit for their organization involvement in a similar structure to the existing internship class because skills like communication, teamwork and creativity can “manifest” within student’s involvement with their organizations. Eglitis said the SGA should work with administration to determine whether the University has sufficient resources, like enough faculty advisers, to accommodate a potential proposal. She said she typically advises no more than two to three students in one semester, and while she is not aware of a faculty adviser shortage, she questioned whether an increasing demand for faculty advisers would affect adviser availability. “The challenge would be
ensuring that if there were another credit vehicle like this added, how would we, the faculty, the University administration, the students who are proposing this, ensure that there’s enough resources to make sure that the students who want to do this are able to?” Eglitis said. The University did not respond to a request for comment on whether they would consider allowing student organization leaders to receive academic credit. Phil Wirtz, a faculty senator and member of the Faculty Senate’s Educational Policy & Technology Committee, said he supported the idea of offering credit to student organization leaders only if the students could show how their involvement directly supported their correlating academic programs. “If there’s a professor involved in endorsing this as part of the student’s individual academic program, then by all means do that,” Wirtz said. He said a student leadership credit system could be adopted into already available independent study, with students going to department advisers to explain how their organization involvement ties into their studies to justify receiving academic credit. “As it fits into that scope, I think we’ve already got a way of doing this,” Wirtz said. “I guess I have to see what’s being proposed here to try to get a sense for why what we have in place already isn’t sufficient.” Eric Gitson, president of
GW College Democrats, said after hearing Stoddard’s idea in April, he began conceiving his own ideas for a student organization leader credit system over the summer, which he informed Childs of last week and now hopes the SGA will take on as a “major” advocacy project. He said his motivation for developing this system was to reward student leaders for the work they put into creating the “GW experience” of an involved student body that officials advertise. In his proposed framework, all student organization leaders — tentatively one from a small organization, three from a mediumsized group and five from a large group — would automatically receive academic credit. He said the University should provide the additional staffing, if needed, to accommodate an increase of students receiving credit but hopes the SGA could “iron” out details with officials. “It’s the student organizations and it’s the student organization leaders, who are putting in long, unpaid hours, who create a lot of the campus culture that makes this school what it is and who put on a lot of the major events that are an important part of students’ lives on campus,” Gitson said. Gitson said student organization leaders’ responsibilities, which may include event planning and administrative work may be “more preparatory” for a students’ professional development than an internship because the roles require a “much
higher level” of leadership. SGA Senate Pro Tempore Mathew Reis, who said he spoke with the SGA’s education policy committee about the proposed idea in September after first hearing about it from Stoddard in April, said an added benefit — amid increasing tuition and students’ uncertainty about financial aid packages — of student organization leaders receiving credit could be helping them complete credits quicker, possibly allowing them to graduate early and pay for less semesters of classes. “Credits are a time urgent manner,” Reis said. “This extra credit could be something that pushes someone over for an early graduation and saves them out on tens of thousands of dollars.” David Karpf, a professor in the School of Media & Public Affairs, said he had “mixed feelings” about the idea of rewarding student leaders for their extracurricular activities because it places faculty “further away” from students’ academic engagement. He added that he felt similarly about the existing internship credit class but said he did not know if student organizations would help students build professional connections in the same way an internship can. “There’s a bunch of arguments for why the internship for credit, while we should feel a little weird about it, ends up making sense,” Karpf said. “This is the same category, but I don’t know if it checks all the same boxes.”
NEWS
November 9, 2026 • Page 5
THE GW HATCHET
SGA looks to expand Instagram presence, modernize outdated website
Rep. Jamie Raskin, political analysts break down midterms
SYDNEY HERSKOWITZ
SARAH GROSS
As the Student Government Association approaches six months into its term without an updated website, members said maintaining an active Instagram has ensured the body does not lose communication with students, while others say the outdated online presence has has caused confusion about available resources. The SGA’s communication team said they are working to fix the website — which has featured out-of-date information about senators, committee membership and resources since the start of the term in May and has lacked a judicial branch section since at least December 2025, according to web archives — after facing continued technical issues with the page. Some members said the lack of a fully functional website and missing information could dissuade students from going to the SGA for assistance while other members said Instagram has effectively substituted the website, with some SGA departments now seeking to create independent accounts focused on specific policy fields. Scott Seamon, SGA deputy director of communications, said he attributed delays in updating the website to a previous lack of a joint communications team — a change the body’s leadership made this year to streamline communication between the legislative and executive branches. He said because the branches had separate communications teams in past years, there are “technical and design differences” between online pages, which has made updating the website “difficult” to manage. Seamon said the communications team made its own email account last week where members can submit requests for website updates, which he anticipates will speed up the website renovation process and make requests easier to track. He said he hopes the new email and continued efforts to update the website will increase the body’s communi-
A member of Congress, a political strategist and an analyst discussed takeaways from last week’s midterm elections in the Jack Morton Auditorium Thursday, including the results that led Democrats to take control of Congress and what they mean for key issues like corruption, the Iran war and the economy. The sold-out event, hosted by the Graduate School of Political Management, focused on the results and aftermath of Tuesday’s elections, with CNN anchor Manu Raju moderating discussions with Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-MD), Inside Elections Editor and Publisher Nathan Gonzales and Morris Katz, the lead media strategist for Zohran Mamdani’s 2025 New York City mayoral campaign. The speakers said the election’s results reflected growing voter concern about affordability, the Iran war and corruption in government, which they think Democrats plan to capitalize on after picking up at least seven seats in the Senate and 40 seats in the House in a “blue wave” that has given the party sizable majorities in both chambers of Congress. Rep. Haley Stevens (D-MI) was initially scheduled to appear at the event but quietly dropped out of the lineup on Thursday. Although Stevens was not present, her endorsement of Rogers became a talking point during the event, with Raju asking Raskin — who replaced Stevens at the event — whether he had spoken with the con-
REPORTER
ASSISTANT NEWS EDITOR
RAFAEL TOROK | PHOTOGRAPHER The current Student Government Association website.
cation with students, though he feels the SGA’s Instagram account, which currently boasts over 5,600 followers, is a “stronger” way to share information with students. The SGA’s executive health policy team recently created its own Instagram in October, joining the Committee on Financial Services and Allocations — which has had its own account since 2021, according to Instagram data. The SGA Mental Health Assembly and Community, Advocacy and Inclusion Committee have their own Instagram accounts, although neither have been used this term, with the MHA last posting in April and CAIC in September 2025. SGA Chief Justice Oliver Bates said the Student Court has requested the SGA communications team publish information about the judicial branch on the website since last semester but has seen no changes and received few explanations from the communications department. He said the SGA’s ongoing efforts to make the Student Court more accessible to students have been limited by the court’s inability to share information with students on the site. He said he did not feel the court, unlike other branches, should rely on Instagram because having a social media presence could making students feel as though the court was biased toward the SGA if its advertisements were featured on the centralized SGA
Instagram. The SGA account has not posted anything about the Student Court this semester. SGA Sen. Anya Srivastava (CCAS-U), chair of the Committee on Financial Services and Allocations, said the website’s outdated information has made it difficult for students to find instructions for requesting funding from the SGA. Srivastava said while she helps students navigate funding processes during her weekly office hours and through the finance committee’s Instagram, students often heavily rely on office hours to get small questions answered, meaning they might have to wait a week to ask a question which a website could quickly address. Srivastava said she does not believe the website’s condition reflects a deliberate effort to withhold information from students but worries that outdated pages could create an impression of dishonesty. SGA President MJ Childs said in an email some executive departments have also brought up establishing their own Instagram accounts to post updates instead of relying solely on the main SGA Instagram account. “We definitely want to be careful of not decentralizing the main page and not over flooding feeds, while also making sure we’re giving a spotlight to the work our policy directors are doing,” Childs said.
GW launches search for permanent vice president for research LAKSHMI DEV
ASSISTANT NEWS EDITOR
Officials launched a national search for its next vice president for research Friday, after more than two years without a permanent leader of the University’s research enterprise. Provost Ed Balleisen announced the search in an email to the University community Friday and said the next vice president will be responsible for advancing GW’s research initiatives, strengthening interdisciplinary collaboration and expanding external research partnerships. The search follows President Ellen Granberg’s announcement of the Raising Higher: OneGW in Action plan last Monday, which outlines initiatives to expand research funding for faculty collaborations, strengthen research infrastructure and administrative support and increase opportunities for external research partnerships over the next three years. “The next VPR will champion bold ideas and build the systems to support them, honor disciplinary excellence while creating new connections among fields, and advance GW’s ambitions while remaining attentive to the people and practices that will ultimately determine whether those ambitions succeed,” Balleisen said in his email. The vice president for research oversees research funding, regulatory compliance, innovation initiatives and research facilities, according to the position description published by executive search firm DSG Global. The position has an expected annual salary of $300,000 to $500,000, depending on
the candidate’s experience and qualifications. The vice president role leads the Office of the Vice President for Research, which employs more than 80 staff members and includes six direct reports, according to the position description. The vice president will report to Balleisen, with a secondary reporting line to Granberg and serve on the president’s cabinet. Balleisen said DSG Global conducted listening sessions with University stakeholders to develop an initial profile for the position. He said his office worked with the Faculty Senate Executive Committee to establish a search committee, which Milken Institute School of Public Health Dean Kelly Gebo will chair, representing all 10 schools and colleges, Libraries and Academic Innovation, the Staff Council, the Board of Trustees and graduate students. Balleisen said the University is seeking a candidate who can support researchers throughout the research process, from developing proposals and securing external funding to publishing findings and applying research to public issues. “We are seeking an accomplished scholar and research leader who understands the full ecosystem of discovery and scholarship: from the formation of an idea and the creation of interdisciplinary relationships, through seed investment and proposal development, to external support, rigorous stewardship, dissemination, translation and public impact,” Balleisen said in the email. The role has been vacant since former vice provost for research
Pamela Norris stepped down in August 2024. Robert Miller, the School of Medicine & Health Sciences’ vice dean for research and academic affairs and former holder of the role, operated in the interim capacity from 2024 until he stepped down over the summer to return full-time to the SMHS and focus on the Medical Faculty Associates’ transition to Universal Health Services. Former Interim Provost John Lach said in May GW would appoint another interim research leader while Balleisen — who assumed the provost position July 1 — prepared to launch a national search for a permanent vice president this fall. Evangeline Downie, a professor of physics and former associate dean for research and strategic initiatives in the Columbian College of Arts & Sciences, has served as interim vice president for research since July 10. The search also comes as the University faces reductions in federal research funding. Miller reported last November that the Trump administration had terminated 62 externally funded research awards across 10 schools and units, resulting in $7.2 million in lost funding for the current period and $10.5 million in projected future losses. Officials also announced $46.5 million in net budget reductions for fiscal year 2027 in May, citing declining enrollment, rising operating costs and broader financial pressures. The University previously identified changes to federal research funding and potential reductions in reimbursements for research-related expenses as threats to its finances.
gresswoman before her endorsement of Rogers. Raskin said he spoke with Stevens before appearing on Meet the Press on Nov. 1, where she confirmed she would support El-Sayed, but later that day posted a video on X endorsing Rogers. Despite Stevens’ last-minute support of the Republican, Raskin said he didn’t support kicking Stevens out of the Democratic caucus in Congress. Raju’s discussion with Raskin shifted to Democrats’ midterm victories, which brought historic margins for the party that took control of both the House and Senate and won several battleground states like Michigan and North Carolina, as well as traditional Republican strongholds like Texas, South Carolina and Kansas. Raskin said he thinks many people voted for Democrats because the party has stood up for democracy, freedom, the rule of law and the idea that government should be an “instrument” for the common good of everybody, rather than for the “private self-enrichment” of President Donald Trump and those who surround him. He said he hopes Republicans will reach out to find common ground with the Democrats and bring about solutions to end the war in Iran, which he said is illegal, unconstitutional and “ruinous.” “I think people understand, with all of our flaws, all of our defects, where the Democrats are, and people also, even with all the propaganda disinformation, understand basically what the Republican Party has become under Donald Trump,” Raskin said.
EMORI WITMER-GAUTSCH | PHOTOGRAPHER CNN Chief Congressional Correspondent Manu Raju questions Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-Md.) on stage at the Graduate School of Political Management’s post-election analysis event.
University compliance, data privacy officer to retire next month ARUNMOY DAS
ASSISTANT NEWS EDITOR
A top official who helped establish GW’s compliance office will retire next month after over seven years leading the office and 18 years at GW. Officials announced in a release Friday Associate Vice President for Ethics, Compliance and Risk and Data Privacy Officer Dorinda Tucker will retire on Dec. 2 after 18 years at GW. While officials did not mention an official search for a permanent replacement to Tucker, the release said Executive Director for Ethics and Compliance Ashley Fountaine will serve as interim associate vice president after Tucker’s departure. “I’m very proud of the program we’ve built,” Tucker said in the release. The formal announcement follows Board of Trustees Audit, Risk and Compliance Committee Vice Chair Kevin Brown alluding to Tucker’s retirement at the Board’s public meeting last month, where he recognized her efforts to-
ward ensuring the University adapted to changes in policy compliance. Trustees unanimously passed a resolution to recognize Tucker’s service to the University at the meeting. Tucker, who previously served as a member of the GW Information Technology office, helped form the then-Office of Ethics, Compliance and Privacy in February 2019 to monitor the University’s policy and regulation compliance efforts, manage GW’s conflict of interest procedures and head data privacy measures. Officials changed the office’s name to the Office of Ethics, Compliance and Risk sometime between Aug. 11, 2022 and Sept. 20, 2022, according to web archives. Tucker said in the release she pitched the idea for the office in 2019 to then-Chief Financial Officer Mark Diaz after she saw that GW failed to comply with the General Data Protection Regulation — the European Union’s comprehensive data privacy and security law, which took effect in May 2018 and applies to GW’s data col-
lection from international students from EU countries. Throughout her tenure, Tucker led the office’s efforts to ensure GW’s compliance with government policies and reinforce the University’s ethical code. The release said Tucker also helped the Board establish its standing committee on audit, risk and compliance in 2018 and advance its mission of overseeing the University’s internal controls, sound business practices and ethical conduct. The release also states Tucker managed the conflict of interest program for University trustees and leadership to ensure they advance GW’s mission without outside influence. Tucker began her tenure at GW in 2008 as a special assistant to the chief information officer after working at IBM as a business operations manager for two decades, according to the release. Tucker also worked as an executive administrator manager in the University’s finance division from 2009 and 2019, according to her LinkedIn.
ARWEN CLEMENS | STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER Associate Vice President for Ethics, Compliance and Risk and Data Privacy Officer Dorinda Tucker at a Board of Trustees meeting last year.
THE GW HATCHET
OPINIONS
November 9, 2026 • Page 6
OPINIONS
WHAT THE UNIVERSITY WON’T TALK ABOUT THIS WEEK
Whether University President Ellen Granberg plans to host more informal events with students to better engage the student body. p.1
GW labor movements should learn from the graduate student union’s win STAFF EDITORIAL After 18 months of negotiations, GWU Graduate Workers United — the union representing graduate student workers on campus — secured its first ever collective bargaining agreement with the University. Since nearly unanimously voting to unionize in November 2024, the union has bargained tirelessly with the University to secure increases in pay, benefits and nondiscrimination protections, but the contract only came to fruition after both parties committed last month to three days of consecutive marathon bargaining sessions. The completion of the contract marks a significant milestone for the University, especially since officials have historically had a shaky relationship with unions, and this negotiation with the graduate student union shows that the University can bargain in good faith. The union demonstrated the power of student activism and how consistency. GWU2’s victory also teaches us a valuable lesson: that when the parties put their mind to something, the University has the ability to act swiftly. We hope that this means that the University will not use this as an excuse to scale back on positions for graduate student workers, and we also hope that this is indicative of a change in how the University approaches unions at GW and will be willing to bargain with other unions on campus, like the adjunct faculty union, to ensure that their workers are being compensated fairly. We hope that this contract represents a shift in the University, where amid their budget struggles, they are reminded that the prestige of our University is built on the work of its students, staff and faculty, and all of these groups on campus should be awarded compensation fitting
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CAROLINE MORRELLI | STAFF CARTOONIST
of the work that they do. GW is beginning to learn from those past mistakes. Per the contract, graduate teaching assistants employed in a nine-month term will now be paid $40,000, which is a significant increase from their current salary of $26,100. On top of that, the union got GW to agree to a letter — that holds similar weight to a contract — to protect international student workers, allowing international students to take a leave of absence in case they come across any immigration-related issues, like an arrest or detention, and ensuring that GW will not discipline their workers if they do encounter any
immigration issues. Union workers said they stood their ground on securing pay increases and international student worker protections, and now those articles will be enshrined until 2030. We hope that GW will continue this energy of prioritizing good faith negotiations and providing meaningful contract improvements to other unions on campus, like the adjunct faculty union, who are currently in negotiations for a new contract, since their contract expires in December. We also hope that the union representatives themselves acknowledge the power they hold — considering part-
Strategic framework action plan offers vague promises
ast week, officials took the first steps in implementing the strategic framework — a set of priorities meant to shape GW’s direction for the next seven to 10 years — by releasing a new plan of action for the University. The plan, dubbed “OneGW in Action” lists broad points that explain how officials plan to achieve supposedly meaningful improvements to the University’s operations, like “Redesigning the budget model and aligning financial processes” to “strengthen our foundation for excellence.” University President Ellen Granberg and the Board of Trustees have spent their tenures navigating the University’s troubled finances as higher education faces headwinds nationwide. As a result, their “OneGW in Action” plan has centered on providing benefits to prospective students and future classes to secure the University’s longterm fiscal solvency, while neglecting many of the immediate frustrations facing current students because of budget constraints.
Ethan Vargas Contributing Opinions Editor It is undoubtedly necessary that officials move to secure GW’s most important revenue streams — undergraduate and graduate tuition — that make up over half of the University’s operating revenue. Offering targeted financial aid promises and bolstering future research programs
Hatchet
does exactly that. However, the object of a good University administration is two-fold: ensuring longterm financial stability and addressing the needs of current students. The strategic framework, despite being released for over a year now, has largely ignored the latter despite students continuously raising concerns over the rising cost of education and cuts to academic resources. From my own experience, I noticed that the strategic framework’s Revolutionary Promise — a full tuition guarantee for students from households whose incomes fall below $100,000, starting with the Class of 2030 — fails to provide this much-needed aid to current students. Having missed the eligibility cutoff for this aid by one year, I cannot help but feel unlucky and, in some sense, let down that my family and I will continue to take out student loans and pay high out-of-pocket costs to continue at GW due to an arbitrary administrative cutoff. While officials are trying to address affordability in terms of access to healthcare at the University, their action plan again falls short. Another area where students have expressed concern is in the job market and their employability since many of the traditional white-collar jobs that hired straight out of college no longer exist, calling into question the actual value of a college degree. The action plan only addresses this existential issue facing higher education with vague bu-
reaucratic language. Officials reference the idea of creating a “D.C. Experiences Hub,” but it remains unclear how that center will translate into helping students gain valuable experience and skills. Instead of improving upon the existing student infrastructure at GW by improving the quality of the career center, the action plan presents an unclear initiative with an unclear explanation on how it will actually help students. Far too many of the strategic framework’s priorities read as vague concepts that do little to change the tangible reality students face. “Advancing Trustworthy AI Research,” “Expanding team-based and projectbased learning” and “Planning GW’s next campaign” are nonspecific aspirations that do not alleviate many of the difficult student realities. No mention is given to cuts in existing aid or concerns about dining hall food quality — all while charging a sticker price for attendance greater than some Ivy League universities. The student body is hurting. The Strategic Framework action plan has left out the greatest anxieties felt by the GW community. Good administration requires both visionary strategic leadership and effective management of everyday concerns. Officials cannot expect continuing students and families to shoulder the burden of their ambitious long-term economic goals. —Ethan Vargas, a sophomore majoring in political science, is the contributing opinions editor.
eic@gwhatchet.com news@gwhatchet.com opinions@gwhatchet.com photo@gwhatchet.com sports@gwhatchet.com culture@gwhatchet.com copy@gwhatchet.com multimedia@gwhatchet.com
Students should embrace GW’s underdog athletic identity
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he idea is that fans gather with the expectation that the team with the superior skill will prevail. But, somehow, these same fans take immeasurable pleasure in upsets: we celebrate unlikely winners and Cinderella runs, instances where it seems the best team did not win. The favorite, in order to remain at its pinnacle, must survive a hard-fought battle, and being expected to lose does not make the underdog incapable of excellence. That uncertainty is what keeps games interesting. But at GW, our community seems to believe that a team must earn our support and loyalty by first proving themselves. GW does not need to become a sports powerhouse for GW students to build an athletic culture. By embracing the underdog mentality, and supporting our teams because of the uncertainty each game brings, we can create a community that endures past any season’s record.
Daniel Fink Opinions Writer Basketball offers a place to begin building that culture. Yet even a winning season does not fill the Smith Center: in the 2024-25 season, GW men’s basketball had a record of 21-13 while having an average home attendance of just 1,976 fans, third to last in the conference. GW has long struggled with cultivating and maintaining a strong sports culture.
Discussion of school spirit among administrators, coaches and students often suggests that winning on the basketball court plays a role in remedying this. In 2011, then-head basketball coach Mike Lonergan said “We have to win games” in order for fans to “come out and support us.” Drawing on the impact that Clemson University’s football revival had during her time there, University President Granberg has argued that success in athletics will play an increasingly relevant role in driving engagement. But this leave an important question unanswered: Given that GW’s basketball teams have had uneven seasons in recent years, how can officials ensure students still pack the Smith Center even after a loss? It is also unclear if winning is a successful driver of sports engagement. Average home attendance for men’s basketball fell almost 10 percent from 201516 to 2016-17, despite GW’s victory in the 2016 National Invitation Tournament. In theory, their win should have revitalized and won the support of students. This approach is very convenient: It gives everybody but students a job. Coaches must coach, donors must donate and athletes must win, and once all those conditions are met, students will then grace our teams with their support. To adapt “Field of Dreams,” if they build it, we will come. Waiting until we become a winning program to show our support postpones the shared experiences by which
sporting communities form. But community cannot be sustained when it disappears after the next loss. An upset is merely a reason to continue hoping. The sold-out Georgetown exhibition games of the last two years show concretely why victory is not necessary to create something worth showing up for. Despite GW losing 76-68 this past year, men’s basketball Head Coach Chris Caputo thanked students for packing the Smith Center in a Hatchet op-ed following the game. GW may have lost the game, but that does not replace the hard work our athletes put in or the community that GW students felt before and after the game. Embracing GW for what we are, not what we want them to be, does not mean we cannot have ambition or accountability. Cherishing defeat in itself — or as a demonstration of our superior character — helps no one. The point is more nuanced: Joy can be found in struggle, and we play and watch sports for more than the final score. Attending GW sports games builds community by allowing us to enter a shared world of hope, disappointment, memory and belonging. Students who wait before they care risk missing why sports matter. And an administration that believes victory necessarily begets community fails to understand why we care. —Daniel A. Fink, a first-year majoring in physics and philosophy, is an opinions writer.
Jenna Lee, editor in chief
The GW
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time faculty teach a significant portion of classes at GW — and don’t settle for incremental pay increases. The graduate student workers who spend their time as teaching assistants for undergraduate classes and producing groundbreaking research for GW’s schools clearly knew their worth and demanded compensation that reflected it. Parttime faculty should expect no less. GWU2 also exemplified another point — persistent collective activism can make a difference and exact real change. It is often easy to want to give up asking officials to listen to us, especially when faced with repeated setbacks and
stonewalling. For the 18 months that they bargained with the University, they were able to successfully build a coalition of students, faculty and staff members behind their movement, which made them impossible for officials to ignore. They garnered so much attention that the newly elected mayor of D.C., Janeese Lewis George, sent a letter to GW officials asking them to bargain in good faith with the union. We also hope that this victory does not come with tradeoffs. We understand that providing additional compensation to graduate workers will make sustaining these positions more costly for the University and that these positions are not the most lucrative in the first place. But, as the editorial board argued earlier this year, scaling back these positions means lowering research output, impeding our ability to attract prospective students and potentially harming GW’s global rankings. We are glad that GW listened to their workers and students — as they always should have. But this should be only the first step in the right direction, followed by more actions from the administration to engage with other unions on campus. This should not be a rare occurrence but rather a norm and standard of our University. Bargaining with unions on campus that are made up of students and professors is essential for all of us. Students and professors bring research and prestige to the University and are beyond valuable to our reputation and academic excellence. As GW engages with unions in the future, we hope they will value and respect their workers and be willing to bargain with them.
Molly St. Clair, managing editor Tyler Iglesias, managing editor Mollie Weiner, managing director Sachini Adikari, community relations director Gianna Jakubowski, senior news editor Ryan Saenz, senior news editor Adelaide Petras, assistant news editor Amelia Nelson, assistant news editor Arunmoy Das, assistant news editor Lakshmi Dev, assistant news editor Sarah Gross, assistant news editor Shivu Sathe, assistant news editor Diya Jhawar, contributing news editor Isaac Harte, contributing news editor Paris Albrecht, contributing news editor Andrea Mendoza-Melchor, opinions editor* Ethan Vargas, contributing opinions editor* Milo Rosenzweig, sports editor Sophia Caputo, contributing sports editor*
Ryan Jainchill, basketball editor Diana Anos, culture editor Jessica Rowe, contributing culture editor Carly Cavanaugh, contributing culture editor Mathylda Dulian, senior photo editor Carsten Holst, assistant photo editor – news Kris Park, assistant photo editor – news Lexi Critchett, assistant photo editor – sports Nicholas Ware, assistant photo editor – culture Marcel Richardson Villenas, video editor Misha Cohen, video editor Ethan Tsai, copy chief* Juwon Kim, copy editor Marlene Orantes, copy editor* Raina Pawloski, copy editor Kya Hoffman, research assistant* Louisa Hannoucene, research assistant Ida Liben, podcast host – news
Maddie Flesch, podcast host – news Aadarshini Vijesh, podcast host – culture Arjun Srinivas, podcast host – culture Livi Tuber, design editor Daniela Garcia Perez, contributing design editor Sofia Ang, graphics editor Madeleine Phillips, social media director Andrew Rooney, contributing social media director Victoria Smajlaj, contributing social media director Alex Batzar, ad sales manager Annika Krause, web developer Ryan J. Karlin, donor relations manager Arushi Agarwal, financial manager * denotes member of editorial board
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THE GW HATCHET
CULTURE
November 9, 2026 • Page 7
CULTURE
THE
SCENE
DOWNTOWNDC HOLIDAY MARKET Friday, Nov. 13 | National Portrait Gallery | Free
RELEASED
THIS WEEK:
FROSTED AT FRANKLIN PARK Friday, Nov. 13 | Franklin Park | Free
NEW SONG: “HEY BOYYY” BY SLAYYYTER
Meet receSs, GW’s longest-running improv comedy group CAROLINE APPEL REPORTER
ORI ROSMARIN REPORTER
In a fourth floor room of the University Student Center, nine students spend four nights a week, Monday through Thursday, rehearsing and refining their improvisation skills as members of receSs, GW’s oldest sketch and improv comedy group. The sketch and improv comedy group hosted their November showcase Friday in the University Student Center Amphitheater, performing everything from comedic scripted sketches of an Uber driver driving around lifesized puppets to improvised scenarios of a polyamorous couple telling their child they’re getting a divorce. Hosting a nearly-packed house, the comedy group said their weekly rehearsals and the close-knit community among members helped them deliver an entertaining show to the GW community. The performance started with a pre-recorded video featuring the organization’s nine members, introducing the audience to the personalities behind the sketches. The group then transitioned into performing their pre-prepared sketches and dedicated the remaining half of the hour long
Members of receSs perform in the University Student Center Amphitheater Friday.
show to improvised scenes. Liliana Juarez, a senior studying American studies and the co-president of receSs, has been a member of the organization for over a year and said they are happy to have found a community of people so dedicated to honing
AINSLEY SULLIVAN | STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
their craft to create an enjoyable performance for GW audiences. Founded in 1991, Juarez said receSs has grown to support members beyond their four years at GW through the group’s alumni network. Juarez said early members of receSs, formerly called
Students smash pumpkins, relieve stress at GroW Garden event
“The No Time Players,” instilled a “write your sketch before your essay” culture, expecting members to prioritize comedy over their academics or other extracurriculars. Emma Montalvo, a junior double majoring in psychology and religion and the co-president
of receSs, said the frequent rehearsals help the ensemble build connections among one another and improve their comedy. Montalvo said because of the group’s small size and meeting four times every week, they are very close with each other. Jason Holman, a sophomore studying international affairs and one of receSs’ nine members, said the rehearsal is an opportunity to practice tubes, which are scenes with just two actors. He said the actors play games in pairs, improvising scenarios based on a word given to them by their peers, recreating what a real performance will look like when they ask the audience for words to base their scenes off of. Holman said in rehearsals, two actors are given a word to base a scene off of, which can be a noun, adjective or a verb. Throughout the improvised scene, the rest of the group looks for a game, which is the core pattern within the scene that they can repeat to make the scene interesting or funny. “You’re spending eight hours, sometimes more, a week with these people,” Holman said. “They’re my friends, and I’m very connected with each of them. I think every improv group is inherently unique because it’s built on the people in it. You can never have the same type of thing with different kinds of people.”
Corcoran artist explores censorship in new exhibit
MARLENE ORANTES STAFF WRITER
Midterm exam stress met its match as students unleashed their rage one by one onto pumpkins of all shapes and sizes, sending white stringy pumpkin guts across the GroW Garden on a rainy Saturday afternoon. The annual GroW Garden Pumpkin Smash is an event at GW’s student-run community garden where students can throw, destroy and wreck their pumpkins from the Halloween season for the garden to use as compost later. Students who organized and attended the event said they not only got rid of their rotting pumpkins, but were also able to sustainably contribute to the garden’s ecosystem and let out their emotions through the action or throwing and smashing their jacko’-lantern creations. This year’s event brought nearly 30 students, some who were just walking by the garden and joined, and some who came from other environmental science organizations, like GW’s Environmental Justice Action Network. The pumpkins provided for smashing ranged from big, green and bumpy, to small and smooth. Pumpkin guts covered the two blue tarps spread across the garden as students waited for their turn to take out their frustrations. A selection of tools, provided by garden managers, like a hammer, a silver baseball bat, a rake and a shovel, were laid out on small stacks of hay for people to choose from. Once they picked their weapon of choice and donned protective glasses to defend against the flying pumpkin guts, participants could begin destroying the squash. Hits from the early 2000s played in the background, while onlookers enjoyed snacks provided by the Mount Vernon Campus Community Garden. Elias Theofilopoulos, a junior studying political science and environmental studies with a minor in sustainability, is a garden manager for the GroW Garden. He said he started volunteering in fall of 2024 during his first year and became a garden manager during his sophomore year, where he plans and hosts events, manages student volunteer efforts and supplies produce to Miriam’s Kitchen. He said the pumpkin smash idea started “on a whim” last fall, when he was brainstorming a fall event to complement their spring programming of Sheep Day — the first day the garden is open and organizers bring in sheep to eat the garden’s weeds. Theofilopoulos said as a first year he attended a pumpkin smash event hosted by Eco Reps, a program where students promote sustainable actions at residence halls across campus. He said he asked the Office of Sustainability if there was a pumpkin smash happening last year, and when they said no, he asked if the GroW Garden could host the event instead.
DIANA ANOS
CULTURE EDITOR
MATHYLDA DULIAN | SENIOR PHOTO EDITOR A participant smashes a pumpkin at the GroW Community Garden’s annual pumpkin smash event.
Theofilopoulos said his favorite part about hosting events like the pumpkin smash on campus is encouraging students and community members to learn more about the garden. He said during last year’s pumpkin smash, he tried to get people walking by to smash a pumpkin and inform them about the garden’s operations. He said last year’s event had around 20 students, including medical students from their partner organization GroW for Health and general Foggy Bottom community members. He said the pumpkin guts will be added to the garden’s four compost tumblers where they will break down with other organic matter to eventually be returned to the garden to produce the food grown in the garden like basil, zucchini and figs. James Zhuang, a first-year studying international affairs who was waiting in line to smash a pumpkin, said he was walking by the garden and decided to join, though he said he had heard about the event before but didn’t know exactly what it entailed. Bogdan Bunea, a graduate student studying engineering management who patiently waited in a short line to smash his
pumpkin, said he heard of the event through his girlfriend who knew the organizers. Becca Lavoie, a junior studying environmental studies, said she came to the pumpkin smash because she and her club volleyball team hosted a pumpkin painting event earlier in the semester and wanted to smash the ones she painted. Lavoie said the pumpkin smash is a way to make sustainability “fun” and “interactive” for students as it lets people get their emotions out. “It doesn’t have to be something super scientific or out of reach for people,” Lavoie said. “I think this makes it super fun, especially with music and snacks.” Bri Graham, a junior studying environmental studies and geography, said she’s been volunteering at GroW Garden for over a year and came to the event this year because she wanted to smash a pumpkin and get more involved with the garden. “It’s fun for the community,” Graham said. “It’s good to learn about composting and things like that because we’re all composting all these pumpkins and things. I also think it’s good to see people in this garden, like in an urban area.”
A rotating table with moving scrolls, photographs plastered on the walls and a library of banned books make up a new exhibit at the Corcoran School of the Arts & Design. Eric Gottesman’s “Night and Day,” which opened last Wednesday and is available to the public until February, is centered around the novel “Oromay,” by Ethiopian journalist and author Baalu Girma, that was written during Ethiopia’s military junta, or Derg regime, and explores themes of truth, identity and belonging during oppressive rule. The featured works from Gottesman explore how artists can continue to create during times of censorship and political repression. Gottesman said Corcoran invited him in 2024 to discuss the possibility of a three year residency with For Freedoms, an organization that he cofounded which focuses on the intersection of art and politics, as a part of the school’s collaboration with the National Gallery of Art. Gottesman said the exhibit is a “rumination” on Baalu Girma’s novel, which was deemed to be controversial in the country because it fictionalized the regime he was living under. He said Girma worked for the Ministry of Information during the day, and at night would write the book in his home, which led to the regime kidnapping and killing him. He said the book and its themes are connected to the modern-day political climate because the way Girma made decisions to pursue his creative work can inform those working in opposition to authoritarianism today. Gottesman said artists who take risks make themselves vulnerable to criticism and potential repercussions or political violence. After working in Ethiopia for 10 years and publishing a book on photography, Gottesman said he learned about the
history of censorship in Ethiopia that led to the government kidnapping journalists, writers and artists for their creative expression. Ever since reading “Oromay,” after someone introduced it to him while in Ethiopia, Gottesman has made almost 20 works centered around the book over the span of 15 years. He recently collaborated with Corcoran Professor Susan Sterner’s “Call and Response: Building the World We Want” class, where he presented his project to students before it premiered last week in the gallery. Gottesman said he worked with local artists from around the District and GW to create the rotating table featured as the centerpiece of the exhibit. Sterner, who serves as the Design Director for New Media Photojournalism at Corcoran, said students are focusing on Gottesman’s exhibit and Cannupa Hanska Luger’s Corcoran exhibits as touchstones for their work throughout the semester. Sterner said her students have enjoyed speaking with Gottesman about his practice when he visits the class, particularly how he’s been able to focus on the same topics and themes in his work for over a decade. Cheryle Galloway, a junior studying photojournalism and a student in the Call and Response course, said she visited Gottesman’s studio at the start of the semester to learn about how he brought the book to life with the exhibition. Through working with Gottesman, she said she learned about the ways he has used various mediums throughout the exhibition, like photography, video and sculpting, to bring the novel to life. “I think what I’ve learned is that with bringing a project into fruition, there’s many ways of exploring work because even with his exhibition, he doesn’t only rely on photography and just straight documentary,” Galloway said.
CARSTEN HOLST | ASSISTANT PHOTO EDITOR “The Encounter” (2023) by Eric Gottesman is on view in Gallery 1 of the Flagg Building at the Corcoran School of the Arts & Design.
SPORTS
November 9, 2026 • Page 8
SPORTS
THE GW HATCHET
GAMES CRUNCH
vs. Georgetown University on Nov. 11 | 6 p.m.
vs. Elon University on Nov. 10 | 7 p.m.
OF THE WEEK
NUMBER
WOMEN’S BASKETBALL
MEN’S BASKETBALL
.505
Mens’ basketball’s field goal percentage through two games.
Women’s soccer eliminated from A-10 tournament in 2-0 loss to Dayton ETHAN TSAI STAFF WRITER
Women’s soccer (7-7-5, 4-3-3 Atlantic-10) fell to No. 2 Dayton (10-63, 6-1-3, A-10) 2-0 in the first round of the A-10 tournament Friday, its first appearance since 2019. After squeezing into the A-10 tournament in seventh place in the conference standings with crucial late regular-season wins, the Revolutionaries struggled to push the ball downfield and create offense against a stout Flyers defense but managed to ward off Dayton attackers for most of the match. The season-ending defeat in Ohio mirrored a season-long trend for the team, highlighted by strong defensive performances that were undone by an inability to generate consistent scoring opportunities. The Revs’ offense started strong, controlling the ball for almost the entire first five minutes, with several passes to freshman forward Sophia Michel as she probed the Flyers’ defense. Dayton turned the tables at the 10-minute mark, threading the ball down the middle to junior midfielder Millie Cluxton, who fired into the net to draw first blood and put the Flyers up 1-0. Black made a crucial save at 32:04, capitalizing on a bad touch from a charging Dayton player and
MARCELA MATALLANA | STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER Sophomore forward Naomi Kim dribbles during a game against Colgate University in September.
diving on the ball just a few feet outside the goal area. As the match progressed, the offensive side continued to strug-
Men’s basketball bests Hampton in 75-61 win MILO ROSENZWEIG SPORTS EDITOR
MADELEINE PHILLIPS STAFF WRITER
Men’s basketball (2-0) defeated Hampton University (0-2) 75-61 in a home matchup Saturday evening, lifted by key offensive performances from senior guard Jean Aranguren and graduate forward Dylan James. The Revolutionaries led the Pirates for most of the game, as Aranguren poured in 17 points, including a seven-for-nine performance at the free-throw line, while James, who went six-forsix from the field, dropped 15 points and collected nine rebounds. Aranguren helped the Revs build a first-half lead, sinks two 3-pointers to put the Revs up 7-5. Two more 3-point shots, one from Davis and another from Hampton guard Tyler Jackson, evened the score at 11-11. Guard Seth Hubbard, who finished
the game with a team-high 14 points for the Pirates, made consecutive shots from within the arc less than two minutes later, giving the Pirates a momentary 15-14 lead. Graduate forward Lovro Urbiha found a groove with less than four minutes left in the half, nailing two free throws and a shot from beyond the arc to give GW a 37-24 lead, the Revs finishing the half ahead 41-27. The Pirates opened the second half with an offensive surge after guard Etienne Strothers sank two free throws, before a 3-pointer from guard Nehemiah Lawrence and another from Hubbard tightened the score to 43-35. The Revs quickly regained momentum, sinking a layup before draining a three to expand GW’s lead to 48-37. Back-to-back buckets from Frost gave the Revs a 53-40 lead. The Pirates couldn’t cut the lead in the remainder of the half, falling 75-61 at the final buzzer.
LEXI CRITCHETT | ASSISTANT PHOTO EDITOR Senior forward Dylan James dunks during Saturday’s game against Hampton University.
gle. Star freshmen forwards Ella Provost-Heron and Michel couldn’t push past the Dayton defense, which held strong and prevented
the Revs from slipping a player through their lines. The Revs managed only two shots in the first half from sopho-
more forwards Naomi Kim and Anna Cornejo at 28:37 and 30:32, respectively, both of which sailed wide of the goal. GW closed out the first half with Black having blocked three of four shots on goal and the defense holding strong against six corner kicks from the Flyers, but the offense struggled to maintain possession and push past the center line. Dayton entered the second half with a fast-paced push down the middle, and freshman forward Reese Gallagher slid behind the back line and put one into the net at 51:40, putting the Flyers up 2-0. In the 68th minute, Michel pushed downfield with the ball in what looked like a promising surge, but Dayton freshman forward Kelly McCandless intentionally fouled her, earning a yellow card and ending Michel’s drive before she could get near the goal. Black made another crucial save at the 82:28 mark, diving on a ball a couple of feet in front of the Dayton forward who had weaved it past the Revs’ defense. The offense attempted to make a play in the final 10 minutes, taking longer shots downfield and playing more aggressively, but Dayton’s defense warded off the attacks and prevented the Revs from putting one on the board, ending their season.
Golf secures first multi-win season in two decades with fall titles SOPHIA CAPUTO
CONTRIBUTING SPORTS EDITOR
Defined by late tournament surges and a pair of comeback wins, golf wrapped up its successful fall slate with two tournament wins, including capturing the team title at GW’s annual Monterrey Collegiate Classic in Mexico for the first time in program history. The team navigated early struggles, opening with an 11th-place finish out of 13 teams at the Bryan National Collegiate in early September before bouncing back later that month to take first place among a 15-team field at the United States Naval Academy’s Goat Tournament for their first tournament win since 2019. Despite ups and downs, the team finished off its fall schedule with two tournament victories to make their first multi-win season since the 2004-05 season, with the spring slate still to come, something Head Coach Chuck Scheinost holds great pride in. “Winning in golf is very difficult and the fact that we managed to win twice makes it a very special season,” Scheinost said in an email. After placing 12th out of 16 teams in the Nemacolin Collegiate Invitational in early October, following the victory at Navy, the team rebounded at the Elon Phoenix Invitational later that month, tying for
LEXI CRITCHETT | ASSISTANT PHOTO EDITOR Graduate golfer Rodrigo Barahona putts at a tournament hosted by United States Naval Academy.
sixth place with 15-under 837, the second-lowest 54-hole score in program history. Led by senior Evan Eichenlaub’s seventh place individual finish, the team set a singleround program record with a 14-under 270 score in the second round. Behind Eichenlaub’s seventh place finish at 11-under 202, graduate student Rodrigo Barahona shot a 3-under 210 to tie for 26th place overall. Junior Adam Bencik carded a 1-over 214 to tie for 51st place, while senior Patricio Gonzalez and junior Maxime Lam tied for 59th place with 2-over 215. Headed into their home tournament at the Monterey Collegiate Classic in Mexico in late October, the pressure was
on for locals Gonzalez, Barahona and senior Benji Garcia Moreira. The Revolutionaries finished the ten-team classic in first place 1-over par with 31.83 points, GW’s first win since launching the tournament in 2023. The Revs were powered by Lam and Eichenlaub, tying for fourth place 1-under par, Gonzalez tying for seventh place even and Barahona tying for 17th place 4-over par. With Eichenlaub placing at the top of the Revs pack in nearly every course this spring, Scheinost said that his consistency was hardearned. Eichenlaub said that his ability to bounce back from early tournament struggles comes down to
trusting his training and daily routine. While Lam used the fall to tweak his swing, Scheinost said Gonzalez is shifting his offseason focus toward course management and stamina before the spring season is underway. Though strong driving anchored Gonzalez’s fall slate, Scheinost said his next stop is eliminating unforced errors and building the endurance to stay focused during their grueling eightto ten-hour tournament days. Eichenlaub said ending the semester on such a high set the exact tone the team needs for offseason preparation. “It was a lot of fun,” Eichenlaub said. “I love winning.”
Water polo drops two of three weekend matchups as it looks toward postseason MATTHEW CINQUE STAFF WRITER
Water polo (12-15, 3-9 MidAtlantic Water Polo Conference) dropped two of three conference matches over the weekend to end the regular season. The Revolutionaries defeated Wagner College 10-8 Saturday afternoon, before falling to Mount St. Mary’s University 17-16 later that evening and the United States Naval Academy 15-8 Sunday, finishing their season with a .250 winning percentage and a No. 6 standing in the conference. The Revs enter the MAWPC tournament having concluded their first losing season since 2023. On Saturday, the Revs thundered four goals past the Seahawks with minimal response in the first period. Sophomore utility Ben McDade found success on the counterattack, netting two of the four on the break, but the Seahawks scored once before the period ended, mak-
ing it 4-1. The assault continued in the second period, as the Revs tacked on four more goals and allowed Wagner just two, finishing the first half ahead 8-3. The Revs’ momentum sputtered in the third period as they failed to score, but limited the Seahawks to two goals and entered the fourth period ahead 8-5. In the final eight minutes of the opening match, the Revs netted two more goals, and while Wagner posted three of their own, they couldn’t overcome GW, earning the Revs a 10-8 win and their third and final conference victory of the season. The Revs couldn’t muster the same energy to beat Mount St. Mary’s later that afternoon, Five minutes into the first period, the Revs scored twice but allowed the Mountaineers four goals. The Revs exited the first period tied 4-4, with McDade and sophomore attacker Austin Nelson both netting goals from the left side. The Mountaineers limited the
Revs to just six goals over the next two periods. Down 13-10 going into the fourth quarter, junior attacker Yam Kabakov lobbed the ball over the Mountaineers’ goalkeeper into the top right corner to tack on another goal. After trading more goals back and forth, the Revs trailed 16-15 with 90 seconds remaining in the final period, but two last-minute Mountaineer goals gave Mount St. Mary’s the edge, ultimately winning 17-16. In their final regular-season contest Sunday, the Revs squared off against Navy, tied for second in the MAWPC, the toughest opponents of the weekend. Navy netted six in the first period, finding success with aggressive man-to-man defense and fast attacks, while the Revs only mustered two. In the second period, sophomore attacker Anthony Ferneini cut the Midshipmen’s lead to 6-3. A Nelson goal two minutes later cut
KRIS PARK | ASSISTANT PHOTO EDITOR Sophomore center defender Gabriele Molfino throws the ball during Saturday’s game against Mount St. Mary’s University.
the deficit to 2, and while the Revs outshot the Midshipmen 4-3 in the second period, Navy finished the half 9-6. The Revs’ offense stalled in
the final two periods, scoring just twice, resulting in a 15-8 final score. The MAWPC Championship is slated to begin on Nov. 20 in Lewisburg, Pennsylvania.