The GW
HATCHET
September 21, 2026 Vol. 123
Iss. 7
AN INDEPENDENT STUDENT NEWSPAPER • SERVING THE GW COMMUNITY SINCE 1904 • ONLINE AT GWHATCHET.COM
Granberg warns GW will face continued financial challenges as enrollment slides nearly 7 percent
GSEHD cuts programs, plans restructuring
PARIS ALBRECHT
PARIS ALBRECHT
CONTRIBUTING NEWS EDITOR
CONTRIBUTING NEWS EDITOR
SARAH GROSS
ASSISTANT NEWS EDITOR
University President Ellen Granberg cautioned that GW will continue to face fiscal impacts from declining graduate and international enrollment at the first Faculty Senate meeting of the year, with her written report indicating enrollment dropped about 6.7 percent this fall. Granberg said during the meeting GW enrolled nearly 1,000 fewer international students this year ERIKA LOPEZ-CEPERO | STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER — a number she said she anticipates to continue University President Ellen Granberg at a Faculty Senate meeting in April. declining over the com- by finding new sources sentation to the Faculty same fiscal “discipline” ing years — after visa re- of revenue and evaluate Senate in December dis- they’ve shown in the last strictions, graduate school degree offerings, particu- closed that GW enrolled few years. loan caps, the looming larly at the graduate level. 392 fewer international “If we approach this demographic cliff and “This year’s stable bud- students in fall 2025 than moment with the willingcompetition from other get picture was very hard in 2024, which came after ness to change, to be agile, universities continue to won,” Granberg said. “I he said in August 2025 the to reexamine how we educhallenge enrollment. The wish I could tell you that University could face a $10 cate and how we operate, approximately 6.7 per- we’re out of the woods, million decrease in rev- we will continue to concent enrollment decrease but we have more to do.” enue because of declining trol our own faith, and I is the greatest since 2020 GW has continued to international student en- do believe that we can be according to enrollment face declining graduate rollment. one of the institutions that data, with Vice President and international enrollConsistent with Gran- comes through this period and Dean of Enrollment ment following President berg’s report of a balanced better and stronger than Management and Student Donald Trump’s con- budget, officials projected we entered it,” Granberg Success Jay Goff telling tinued visa restrictions, in December that GW said. the Faculty Senate in De- including a travel ban would break even in fisGranberg said the cember that enrollment impacting international cal year 2026, but officials decline in international had dropped 3.4 percent student applications from announced in May they student enrollment has in fall 2025 from the previ- 38 countries, Department would again slash the “realistic potential” to be ous year, largely driven by of Homeland Security University’s budget by permanent, and added falling international stu- rules shortening the time $46.5 million in FY2027 as that GW needs to do evdent enrollment. frame that international GW continues to grapple erything it can to support Granberg said while students can stay in the with a structural budget international students by the University began the United States for their ed- deficit. Granberg in her keeping them informed year with a balanced bud- ucation, elimination of the report warned that to and ensuring they can get, GW will continue to Grad PLUS loan program maintain existing invest- navigate federal changes struggle with internation- and increased vetting for ments in staff, research that affect them. al and graduate enroll- student visa applicants. and academics, officials ment challenges, and of- Goff’s enrollment pre- will have to exhibit the ficials must be “resilient” See BALLEISEN Page 5
A little over a year after officials announced “right-sizing” efforts in the Graduate School of Education and Human Development following years of declining enrollment, the school has eliminated at least three degree programs and plans to scrap its department-based structure. Officials eliminated at least three programs in the special education and disability studies department over the past year and plan to eliminate a fourth, according to a faculty member in the department, as faculty terminations and resignations tied to the right-sizing initiatives made it unsustainable to continue offering the programs. Officials also removed an additional three programs in other departments from the University Bulletin, compared to web archives from March, as Interim Dean Lionel Howard prepares to reorganize the school from its current five department structure to a “faculty-of-the-whole” model by fall 2027, according to two
GSEHD faculty members and a University spokesperson. University spokesperson Nadia Payne confirmed the reorganization, saying a steering committee and three faculty working groups focused on governance, academic programs and research, and school leadership and operations will facilitate the reorganization process. Payne said the quality of the academic experience at GSEHD remains a “top priority” during changes to degree offerings, and students who have already begun degree programs and remain active in them will be able to complete their degrees and receive support to do so. The changes come nearly 15 months after former Provost Chris Bracey first announced in June 2025 that officials would begin “rightsizing” GSEHD in an effort to combat years of financial, operational and enrollment constraints. Bracey said officials would consider consolidating classes, cutting programs and laying off faculty and staff as part of the process.
KRIS PARK | ASSISTANT PHOTO EDITOR The Graduate School of Education and Human Development building on G Street.
Hundreds gather to form human chain around Kennedy Center, resist closure RYAN SAENZ
SENIOR NEWS EDITOR
In the wake of the Kennedy Center shutting down, hundreds of supporters rallied Friday to show their support for the center’s mission and state their opposition to President Donald Trump’s continued takeover over the performing arts venue. Speakers at the rally lamented the center’s closure, which occurred Wednesday after Trump’s handpicked board voted for it, and attendees said they came out to Friday’s protest to show support for the Kennedy Center at a time when speculation has arisen that Trump is weighing demolishing the more than 50 year old building. Shortly after the vote to shutter the center, photos emerged of Trump on Air Force One with a poster that appeared to show a demolished Kennedy Center, which angered and inspired supporters to defend the center against Trump’s increasing encroachment onto its leadership and programming, culminating with the hundreds of protesters forming a human chain around the center in a symbolic gesture of protection. Since Trump came into office in January 2025, he’s purged the center’s Board of Trustees — install-
CARSTEN HOLST | ASSISTANT PHOTO EDITOR Supporters form a human chain around the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts to protest the closing of the venue.
ing himself as chair and filling its seats with loyalists — affixed his name to the side of the building before a judge ordered its removal in May and tried to close the center multiple times for renovations.
Officials closed the center to the public over safety concerns, pointing to a section of the building’s roof that recently fell in the Grand Foyer after a Sept. 4 storm hit the District, an incident Com-
merce Secretary Howard Lutnick said could’ve killed patrons if a performance had been happening. The crowd gathered shortly after 6 p.m. Friday evening, some clad in red shirts reading “Hands
Off the Arts” — the name of the organization who coordinated the protest — and “Gay Men’s Chorus of Washington, D.C.,” among others, with the sea of people stretching in front of the center’s fencedoff main entrance and centered on a makeshift stage where speakers addressed the crowd. Some protesters brought signs reading “You’re no JFK,” “Dump Trump” and “Keep your tiny hands off our Kennedy Center,” with a brass band also performing throughout the protest and the crowd often singing along to songs like “Bella Ciao,” an Italian protest song. Mallory Miller, an organizer with Hands Off the Arts, told the crowd she had worked at the Kennedy Center when Trump came in “on a wrecking ball” in February 2025 — when Trump took over the center’s board — but she was fired in August 2025 for attempting to organize a union for workers at the center. “You are building a barrier,” Miller told the crowd. “It is a barrier that Donald Trump and his pack will have to go through to get to our Kennedy Center. The Kennedy Center is never about abilities, it’s always about the people.”
Former employees say GW’s dining provider ignored health, safety violations ISAAC HARTE
CONTRIBUTING NEWS EDITOR
Terminated employees of GW’s dining provider said the company and its management staff retaliated against employees who spoke out about health and safety concerns. Five terminated employees of Chartwells Higher Education — GW’s dining partner since 2021 — said the company’s management told them not to speak out about unsafe and unsanitary conditions within dining hall kitchens, refrigerators and food preparation areas of GW Dining locations, and even occasionally retaliated against them for doing so. The employees said they have experienced persistent mold, unclean equipment and WHAT’S
INSIDE
undercooked food in GW’s dining halls, which mirrors student complaints of food-borne illness and repeated safety violations in the University’s dining halls. GW partnered with Chartwells Higher Education — owned by Compass Group USA — in 2021 to operate its dining halls as the University overhauled its dining facilities, bringing back all-you-careto-eat, buffet style dining halls to Foggy Bottom that since then have been plagued by safety violations and student reports of food-borne illnesses. Robert Bellamy, an employee who worked in both Thurston and Shenkman dining halls beginning in 2022 until his termination in 2025, said he was hospitalized be-
NEWS GW’s new general counsel outlined her three-year goals, including educating staff about legal risks. Page 3
cause of symptoms related to mold he was exposed to in the Thurston dining hall. Bellamy said he was terminated for missing work because of his hospitalization, and he routinely observed mold growing in Thurston Hall near the dishwasher, within the bathroom used by kitchen staff and near the base of the rotating machine students use to return dirty dishes. He said he also observed mold growing on the walls of the Shenkman dining hall kitchen. Bellamy said an official working within Chartwells management told him in April 2024 that they were going to clean up the mold at Thurston but only sought to remedy the situation by providing Bellamy
OPINIONS The Editorial Board implores officials to increase University-wide communication amid layoffs across GW schools. Page 6
with a spray-on solution intended to get rid of the mold. Bellamy said he would spray the mold, and it would immediately grow back. “Every day I would spray, I would spray, I would spray,” Bellamy said. “I had to get on my hands and knees, go under there, spray it down with the water.” Bellamy said he attempted to point out the mold during a D.C. Health inspection of Thurston, but his manager instructed him to not raise the issue directly with the health inspector. A spokesperson for Chartwells said the company is not aware of any active mold or pest issues within any GW Dining Facilities the company operates, and Chartwells takes food safety and facility condi-
CULTURE Meet Capital Funk, the District-based hip-hop dance group finding their rhythm at GW. Page 7
tions seriously. The spokesperson also said GW Dining has a full-time quality assurance manager who supervises food safety across all University dining facilities and said all Chartwells employees complete required food safety training. The spokesperson also said residential dining facilities at GW are subject to independent health and safety audits every two weeks conducted by a third party. University spokesperson Julia Garbitt said officials monitor food safety, sanitation, training and compliance in conjunction with Chartwells and said when GW Dining is made aware of concerns related to Chartwells operations, it shares them with the company.
SPORTS After suffering a shoulder injury his senior season, graduate golfer Rodrigo Barahona is getting back in the swing of things. Page 8
T:22" S:21.5"
THE GW HATCHET
NEWS
September 21, 2026 • Page 3
New general counsel identifies staff education, tackling legal challenges as goals NIKHITA THAKURIA REPORTER
ZACHARY CRYSTAL REPORTER
GW’s new general counsel walked the Staff Council through her initial plans and goals for supporting the University through a changing legal landscape Friday. Traevena Byrd, who began her tenure as the University’s top lawyer on Aug. 4 after previously serving in the same role at American University, outlined what she wants to accomplish in the next three years while fielding questions from councilmembers, including getting to know GW’s community and its culture, navigating legal challenges facing the University and charting the direction for the future of GW’s Office of the General Counsel. She said OGC’s top priority is to ensure it can best support the University’s goals and she wants to figure out how the office can serve as a “bigger resource” for educating staff about legal issues so they can make more informed decisions. “We’re kind of realizing we need to think about how to solve problems and stick together and be smart and be able to make GW better again within this broader landscape, so we can be sustainable for the future,” Byrd said. Byrd succeeds Charles Barber in the general counsel position, who said in May he would advise his successor to collaborate closely with colleagues across the University and understand GW’s mission to provide “clear, principled” legal guidance in an intricate environment. Barber said in an April Staff Council meeting he anticipates further actions by President Donald Trump’s administration will continue to change the legal environment for higher education institutions beyond the end of his tenure, citing his advisory work on federal changes in Title VI and Title IX policies along with research funding restrictions
ERIKA LOPEZ-CEPERO | STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER Vice President and General Counsel Traevena Byrd speaks at the Faculty Senate meeting Friday.
since Trump returned to office in 2025. GW has faced a variety of legal headwinds in recent years, including students and alumni suing the University over alleged mishandling of campus antisemitism and a 2025 alum’s lawsuit accusing GW of retaliation and discrimination over their disciplinary action after her 2025 graduation speech. As Byrd steps into the role, she is also faced with the University’s legal response to the Trump administration, including Department of Justice probes on antisemitism and a Title VI diversity, equity and inclusion compliance review in student admissions, where the DOJ found the School of Medicine & Health Sciences “intentionally discriminated” against Asian and white applicants in August. Byrd said OGC represents the University as a whole, though faculty and staff sometimes assume the office strictly represents University President Ellen Granberg and senior of-
ficials. She added that, for example, when employees take action on behalf of GW, like when hiring or firing roles or serving on a committee charged with deciding who to hire for a position, her job is to support and defend that University action. “I think about things like making sure that we are a bigger resource for educating staff members about different legal issues that they have questions or concerns about, how can we make sure that we think about how we present information about risk that really helps people feel empowered about making really good decisions on behalf of the University,” Byrd said. Staff Council President Mindy Galván asked Byrd about her perspective on the council’s push to require managers to attend training on the performance review process. Galván’s question comes after she announced at a Staff Council meeting last month that she “strongly suggested”
officials train managers on the performance review process and urged them to clarify how performance targets are met to increase equity in the staff experience across campus. Byrd said she would like to help University leadership consider different ways to support managers so they understand their responsibilities. She added that managers who are not doing well in their leadership role need feedback and support on how to improve, but manager training is more of an employee culture issue than a legal one. “I’m not saying you should or should not have a requirement,” Byrd said. “I’m just saying, there’s a lot more that I think goes into whether or not that’s administratively appropriate or not, depending on the institution. But there’s other ways that we can engage and hold each other accountable that I think can have a really big impact.” Vice President and Chief
GW alums working at the new Washington Sun hope to fill local news gap left by Post layoffs SHIVU SATHE
CRIME LOG THEFT II/OTHER, ATTEMPTED FRAUD
ASSISTANT NEWS EDITOR
GW alums who work at the Washington Sun, formerly known as NOTUS, said publication’s rebrand and expansion has provided them with the opportunity to help shape D.C.’s changing media landscape as the city’s local newsrooms aim to distinguish themselves. The alums said the rebranding, which the publication formalized on Sept. 9, aligns with the Sun expanding its reach from just politics and government, which was NOTUS’ main genre of news, to local sports, weather and politics. Alums who work for the publication said they are excited by the recent growth of the newsroom, and they believe as the Sun continues to hire up-and-coming reporters, they can fill a niche of resident-centric reporting that is lacking in D.C. journalism after the Washington Post’s massive layoffs earlier this year reshaped the city’s local media environment. NOTUS, founded in 2023 by Politico co-founder Robert Allbritton, initially announced its rebranding to the Washington Star in April, but was forced to walk back those plans after settling a lawsuit with a revived rival publication also named the Washington Star. The parties settled in June, and NOTUS’ editor in chief Tim Grieve announced the rebrand to the Sun earlier this month. Grieve said the rebrand reflected the expansion of its coverage after the Post laid off over 300 employees — about a third of its staff — including at least 46 GW alumni, in February. The cuts eliminated the Post’s sports, photo and books sections and significantly scaled back its local and international coverage in a move Post executive editor Matt Murray deemed a “painful” but necessary step as the paper continued to bleed money and subscribers. The Post’s decline led local news networks to step up and try to fill in the gaps in coverage through new papers and expanded coverage in areas the Post had cut. The Sun has hired at least 28 former Post staffers, including
People Officer Sabrina Minor, who provided the council with updates from University administration, said GW’s open enrollment period, the time in which employees have the ability to change their health insurance plan, will open on Oct. 2. The open enrollment website states GW will transition Lincoln Financial to MetLife for life insurance, accidental death and dismemberment insurance, disability and leave administration programs effective January 2027. It also says employee contributions for the faculty and staff medical plans will increase by 9.5 percent in 2027, across all salary bands and plans. Employees experienced a 6.5 percent increase in contributions for 2026 after the University switched its employee health insurance administrator from UnitedHealthcare to Aetna. In an update from a team working on a training program to better prepare staff to use AI tools, Staff Council Vice President Andrea Johnson, Senior Instructional Designer at the School of Nursing Joy Wu and Professor of Educational Technology Leadership Ryan Watkins said they are analyzing the results from a survey taken by pilot program participants with plans to release a report soon. Watkins said 55 participants engaged in the AI literacy training pilot, with one group using Grow with Google—an online certification program—while the other used GW-developed training to examine how staff can use AI literacy training to implement AI in their daily responsibilities. Watkins said that the group that completed the GW training used AI initiatives that drew on videos from the Grow with Google program but integrated them into GWspecific content. “We would have half of them doing the GW version and half of them doing the off-the-shelf version, so that we could make comparisons and learn lessons about what types of e-learnings and other types of training will be of value to GW staff going forward,” Watkins said.
Tonic Restaurant 9/11/2026 – 7:15 p.m. Open Case A female GW student reported leaving their purse behind, resulting in an attempted unauthorized charge to their bank card.
Case open.
THEFT II/FROM BUILDING FSK Hall 9/12/2026 – 1:10 a.m. Closed Case A female GW staff member reported observing a delivery driver take a package from a delivery rack after dropping off a food delivery.
Case closed. No further action.
The Washington Sun website is displayed on a monitor.
food critic Tom Sietsema, columnist Dana Milbank and a handful of GW alums. Matt Berman, a 2011 GW alum who received a bachelor of arts in political science and currently serves as the Sun’s managing editor after joining the publication in 2023, said significant layoffs at prominent newsrooms across the country, like the Post, have been “miserable” for workers and unfortunate for audiences that are “still hungry” for information they can trust and that can draw value in their lives, which the Sun can help with by covering hyperlocal news. “I feel really lucky that we’ve been able to grow so much this year,” Berman said. “We’ve gone from a newsroom of a few dozen to a newsroom of over 100, which is just incredible.” He said the Sun hopes to foster collaboration across teams in the newsroom, regardless of beat, whether they are covering local news, like the D.C. mayor’s office, or federal news, like President Donald Trump’s administration’s changes to the city, to transfer skill sets across beats in a way other organizations can’t. He said the Sun has a “real opportunity” to do something other newsrooms are not able to do right now by expanding their coverage to cover all corners of the city and cover
PHOTO ILLUSTRATION BY CARSTEN HOLST
hyperlocal stories. “I think it is kind of rare, in other newsrooms, where we have the resources on both the local side and the federal side to do original and important work,” Berman said. Berman said the Sun wants to be a “go-to news source” for D.C. residents, which he thinks is important because residents should have issues that are important to them all in one place. Justin Peligri, a 2015 political communications alum who currently serves as the chief of staff at the Sun and started in 2024, said the Sun “beefed up” its D.C. coverage, including of the White House and Capitol Hill, after the expansion but has also made its foray into local news like District culture, sports and politics, sections that the Post downsized during its layoffs. Peligri said some competition in the media market is good for readers, and he is excited to keep growing to continue bringing news in sections that other publications have cut. “It’s really been exciting to be a small part of a newsroom that is growing when many others are contracting,” Peligri said. He said when the organization started, the publication’s leadership wanted to make it like a “teaching hospital” for early-career
journalists and for it to be a collaborative place where expertise can be shared. He said the publication will definitely continue to “very aggressively” report on national politics as they did as NOTUS but also now report on how the national government interacts with the local D.C. government. He said even though there are a lot of media organizations in the District, there isn’t one that is fully serving the residents who live, work and want the full picture of what daily life is like in the nation’s capital. Maria Vargas, a 2015 international affairs alum who has served as the director of partnerships at the Sun since April, said she works with partners, like Walmart and JP Morgan, to host events and support its coverage. She said the Sun is “extremely lucky” because it is the only publication in the District that has 12 reporters who are only focused on D.C. and that no other D.C.-based publication is able to do that. She said that the partners also come to the Sun because they want to work with an outlet that cares about being as local as the Sun is. “The idea is for folks to see that D.C. isn’t just the government buildings, but also a place where folks grow, go to school and live and work as well,” Vargas said.
HARASSMENT (VERBAL OR WRITTEN), SOLICITING WITHOUT A PERMIT
District House Multiple – Multiple Open Case A female GW student reported that on two separate occasions, two unknown male suspects approached her and repeatedly solicited donations in exchange for cookies. After the student declined, one of the suspects asked the student to purchase food instead.
Case open.
THREATS TO DO BODILY HARM
Public Property on Campus (2000 Block of H Street NW) 9/13/2026 – 5:30 p.m. Open Case A male GW student reported that an unknown male subject asked him to buy food. After the student declined, the subject threatened bodily harm.
Case open.
BLACKMAIL
West Hall 9/14/2026 – Multiple Closed Case A male GW student reported being blackmailed by an unknown subject via a text message and social media.
Case closed. Referred to Title IV.
—Compiled by Isaac Harte
NEWS
September 21, 2026 • Page 4
THE GW HATCHET
Latin Heritage Celebration focuses on unity amid political tensions DIYA JHAWAR
CONTRIBUTING NEWS EDITOR
Students involved in GW’s annual Latin Heritage Celebration said the monthlong programming offers a space to celebrate cultural identity, build community and support one another amid a tense political climate for Latino communities nationwide. The Latin Heritage Committee — the student-led organizing body of the monthlong programming at GW — brought together 15 student organizations for a month of celebrations centered on the theme “El Pueblo Unido Jamás Será Vencido,” or “The People United Will Never Be Defeated,” which students said reflects the importance of unity across Latino communities. Under President Donald Trump, Immigration and Customs Enforcement arrests have soared in recent months, particularly targeting Latino communities, which student leaders said prompted them to connect immigration tensions with broader conversations about identity, culture and community throughout the month. The celebrations, which kicked off Sept. 13 and run parallel to Hispanic Heritage Month nationwide, aim to bring together organizations representing Latino cultures and backgrounds through events focused on community, culture and
academic programming, including special sessions featuring Congresswoman Delia Ramirez — the representative for Illinois’s 3rd congressional district — and Mexican Ambassador to the United States Roberto Lazzeri. Rick Tzompa-Chimal, a junior majoring in international affairs and human services and social justice and the LHC’s administrative director, said this year’s theme reflects the importance of unity among Latino communities amid current immigration difficulties facing the community. “When there are moments of tension or moments of difficulty, staying together as a collective gives us the power to stay strong and to continue,” Tzompa-Chimal said. He said the theme also reflects the emphasis on family and cross-cultural connections in Latino communities, adding the collaboration among organizations representing different backgrounds like the Caribbean Students Association, Mexican Student Association and Alianza, an organization for Afro-Latinx students, allows LHC to bring students and cultures together for a month of united programming. While Tzompa-Chimal said the political tensions surrounding Latino communities did not directly shape the type of events selected for the celebration, he said
MARLENE ORANTES | STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER People watch as dancers perform during Meet La Familia, the kickoff event of Latin Heritage Celebration, Sunday.
recent tensions related to immigration have reinforced the importance of bringing student organizations together and expanding the month’s programming to increase Latino student engagement on campus. Claire Avalos, a senior majoring in political science and president of the Organization of Latin American Students, said LHC gives
Latino students an opportunity to find their “home away from home,” providing exposure to the variety of Latin American-based organizations students can get involved with. “For the month as a whole, we really want this for LHC to be an opportunity for students to attend really great programming and events that we have on cam-
pus, but also get to know other Latino students here at GW,” Avalos said. Careld Cruz, a senior majoring in marketing and a marketing director for LHC and president of GW Fuego, said the nationwide celebration initially felt foreign to her after moving to the United States from Latin America. She said she grew up surrounded by her cul-
ture and did not have the experience of setting aside a specific month to celebrate Latin heritage. “For me, you come from a place where your heritage and your culture are celebrated all the time, so being here and having a whole month dedicated to Latinos all over the country, it was something very eye opening,” Cruz said.
Fraternity, sorority community competes during first Greek Week in four years ADELAIDE PETRAS
ASSISTANT NEWS EDITOR
GW’s fraternity and sorority community competed in a weeklong series of team-building and philanthropic competitions as part of the University’s first Greek Week in four years. Members of Greek life and the broader GW community participated last week in a slate of Wild West-themed events intended to build community and strengthen relationships among fraternity and sorority chapters and generate interest in Greek life, including a banner reveal contest, tug-of-war tournament, headshot day and a barbecue. Students who attended events throughout the week said the programming drummed up interest among potential new members and improved visibility for Greek-letter organizations at a university where fraternity and sorority life is less prevalent than at other schools. This year marks the first Greek Week since April 2022, when the Division for Student Affairs paused the event due to low turnout and chapter engagement. A University spokesperson said in July DSA officials decided to reinstate the event in response to strong student interest. Chapters competed in eight award categories throughout the week, including best chapter banner, best western outfit posted on Instagram by a member of the chapter, trivia, headcount at a women’s volleyball game, service kits assembled, money raised and items donated to Greek Week’s charity partner and highest per-
MICHAEL PEREZ | PHOTOGRAPHER Chi Omega presents at the chapter banner reveal in the University Student Center’s Betts Theatre Monday.
centage of members in attendance at events, to win $300 for the chapter and the “Greek Week champions” title. Bella Fournier, vice president of membership experience for GW Panhellenic Association and one of Greek Week’s co-chairs, said there was high participation rates by chapters across all of the events, signaling a successful pilot year. She said University officials expressed “little faith” in January that Greek Week could engage a majority of fraternity and sorority
chapters during the same week. Fournier said she approached this year’s Greek Week as a pilot program, with the Office of Fraternity and Sorority Life planning to host Greek Week again next year and make adjustments based on which events drew the highest turnout. “Now that we have all that information, whoever takes this on next year, I think is set up for a lot of success,” Fournier said. Fournier said 27 of GW’s 30 chapters participated in Greek
Week, with each attending at least two events, and hundreds of students — within and outside fraternity and sorority life — voted on Instagram as part of the banner reveal contest. A student leadership committee led by Fournier and GW National Pan-Hellenic Council President Jay Parra planned Greek Week alongside FSL staff, which a University spokesperson said in July marks a departure from past iterations of the event that were entirely staffled.
Fournier said the most successful event was “Helping Hands at the Homestead” on Thursday, where students made wellness and craft kits to donate to Horton’s Kids, Greek Week’s philanthropic partner that aims to increase education and wellness among children and families in Southeast D.C. She said students used up all the materials in the first hour of the scheduled three-hour event, producing multiple large moving carts full of kits. Parra, who is a member of Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Inc., said Greek Week has brought visibility to NPHC — which governs eight historically Black fraternity and sorority chapters at GW — which she said receives less attention than other Greek councils at GW because it is a predominantly white institution. She said she focused on incorporating diversity, equity and inclusion principles into the week’s programming by ensuring events cater to and promote NPHC and the Multicultural Greek Council, which governs five identity-based fraternities and sororities at GW. Parra said Greek Week has helped members of Greek life build friendships within their own chapters and across councils because they could meet students from different chapters at the events. She said the events garnered first-year and sophomore engagement, allowing them to get to know Greek life leaders on a personal level before joining a sorority or fraternity. “We’re people outside of sorority letters,” Parra said. “So it’s important that people go to the events, do their research and form individual relationships before gaining interest.”
Student organizations report dissatisfaction with SGA allocations AMELIA NELSON
ASSISTANT NEWS EDITOR
Despite a $345,000 increase to the Student Government Association’s funding pool at the beginning of 2026, student organization leaders said their general allocations still fall short of expectations and they do not understand the reasoning behind the body’s final funding decisions. Student organization leaders said allocations based on event attendance and group membership affect small organizations’ ability to expand, and unpredictable yearly allocations create distrust and tension between the SGA and student groups. Current SGA members said they plan to better communicate funding rationale and explain allocation processes this year in efforts to mitigate the larger, persistent issue of student organizations requesting budgets that far exceed the amount the body has in its total funding pool. Student organizations
receive funding from the SGA through a once-a-semester general allocations process, finalized for each term at the end of the previous semester, and cosponsorships — additional funds individual organizations can request weekly throughout the year. Two SGA bodies manage the funding processes: the Legislative Budget Office — a group of unelected students the SGA appoints, which follow SGA bylaws to make objective preliminary financial recommendations for organizations’ requests — and the Committee on Finance and Allocation, composed of student-elected senators who use a tier-based system to adjust LBO proposals and issue final decisions. While general allocation and cosponsorship requests go through the same procedure of adjustments by both the LBO and the finance committee, the LBO primarily determines general allocations because the office’s objectivity makes the decision-making process
faster, according to Harry Crowley, the SGA’s current LBO director. Crowley said the finance committee spends the most time each week on cosponsorship requests, where they hear presentations from student organizations and internally debate requests. Last fall, the University implemented a new Student Activity Fee of $50 for each student with 40 percent of funds going toward the SGA, which former SGA Vice President Liz Stoddard said in Oct. 2025 would provide about $300,000 of additional funds each semester starting in spring 2026. Harry Crowley, current LBO director, said the SGA used the increase to raise its cosponsorship budget to match its general allocation budget, giving each pool around $280,000 for the semester and leaving the general allocations funding pool similar to previous years. Crowley said regardless of SGA advocacy to increase student organizations’
funding, the body will still face the challenge of working with a limited budget because student organizations’ general allocations requests continue to exceed the body’s total budget capacity, but he wants to better advertise cosponsorships as a way for organizations to receive individualized attention throughout the year. He said an organization using a cosponsorship request to fund their event featuring cultural food would likely receive higher funds — because committee senators would adjust the bylaw’s strict limitation of $15 for the cost of food per event attendee to prioritize items “central” to the group’s identity, tradition or existence — than if the organization used general allocations to fund the event, in which case senators might not have time to make the bylaws adjustment. Nine student organizations said they did not understand why the SGA did not increase its general allocation budget, and noted
KRIS PARK | ASSISTANT PHOTO EDITOR Student Government Association Legislative Budget Office Director Harry Crowley and Finance Chair Anya Srivastava pose for a portrait.
they hadn’t received any communication from the SGA about why student organizations were still receiving, on average, under half of their budget despite the SGA’s doubled funding this year. Student organizations received, on average, 43 percent of their original requests in proposed general allocations and 46 percent after appeals for both spring and fall 2026, according to
allocation legislation. Seven student organizations said SGA guidelines did not properly consider the needs of smaller organizations, who said they are unable to fund events for prospective increased membership if funding is solely based on past event attendance, or groups whose small membership may reflect small populations of certain demographics at GW.
NEWS
September 21, 2026 • Page 5
THE GW HATCHET
Students explore cultural communities during 22nd annual MSSC Block Party DIYA JHAWAR
CONTRIBUTING NEWS EDITOR
Cultural and identitybased organizations promoted upcoming events, recruited members and showcased their communities during the 22nd annual Multicultural Student Services Center Block Party in the University Student Center on Friday. The annual event, which started in 2004, brought together cultural and identitybased student organizations from across GW, with tabling, games and performances on the student center’s third floor. Organization leaders said the event offered attendees and participating groups the chance to explore different cultures, find communities that reflected their interests and backgrounds and learn about ways to get involved with their culture on campus. Bryson Handy, a senior majoring in international affairs and economics and president of Black Professionals in International Affairs, said this year’s Block Party was the largest he had seen during his four years at GW, both in the event’s scale and the number of student attendees. Handy, originally from Atlanta, Georgia, said he noticed a difference in racial diversity after coming to GW and found a sense of community through his organization. He said the Block Party gives the organization a way to reach other students looking for spaces where they feel represented, particularly in the Elliott School of
International Affairs, which he described as predominantly white. “It’s nice to have a place that’s focused on diversity and cultural affairs to table at,” Handy said. “More generally, Elliott is a very white institution, or at least a very non-black institution, so it’s nice to be able to really target the main people that we’re trying to reach in an easy way.” Della Whalen, a senior majoring in international affairs and marketing and communications chair of the Chinese Amer-
ican Students’ Association, said seeing Chinese culture represented at Block Party was especially meaningful when she attended as a freshman. She said the event can help students find cultural organizations early in their time at GW and become involved beyond attending individual events. “I remember when I was a freshman, it was super important to learn about different cultures and get more involved,” Whalen said. “So it was great seeing my culture being represented for me at the block par-
New witch-themed Italian restaurant opens in West End LOUISA HANNOUCENE STAFF WRITER
A new restaurant opened its doors in West End Sept 8, offering up witch-themed Italian food and drinks. Ellizabetta La Strega, a new restaurant specializing in Italian cuisine, has found a home at 2401 Pennsylvania Avenue NW, taking over the former location of the French-Belgian restaurant Marcel’s, a West End staple for 25 years which closed in 2024 after its owners were unable to reach an agreement on lease terms with the building’s new owner. Named after owner Elli Benchimol’s grandmother, Ellizabetta, the latter half of the restaurant’s name means “the witch” in Italian. Benchimol also owns the Georgetown restaurants La Bohème and Mic hel i n-sta r-awa rded Apéro. The restaurant’s lunch and dinner menus feature vegetable, meat and vegan dishes like the triple goddess ragu and the crispy berkshire porchetta. Benchimol said each dish is inspired by her Italian heritage, combining her family’s northern and southern Italian roots. She said one of her grandmother’s favorite recipes, a chicken milanese marinated in herbs, is featured on the dinner menu. “My favorite is probably the Mayan Lemon Chittara pasta with caviar on top,” Benchimol said. “It’s very decadent, delicious. It’s actually a crossover dish that we also have at Apero, so keeping it in the family.” Benchimol said much of the restaurant’s produce
MICHAEL PEREZ | PHOTOGRAPHER
Students dance during the MSSC Block Party held in the University Student Center Friday.
and meat is sustainably sourced from local farms in Pennsylvania and Virginia. She said she hopes Ellizabetta La Strega can be as “sustainable as possible,” in spite of rising costs for supplies, because she believes it is the right thing to do to ensure environmentally friendly sourcing. Benchimol said she and her team, which includes husband-and-wife chefs Jennifer Castenada-Jones and Stephen Jones, started searching for a space two years ago. After securing the West End location, she said the restaurant had to delay its opening for five months while the building underwent renovations. She said the hardest part of the process was curating the menu and finding the right team, particularly during the five-month opening delay. Benchimol said throughout renovations, she moved some of the managing staff at La Strega to her other restaurants, which caused other locations to be overstaffed. “It was very expensive because we were overstaffed over there, but it gave us a lot of time to grow as a team,” Benchimol said. Benchimol said a majority of the paintings hanging on the wall of La Strega are portraits she painted herself of different girlfriends and female family members in a “witch form,” painted with florals around their heads. La Strega has lunch hours from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Tuesday to Saturday and dinner hours from 5 to 10 p.m. on Sundays and
Tuesday to Thursday, with the Friday and Saturday dinner hours extended to 11 p.m. Between lunch and dinner, La Strega hosts “The Witching Hour” from 3 to 5 p.m. and 9 to 11 p.m. Tuesday through Thursday and from 4 to 5 p.m. Sunday. Benchimol said “The Witching Hour” takes after the concept of aperitivo hour in Italy, when people gather for drinks and light snacks before dinner. The Witching Hour offers special prices on select menu items and a complimentary Chef Cicchetti Selection — an assortment of rotating Venetian tapas — with any beverage special, like La Strega spritzes. “It changes every day,” Benchimol said. “It’s usually a little toast or snack that goes with your beverage because you should always have a bite to eat when you’re drinking.” She said the restaurant also plans to introduce Tarot Tuesdays during Witching Hour, where guests can come in for tarot readings from tarot card readers in the area each Tuesday. Benchimol said the community has been supportive of the restaurant’s opening and her neighbors have already become regulars. She said many regulars from Apéro and La Bohème have visited the new spot as well. “I hope that they enjoy the way we made them feel while they were here,” Benchimol said. “It’s an experience, and that’s the goal. It’s just hospitality overall, and then of course, the food and everything else is the afterthought of that.”
JOSH STEINBERG | STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER The exterior of the Ellizabetta La Strega restaurant on Pennsylvania Avenue.
ty.” Mary Manukyan, a junior majoring in public health and president of the GW Armenian Student Association, said the annual Block Party allows the organization to introduce Armenian culture to students beyond the University’s Armenian community. She said ASA has seen strong interest from students of all backgrounds who want to learn about Armenia and participate in its social and cultural events. “I feel like it’s good to have some representation of Arme-
nian students on campus, just because there’s not that many of us on the East Coast,” Manukyan said. “So I know it makes people feel good when they see that we’re represented on the East Coast and at a school like GW.” Diya Nookala, a senior majoring in environmental science and international affairs and the vice president of competitions for the South Asian Society, said SAS has used the Block Party to introduce students to the organization and encourage them to participate in their large-scale annual events like Raas Chaos and Bhangra Blowout. She said the competitions require students to take on supporting roles in event planning, including staffing and serving as liaisons, giving students who attend Block Party another way to become involved with SAS. “That gets them into the idea of maybe they want to be part of SAS and be more involved within the South Asian community, and it doesn’t necessarily mean they have to stop at attending an event,” Nookla said. Giada Ferraresso, a freshman majoring in political science, said the Block Party gave her a chance to connect what she will learn in the classroom with students who have personal ties to the countries and cultures she studies. “As a political science major, it’s nice to know that the countries that I’m doing case studies on, there are students that I can talk to who might be able to reflect that culture personally,” Ferraresso said.
Balleisen says GW must update degree portfolio to stay competitive From Page 1 “I know we all feel this loss deeply,” Granberg said. “We feel it institutionally. We feel it personally, because for us, international students are at the very core of how we define ourselves as a global institution.” Granberg said in response to the “complex landscape” officials are navigating, she will be reestablishing the vice president, treasurer role, which reports directly to the chief financial officer, and a vice president for information technology and chief information officer, which will report to the president. She said the national search for a University treasurer is underway and officials will begin a search for the VP of information technology role within the next month. The job posting for VP of information technology says the role will be responsible for providing “direction and support” for computer-based information and communication systems, developing and operating computer systems, providing network and database administration and conducting IT training. Officials published the vice president, treasurer role in July — although it is no longer active — and said the role will oversee GW’s investment decisions by ensuring the University meets sufficient liquidity needs and debt service obligations. Granberg said the vice president, treasurer role — which has been vacant and temporarily managed by Chief Financial Officer Bruno Fernandes since July 2022 — will strategize about how to get as “much value” out of GW’s cash and investments as possible, and will ensure that the University’s debt is optimally managed. Faculty Senator Amita Vyas asked Provost Ed Balleisen — who appeared at the Faculty Senate meeting for the first time since his tenure began at GW in July — for an update on the finalization of the University’s new budget model and if there would be another presentation for the Faculty Senate to give input on the model. Balleisen said the University is still operating under the old budget model, but officials are running a simulation to assess how University finances fare under the new model. He said officials are still finalizing details of the budget mod-
el’s allocation formula, as well as ensuring the budget does not become a barrier to the strategic framework’s emphasis on interdisciplinary collaboration. Balleisen said officials are assessing how the budget model will impact how schools will receive margin targets and the overall operational and administrative costs incurred by the University. “I want to underscore that the budget model’s goal, first and foremost, is accuracy with respect to where revenues are coming from and where costs are existing and to facilitate longer-term planning and transparency about those matters,” Balleisen said. Officials began the process of implementing a new budget model at the start of fiscal year 2027 in July, which officials said in an April 2025 statement would “evolve” the current budget model to better align how money is distributed for academic, research and strategic priorities. At a May Faculty Senate meeting, Granberg said the current budget model is too “unstable” to support issues like declining graduate and international student enrollment because 80 percent of GW’s graduate tuition goes directly to each school under the current model. Balleisen said the University has to think about ways that GW can “sharpen” its approach to graduate student enrollment as international interest and demand continues to decrease. Balleisen said in his report it is “crucial” that GW updates its portfolio of degree programs as the University confronts heightened public scrutiny about research universities, but did not specify what that would look like. In recent months, GW has launched several new master’s and undergraduate programs across multiple schools, but officials have not specified why the University launched these programs in particular and if they will create more programs. Anne Markus, chair of the health policy and management department in the Milken Institute School of Public Health, asked Balleisen if the provost’s office had started the process of thinking about the institutional processes and criteria that will be used to determine which programs will remain or be reconfigured. Balleisen said the community at large needs to be “pitching in” and thinking
about where departments can most effectively direct the University’s resources and talents. He added although the provost’s office has a role to play in the review of academic programs, he said a lot of the work will be done at the school and department level because faculty know their programs best. “We need to have real attention to that process and engage with faculty leadership about where the program has strengths, and where there may be ways to address issues that have cropped up,” Balleisen said. Balleisen added that at the graduate level, schools and departments need to examine how to strengthen programs through improving prospective applicant numbers and spreading awareness of the program but did not specify specific methods that schools could utilize. Phil Wirtz, professor of decision sciences and psychological and brain sciences, asked for Balleisen and Granberg’s perspective on the cost of living increases for employees as opposed to cost of living plus merit. He said there has been concern about the extent to which “lesser-paid” employees can survive in the D.C. economy. Granberg said it is important that the institution is able to provide a merit pool every year and a meritbased system allows officials to determine where a person’s salary is relative to the market. She said the system has advantages in getting people to a “competitive” salary, which can sometimes exceed the cost of living. “Although I do understand why there can be an argument to have it be a specific and public amount, I tend to favor the kind of model that takes into account market and merit together,” Granberg said. “I think, in my experience, that it’s the easiest way to be massively responsive to each person’s situation.” The governing body unanimously elected School of Engineering & Applied Science professor Kausik Sarkar to serve on the Faculty Senate Executive Committee as the 2026-27 SEAS representative while former SEAS representative Tarek El-Ghazawi is on sabbatical this fall. SEAS professor Adam Aviv and Milken professor Anushree Vichare were unanimously elected to serve on the Senate Research Committee in a voting capacity.
THE GW HATCHET
OPINIONS
September 21, 2026 • Page 6
OPINIONS
WHAT THE UNIVERSITY WON’T TALK ABOUT THIS WEEK
How many faculty members in the Graduate School of Education and Human Development who received termination notices were rehired. p.1
Officials can’t continue to shut the community out as layoffs continue STAFF EDITORIAL This editorial board is getting deja vu. Almost a year ago, the Hatchet’s last editorial board wrote that University officials needed to be more transparent about how they made the decision to lay off 43 staff members across the University and which areas were affected by the layoffs. We criticized officials for only making a public announcement of the layoffs to faculty, keeping students and families out of the loop. But now, a year later, we have seen layoffs impact three different GW schools in the last three months, and we have yet again seen no University-wide communication or transparency from officials about how these layoffs are impacting GW’s academic mission or how the layoffs are helping our financial situation. While our editorial board is aware that all of higher education is going through tough financial times and making layoffs, GW cannot stay silent or refuse to talk about these issues. At the start of the semester, we wrote that GW officials needed to learn from their past mistakes regarding transparency and communication about official decision-making, but these layoffs are evidence that officials have not taken that feedback to heart and instead decided to leave most of the community in the dark. Since July, the deans of the School of Medicine & Health Sciences, the Milken Institute School of Public Health and GW Law have announced layoffs to their faculty and staff. The only reason the wider GW community knows about these layoffs is because individual faculty members have shared these communications with us, which prompted us to ask the University for confirmation. Unlike last year, where officials sent
CAROLINE MORRELLI | STAFF CARTOONIST
out an email to all of GW’s faculty and staff to announce they had laid off 43 employees University-wide, these communications have been entirely siloed to individual school faculty. While we understand that these are private and hurtful personnel decisions and the community does not need to be privy to the minute details, layoffs across multiple academic schools in such a short period of time warrants communication from top-level officials, as these layoffs not only impact GW’s fiscal health, but the broader University’s academic mission. Officials are trying to make it sound like the responsibility to
share this information falls on the deans of each school. However, we have seen over the past year that the direction for academic deans to continually cut budgets has come from the University’s leadership. In January, University President Ellen Granberg and then-Interim Provost John Lach ordered schools to develop contingency plans for fiscal year 2027 budget cuts that included five, 10 and 15 percent reductions. Faculty members have repeatedly raised concerns with officials that these repeated directions to cut budgets have left schools have caused major disruptions and given them limited options other than
The strategic framework must focus on boosting student DC experiences
F
ew GW Students make it through the University’s admissions tours or orientation without hearing some version of the same promise: “Washington, D.C. is our campus.” University leaders constantly use GW’s location in the “heart of D.C.” as a marketing point: The White House is just blocks away; career opportunities at federal agencies, nonprofits, museums and embassies are there for the taking. At GW, officials present the proximity to these D.C. institutions as an essential part of the educational experience. But once students arrive on campus, turning that vision into reality largely becomes their own responsibility, and the University rarely attempts to actually integrate these experiences into our education, classes and campus. By prioritizing D.C.-based experiences in its new strategic framework, GW has taken an important step toward closing this gap, but the plan will only succeed if the University follows through with concrete changes that reach students across schools and programs.
Duaa Hussain Opinions Writer The good news is that it is clear that GW officials also recognize this gap in University support for students seeking out the D.C. experience. Improving students’ access to D.C. experience was one of three key areas the University selected to
Hatchet
prioritize in the first phase of its new strategic framework, with University Ellen Granberg charging a working group last October with developing recommendations to improve the opportunities the University provides for students in D.C. The D.C. Experience Working Group specifically examined how GW could expand access to D.C.-based internships, research and civic engagement. Earlier this month, that working group released recommendations that University officials can implement across different timelines. University officials are now reviewing community feedback as they decide which proposals to prioritize in an action plan. The working group’s central recommendation is the creation of a Central D.C. Experience Hub. The hub would coordinate relationships with government agencies, nonprofit organizations, embassies, cultural institutions and privatesector employers, then help schools incorporate those relationships into courses, research and internships. The working group also recommended that every undergraduate student have access to a distinctive D.C. experience and that each school publish a pathway showing how students can engage with the city throughout their degree. Still, creating another office, hub or online platform will not be enough. GW already has resources students struggle to use or find. GW already offers community-engaged courses that connect some students
with local organizations, but these opportunities are not consistently built into every academic program. The University should expand this model across its schools. Political science courses could partner with advocacy organizations on policy projects, writing students could work with D.C. publications or cultural institutions and public health and art students could collaborate with community organizations and museums. Most importantly, the working group recognized in their report that optional systems disproportionately benefit students who already understand how to navigate internships and professional networks. As an international student, I have experienced this learning curve firsthand. When searching for internships, I have had to determine which opportunities accept international applicants, or if they will suddenly change their mind. A stronger connection between career advising and international student support would make that process easier to navigate. GW does not lack the location, connections or alumni network to make D.C. central to every student’s education. Instead, it lacks the structure to make those advantages accessible and consistent. If GW sells D.C. as part of our education, it must ensure that students learn through the city, not merely live beside it.. —Duaa Hussain, a senior majoring in political science and creative writing, is an opinions writer.
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This Hispanic Heritage Month, let’s stand up against hate
W
ith the start of Hispanic Heritage Month last week comes myriad campus events like celebrations, speakers and summits to commemorate the history and contributions of Hispanic communities. Living in D.C. for the majority of the year, I find myself craving the connection to my roots that I feel so deeply in my hometown of Calexico, California, and nothing is more exciting to me than celebrating my culture. But I cannot forget the many Hispanic and Latino communities that are being affected at this very moment by the policies of President Donald Trump’s administration and Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Rather than only participating in the typical celebrations of dressing up in the colors of a Latin or Hispanic flag and going to listen to different talks on campus for Hispanic Heritage Month, those both in and outside of our community should focus their efforts on combating the torrent of hate we have seen come for Hispanic communities in the United States.
Andrea MendozaMelchor Opinions Editor At the beginning of the month, at the Republican National Committee midterm convention, Vice President JD Vance in the middle of his speech, addressed a protester who was waving the Palestinian
flag and Mexican flag, saying, “Well, my friend, if you love Mexico so much, get your a** over there, I’ll buy you the plane ticket.” The message was clear, that the vice president of the United States does not support our country’s citizens celebrating their Hispanic heritage. Vance seemingly doesn’t think that those outside of his own identity get to be proud of their roots or even get to belong to this country. This is why this month we cannot forget that being proud of our heritage should also mean standing up to those who demonize it. While Vance and Trump will be in office for two more years, the midterms are critical, and we cannot just let people who do not care about immigrants be our lawmakers. Last week we just had National Voter Registration Day, and we need to make sure that we are doing our civic duty to help immigrants as much as we can. Ahead of the midterm elections, the Trump administration has made comments about sending ICE agents to the polls, though fortunately, Latino civil rights groups have filed a lawsuit aiming to ensure that no ICE agents will be present. If anything, these comments by politicians demonstrate just how powerful voting can be. And as much as the community has been hit by Trump’s administration, the community has come back in full force through protests. In the past year, we have seen countless ICE protests on campus and in
the city in general. Collective action should not slow down and reignite itself with the pride that comes with this month. But you can fight back in a multitude of ways — whether that be through something simple like voicing your opinion in The Hatchet or taking further steps like donating money to immigrant-related causes, protesting or volunteering. In D.C., you can volunteer at Amica Center for Immigrant Rights — which you can also access through GivePulse, GW’s website for looking for volunteering opportunities— by taking calls from detention centers remotely from your own dorm. There is also the opportunity that when a court case rolls around in D.C., like last year, we can simply show up and pack the court to show our support. I know that my grandparents risked everything to come to the United States, and I know that my parents stretched themselves as financially thin as possible for us to be able to keep living here. So, no, we should not be giving up, and instead we should continue to fight for our rights tooth and nail. In fact, we should adhere to GW’s theme this year for the Latin Heritage Celebration: “El pueblo unido jamás será vencido,” which translates to “A united community shall never be defeated.” —Andrea MendozaMelchor, a senior majoring in journalism and mass communication and creative writing, is the opinions editor.
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personnel cuts. To put it plainly: GW’s response to both this year’s and last year’s layoffs have been inadequate. When The Hatchet asked the University this week why they have not put out University-wide communications regarding these layoffs, a University spokesperson responded that the layoffs were isolated to those three schools, and officials only put out statements for events that have University-wide impacts. That reasoning not only fails to acknowledge that it is the University-wide fiscal situation that has forced schools to cut budgets and lay off personnel but also is completely insensitive to the far-
ranging implications that layoffs at multiple GW schools have on the University’s academic mission. One thing is for sure: transparency is free. It does not cost money to be frank with the community about what is happening in our school — especially when the community will be affected The Hatchet is not the only one the University owes an explanation to. Students deserve to know how they are being affected by these layoffs. They establish relationships with professors and find mentors at the University. GW cannot quietly lay them off without a statement. But at the same time, the leadership groups for students, faculty and staff need to make sure they are advocating for their constituents’ concerns. At Friday’s Faculty Senate meeting, no one brought up the layoffs, asked questions or provided further information about them. And at the last Staff Council meeting, there was only a one-sentence mention about them, but no questions or further statements were made. As a community, we should give grace to officials as they navigate these very difficult issues but officials need to ensure that they are explaining their decisions and financial position so we can even give them grace in the first place. At the beginning of the school year, we asked GW to learn from their past mistakes, and now we are asking GW not to stay on the same path of no explanations and communication regarding their financial issues and the decisions they make in response to them. The community simply wants to understand — and deserves — what is happening in our University. We want to trust in GW, but for that GW needs to start being transparent with their stakeholders.
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*
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THE GW HATCHET
CULTURE
September 21, 2026 • Page 7
CULTURE
THE
SCENE
ALIVE IN MANY HANDS Tuesday, Sept. 22 | Library of Congress | Free
RELEASED
THIS WEEK:
AMERICAN BLACK FILM FESTIVAL Sept. 25–27 | Union Market | $15
NEW SONG: “OVER COUNTRY” BY LIZZY MCALPINE
Meet Capital Funk, a hip-hop group grooving through the District MARLENE ORANTES STAFF WRITER
GW Students and local community members are finding their rhythms by popping, locking and freestyling on campus through the D.C. based hip-hop dance group, Capital Funk. Capital Funk, founded in 2004 and formerly known as “Mesmerize,” is an award-winning hip-hop dance group comprised of GW students and community members that uses University spaces to practice twice a week. As the group recently wrapped up auditions, welcoming about 10 new dancers for the season, the team is now gearing up for a year of practices, performances and competitions. In the basement of either District House, the University Student Center or the Hand Chapel on the Mount Vernon Campus each Tuesday and Saturday, captain Kevin O’Donnell said each practice starts off with “circle time,” where the group sits in a circle to discuss any announcements, followed by learning new choreography, cleaning up a set or doing bonding activities. At the end of the three hour long practice, he said they always wrap up with a chant — “Capital Funk on 3, 1-2-3 Capital Funk!” and head their separate ways. O’Donnell said he had heard about Capital Funk and attended some of their performances while he was an undergraduate student at the University of Maryland, College Park and participated in their hiphop dance group, the Phunktions Dance Company. After graduating in 2023, he said he tried out for Capital Funk last year and made the team. “Since I made the team last year, I feel like I left a pretty good impact there,” he said. “It was a space where
I could really show off all my skills and creative outlet to put my choreo down, and it’s just been such a big family. I just really can’t describe the feeling. It’s very much like a second family to me, like a home space.” O’Donnell said Funky Friends and Family, an annual event Capital Funk hosts at the Dorothy Betts Theatre in the student center, is something he is looking forward to this year, as the showcase’s longer dance lineup provides more opportunities for team members to perform — letting each member have their moment in the spotlight. O’Donnell said Capital Funk also participates in Prelude Dance Competition each year, a competition that focuses on local and regional hip-hop dance groups, which will take place Nov. 7 in Manassas, Virginia this year. Though growing up doing different styles of dance, like ballet in Italy as a child and K-Pop in high school in the United States, O’Donnell said he never felt like he found his space within these groups, as he found certain styles constricting, but he now enjoys the “expressive” and creative aspects of hip-hop dance. Annie Chen, a third-year Ph.D. student studying epidemiology at the Milken Institute School of Public Health and one of the four captains of Capital Funk, said she grew up dancing and joined her undergraduate schools’ dance groups. When she came to GW for her doctorate in 2024, she said she knew she wanted to continue dancing, and found Capital Funk while searching for a dance community to join on campus. After getting rejected the first time she tried out for the group in 2024, Chen said she took a year off dance to “familiarize” herself with the new city and auditioned again last fall,
Members of Capital Funk practice in District House on Saturday.
successfully making the troupe. Since then, Chen said Capital Funk has felt like a family to her. Chen said the group hosts weekly workshops on Saturdays, open for all students and community members who want to try dance, to make it more “accessible” for everyone to enjoy. Chen said it was “exhilarating” when Capital Funk placed third in the Ascent dance competition, an open-style competition hosted by dance teams at The University of Virginia last spring, as they danced to a mix of classic Vivaldi compositions and Pretty Ricky’s “Grind With Me” with a masquerade ball theme, wearing white button-up shirts and ruffled purple pants. Chen said the most challenging aspect of being a part of the Capital Funk is the time commitment, as many members are also full-time students and practices can last for up to four hours. As a captain, she said she puts the most time into preparing and planning the team’s competitions and performances. Enaiya Smith, a senior studying international affairs and international business, said she didn’t make the team when she first auditioned, but tried out a second time and made the group in the 2024 spring semester. Growing up as a competitive dancer, she said she was interested in joining a group specific to hip hop when she came to GW. Smith said even though she got rejected from Capital Funk at first, the experience of trying out and being in a new dance environment with other dancers grew her confidence. “Not having made it the first time, which looking back was valid, I don’t think I was fully prepared for all that, but I think I was able to really grow as a dancer,” Smith said. “I was definitely introduced to a really wide range of people.”
SOPHIA WEBB | PHOTOGRAPHER
JOSH STEINBERG | STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER Participants talk among themselves at the Project Knitwell Art Therapy event.
Nonprofit brings knitting art therapy to students LISA YANG REPORTER
The sound of clicking knitting needles rang through the hallways of Ross Hall as participants knit projects at GW’s Resilience and Wellbeing Center’s first pop-up art therapy event with the local nonprofit organization, Project Knitwell. Project Knitwell, a D.C.nonprofit, serves to promote wellness through teaching individuals to knit as a form of art therapy and recently partnered with the GW School of Medicine & Health Sciences for a knitting event. Project Knitwell brought their knitting event to GW Monday Sept. 14, working with over 10 GW student participants to learn knitting techniques and promote art therapy. Viktoriya Karacheyeva, the director of GW’s Resilience and Wellbeing Center, said the center planned the GW partnership in August when Karacheyeva discovered Project Knitwell through a colleague at the GW Textile museum. She said she wanted the center to host more well-being programming for students and residents in SMHS and thought knitting and art therapy would be a well-matched format. Karacheyeva said the workshop was the first Open Studio Workshop – a programming series hosted at GW Art Therapy Clinic every other Monday of the year – with more events to come throughout the semester. Carole Ahmed, the volunteer coordinator for Project Knitwell, directed Monday’s Open Art Studio event and said the organization wanted to plan an event at GW to gain more opportunities to teach knitting in D.C. rather than just Virginia and Maryland, where their services are typically based. She said she wanted to partner with SMHS because Project Knitwell’s mission of using knitting as a stress reliever for people facing challenging or stressful situations aligns with SMHS focus of developing the skillsets of students studying to become healthcare professionals. Originally starting at Georgetown Hospital 15 years
ago, the founder of Knitwell, Carol Caparosa, said she started to knit while her daughter was in the NICU after birth. According to the Project Knitwell website, Caparosa started to teach NICU nurses and people in the waiting room how to knit and formed a community, promptly creating Project Knitwell which now focuses on providing knitting classes and beginner kits to people in the hospital. Ahmed said the rhythmic nature of knitting is its key therapeutic value, as the repetitive motion of using the needles has a calming effect on the mind and it gives people the opportunity to focus in on the task at hand. Ahmed said the organization provides all materials to participants through starter kits sourced from Lion Brand using Vanna’s Choice yarn. She said providing quality materials is important to the organization because it helps teach people in a variety of settings with all the necessary supplies, including homeless shelters, schools and hospitals. Mia Angarita, a second-year graduate student studying art therapy at GW, worked as one of the volunteers at the event and said she’s been working with the center since the end of August. Angarita said she was excited with the turnout of the event, as she likes providing a space for students and staff to find a “positive distraction” from their heavy workloads. Mary Anne Salmon, an instructor volunteer for Project Knitwell and knitting instructor at the event, said she chose to volunteer at the organization after she retired and wanted to pursue volunteer work. As one of the instructors at the event, Salmon said instructors worked one-on-one with participants, helping beginners understand the early concepts of knitting. She said she enjoys helping people who never would have explored knitting if it weren’t for Project Knitwell. “You never know until you try it,” Salmon said. “It could open up a whole door for you to something new that you enjoy doing.”
Check out the cafes and bakeries bringing a taste of fall to DC DIANA ANOS
CULTURE EDITOR
As the autumn season approaches the District, cafes and restaurants around D.C. are welcoming back fall flavors, from pumpkin spice to cinnamon, to their menus. Though fall-flavored coffees are typically the stars of this season’s menus, there’s a world of innovative autumnal treats baking in the ovens of D.C. cafes. As a lover of fall flavors myself, I set out on a dessert crawl around D.C., finding how District businesses are putting their own spin on typical treats. Here are my top picks on where to spend a few dollars to satisfy your sweet tooth as the new season rolls in.
Ted’s Bulletin’s Pumpkin Spice Tart – 3/5
Located on D.C.’s bustling 14th Street is Ted’s Bulletin, a restaurant and cafe serving breakfast, lunch and dinner, boasting eight locations across the DMV area. I entered the restaurant, greeted at a hostess stand in the front with a bakery and cafe off to the left, which
featured dark wood counters, glass cases with large cakes and other tarts and cookies stacked high. I went for the pumpkin spice tart ($4.00), which resembled a classic pop tart, with a rectangular shape and pressed edges. The inside reminded me of a cinnamon roll, with a thin cinnamon paste, and a light glaze on the outside, sprinkled with some extra pumpkin spice for another punch of fall flavor.
La Betty’s Dirty Chai Donut – 5/5
La Betty has long been on my list of spots to visit in D.C., plastered all over my social media feeds for its coffee shop by day, wine and vinyl bar by night concept. I walked through the wooden door at the front of the storefront in Mount Vernon Square into a dark aesthetic space filled with speakers and vinyl records and a large countertop filled with donuts, breads and cupcakes at the front. Hip hop music thudded throughout the dimly lit space as customers worked on their laptops, chatted with friends and enjoyed
their donuts and coffee. The selections were all appealing to my sweet tooth, so I asked an employee what his top seasonal pick was. Though the pumpkin twist stood out to me, he recommended the dirty chai donut ($4.00). Lightly fried and topped with a chai and espresso glaze, accompanied by bits of candied ginger and cardamom, the donut was sweet and contained just the right amount of fall spice to eat with your tea or latte of choice.
Colada Shop’s Coco de Flan – 4/5
In DuPont Circle sits Colada Shop, a Cuban cafe, restaurant and bar with three locations in the District. The storefront was crowded at noon on Friday when I stopped by, with groups of customers enjoying their dishes outside in their outdoor seating area. I walked inside the brightly lit space, with large windows and vibrant colored decorations and plants, and ordered the Flan de Coco ($9.00), a special on their fall menu. The small treat sat on a
pink plate with a caramel sauce surrounding it, with toasted coconut flakes sprinkled on top. The flan had a light and creamy custard texture, but not as heavy as I expected it to be.
Baked and Wired’s Pumpkin Cupcake – 5/5
Baked and Wired is always my go-to for treats in the fall and winter, with their seasonal, fun-flavored cupcakes, bars, breads and cookies. The interior is small, with a counter lined with cupcake options and colorful decorations and a seating area in the back. I selected their fall cupcake, “The Great Pumpkin,” ($6.20). With a pumpkin cake base and an orange cream cheese frosting, dusted with cinnamon and three pumpkin seeds, this dessert encapsulates fall in a few bites. The cake was moist and the frosting was light and airy, which I appreciated, as I’m not the biggest frosting fan. My friend joined me for the last treat, and we agreed it tasted just like pumpkin bread — one of fall’s most popular flavors.
NICHOLAS WARE | ASSISTANT PHOTO EDITOR The Great Pumpkin cupcake from Baked and Wired in Georgetown.
DIANA ANOS | STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER Flan de Coco from Colada Shop.
SPORTS
September 21, 2026 • Page 8
SPORTS
THE GW HATCHET
GAMES CRUNCH
vs. St. Louis on Sept. 25 | 6:00 p.m.
vs. Delaware on Sept. 22 | 6:00 p.m.
OF THE WEEK
NUMBER
VOLLEYBALL
MEN’S SOCCER
percentages of men’s soccer’s goalies, senior 0.719 CombinedTomsaveMacauley and sophomore Diego Peña.
Graduate golfer gets back into the swing of things after season-long injury MADELEINE PHILLIPS STAFF WRITER
MILO ROSENZWEIG SPORTS EDITOR
After spending a year healing and supporting his teammates from the sidelines after a severe shoulder injury, standout graduate golfer Rodrigo Barahona is ready to make a comeback on the course. Before his injury and going under surgery after the 2024-2025 season ended, Barahona competed as one of the Atlantic 10’s star golf players, earning 2024-2025 A-10 All-Conference titles, leading the Revolutionaries with his 72.3 scoring average, securing eight top-20 finishes and tying for eighth in the 2025 PGA Works Collegiate Championship. While the season away was a frustrating setback, Barahona emphasized that watching from the sidelines left him more motivated than ever to get back on the green. “This tournament, I woke up and I just felt grateful for everything,” Barahona said when discussing his first tournament back earlier this month at the Bryan National Collegiate. Barahona’s journey back to the course from injury was not without toil. After a successful surgery in June 2025, Barahona said what was initially a three-month recovery time ballooned into an entire season missed, despite traveling with the team for much of last fall. Though Barahona graduated last spring, he said he
LEXI CRITCHETT | ASSISTANT PHOTO EDITOR Graduate golfer Rodrigo Barahona swings during The Goat tournament hosted by the United States Naval Academy.
still had more to accomplish in his collegiate athletic career, leading him to take a fifth year at GW and pursue his master’s degree in applied economics in the Columbian College of Arts & Sciences. “I felt like my job at GW wasn’t really finished in terms of individual accomplishments as well as teamwise,” Barahona said. Barahona described his missed senior season and year-long recovery as bring-
ing moments of frustration, especially trying to lead the team from behind the ropes. “It’s hard to be listened to if you’re on the sidelines,” Barahona said. “It’s easier if you’re leading the team, if you’re playing well and you’re doing right. I think you get more ears by doing so.” Barahona said he felt helpless at times when the Revs collapsed at tournaments last season, as he couldn’t help counter-bal-
ance his teammates’ struggles. “On the sidelines it’s very frustrating just biting your tongue and seeing everything crumble,” Barahona said. But Barahona also said he spent the 2025-26 season building his mental tenacity to ensure he was ready for a comeback season, and added that the time off let him join student organizations and place greater emphasis on academics. Barahona also
Volleyball splits matchups against DC foes ahead of A-10 play MILO ROSENZWEIG SPORTS EDITOR
Volleyball (5-7) closed non-conference play over the weekend, falling to Georgetown University Friday evening in three sets before bouncing back and sweeping Howard University in three sets on Saturday. The Revolutionaries’ matchup Friday against the Hoyas at Georgetown’s McDonough Arena consisted of three sloppy sets for GW, who only managed to put genuine pressure on the Hoyas in the final set, but ultimately fell 25-22. On Saturday at the Smith Center, the Revs found their groove against Howard, led offensively by junior outside hitter Cayla Cogan and junior middle blocker Riley Samuel as the team put on a gritty performance in the second and third sets. In the first set against the Hoyas, the District foes traded leads, with the score as close as 1615 midway through. Georgetown proceeded to go on a seven point run, charging ahead 23-15 and giving them a clear path to get out in front 1-0 on the match. The Hoyas started the second set with a 6-0 run, with the Revs struggling to close the deficit at any point and making key offensive mistakes. Graduate middle blocker Yazmyn Billings botched an attack in the first half of the set, spiking the ball downward onto the Revs side of the net, giving the Hoyas an 11-4 lead. Later in the set, a service error from freshman libero Evie Huang gave the Hoyas a 19-12 lead. The Hoyas closed the second set with a 25-14 finish. The Revs battled for much of the third set but after going on a 4-0 run to open the set, the Revs let the Hoyas claw back, eventually evening the score at 1111. Both teams continued to go toe to toe, evening again at 20-20, but the Hoyas responded with a kill, service ace and blocked an attack from graduate pin hitter Nicanora Clarke, leaping ahead 23-20. Action from Clarke largely determined the last plays of the set as she notched a kill, cutting the Hoyas’ lead to two, but an attack error from Clarke moved the set to match point. After Samuel recorded a kill at the net, bringing the score to 24-22, Clarke flubbed an attack, ending the set and the match. The Revs finished the match with a .125 hitting percentage, compared to Georgetown’s .320. Head Coach Katie Reifert
cited joining the StudentAthlete Advisory Council, which gives athletes from all of the University’s athletic teams a forum to discuss the student-athlete experience, as a way he contributed to his team without being on the course. “I think if I couldn’t help my team on the golf course, I could help them get more representation through the athletics department and through the school,” Barahona said.
Women’s soccer forces draw with Richmond to open conference slate SOPHIA CAPUTO
CONTRIBUTING SPORTS EDITOR
MILO ROSENZWEIG SPORTS EDITOR
LILY KRAMP | STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER Junior middleblocker Riley Samuel spikes the ball during Saturday’s game against Howard University.
said the Revs were unfocused in Friday’s matchup against the Hoyas as Georgetown challenged GW’s defense. Reifert said her team appeared “surprised” defensively throughout the match as Georgetown notched 42 kills and nine service aces, while the Revs were only able to muster 38 digs compared to the Hoyas’ 49. The first and second sets, which ended with scores of 2517 and 25-14, respectively, saw the Hoyas put together multiple offensive runs to protect their leads, with middle blocker Kamryn Lee-Caracci and outside hitters Grace Albaugh and Dionna Mitchell leading the attack effort. On Saturday, the Revs found their spark against Howard at the Smith Center, earning the roars of a crowd of 285 scattered throughout the first level of the arena. The first set started off close with both teams trading the lead before the Revs tied the Bisons 6-6. The Revs proceeded to move ahead, but the Bisons nearly closed the gap halfway through the set after catching junior setter Abby Markworth flat-footed, unable to dig an attack and narrowing the Revs’ lead to 13-12. GW responded with a six point run, expanding their lead to 19-12, eventually winning the opener 25-18. In the midst of the gritty second set and tied 7-7, Samuel and Clarke attempted to block an attack, but the ball ricocheted out of bounds, giving the Bisons the lead. Officials requested a review, and a dance battle ensued between both teams’ benches as they deliberated the call, delighting the crowd.
Chippy, back-and-forth play made up much of the rest of the set as the Revs trailed 25-24 and, with the win-by-two rule in effect, Samuel smashed a kill to even the score. After a failed attack from one of the Bisons, Samuel buried the hatchet with a clean block at the net, earning the Revs a 27-25 victory. The third set saw much of the same back-and-forth energy as the second. The Bisons opened the set with a 3-0 run, but the Revs slowly cut away at Howard’s lead, tying the set 12-12. After going ahead 13-12, the Revs maintained a close lead over the Bisons for the rest of the set, closing out the set with a 25-21 victory and the match with a 3-0 sweep. Last year, Cogan cemented herself as one of the team’s key offensive contributors, making 31 appearances and starting 26 matches, ranking first on the team in kills with 359 at the season’s close. Cogan said she is playing with more confidence this year because of the support she earned from teammates, coaches and staff last year. Both Reifert and Cogan also said that after playing tougher non-conference competition, like the University of Georgia in the Southeastern Conference, as well as North Carolina State University and the University of Virginia in the Atlantic Coast Conference, they feel well positioned to take on Atlantic 10 competition. Volleyball will play back-toback matches against Saint Louis next weekend to begin conference play. A preseason poll released in August predicted the Revs finishing No. 5 and the Billikens finishing No. 8 in the A-10.
Despite the team falling flat at the Bryan National Collegiate at the University of North Carolina Greensboro earlier this month in their first tournament of the season, Barahona took his usual team-leader form, shooting an even par over three rounds and tying for the No. 16 individual spot, a performance Golf’s Head Coach Chuck Scheinost noted was a crucial step forward. “It was a great comeback, and I think bodes well for the future for him as we go throughout the year, just to get that confidence back that he can he can perform, and that’s huge for us as a team,” Scheinost said. Heading into The Goat tournament last weekend, Barahona said he wanted to improve his shots off the tee and hoped the team would show a stronger competitive mentality and avoid letting mistakes compile. GW swept the tournament, hosted by the United States Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland, winning first place to secure their first tournament win since 2019. Barahona tied for 12th place, with redshirt junior Patricio Gonzalez and senior Evan Eichenlaub tying for fourth place. While Barahona finished the weekend carding 3-over-par 216, Gonzalez and Eichenlaub led the Revs scoring efforts, both finishing 1-under-par 212. “For me, it’s taking one tournament at a time, really enjoying it, being present, and just trying to play my best,” Barahona said.
Women’s soccer (3-3-3, 0-0-1 Atlantic-10) squared off against Richmond (5-0-4, 0-1-1 A-10) to a 1-1 draw Sunday in the team’s first Atlantic 10 match, which saw both teams exchange goals in the first half before flatlining offensively. After falling behind just seven minutes into the match, the Revolutionaries responded when freshman forward Sophia Michel netted an unassisted goal from the left side in the eleventh minute. The Revs maintained heavy offensive pressure for the remainder of the game, putting up 17 shots to Richmond’s 13, but failed to capitalize on key offensive opportunities. Richmond’s freshman midfielder Christina Stamoulacatos got the scoring started for the Spiders at the 07:31 mark, shooting from just past midfield on the Revs side of the pitch. But her shot nicked a GW player, changing direction and sailing over the head of junior goalkeeper Marley Gerber and into the net. Gerber leapt as she retreated from the front of the goal area, but failed to get a limb on the ball. But just three minutes later, the Revs evened the score after Michel sprinted down the left side of the pitch, challenging Spider defenders, and hooked a shot into the net, through the hands of Richmond’s goalkeeper. “I think everyone was disappointed in conceding the goal,”
Head Coach Jeremy Williams said. “But I thought it was a credit to the group, quick response and able to get it back, right.” GW put together 10 shots throughout the remainder of the first half, six of which went wide or above the goal, while Richmond’s goalkeeper saved four. Gerber anchored the Revs as the Spiders tried to create offensive opportunities, opening the second half with a diving save on a shot by Spider defender Morgane Zinn. Gerber was filling in for the Revs’ primary goalkeeper, sophomore Jasmine Black, who Williams said was dealing with an ankle sprain and was seen wearing an orthopedic boot at the match on Sunday. Williams said he hopes Black will return by Oct. 4, when the Revs are slated to play Duquesne. Williams said that despite the draw, he sees his squad executing on small aspects of the game that he thinks will determine their success as conference play progresses. Michel, the Revs’ lone goal scorer in Sunday’s match, said her team feels excited to head into conference play. “We’re so excited to get into this, Michel said. “As obviously the freshman class, we haven’t played collegiately yet, like A-10, so we’re so hyped going into this,.” Looking ahead, the Revs will see a challenging conference slate, facing off against five of the top six teams predicted in the A-10 Preseason Poll that projected the Revs at the No. 13 spot, one spot from last. The team’s first matchup is Thursday, when GW will take on projected No. 3 Rhode Island.
LEXI CRITCHETT | ASSISTANT PHOTO EDITOR Freshman forward Sophia Michel drives toward the goal during Sunday’s game against Richmond.