BREAKING NEWS: SEC CHAIRMAN TO SPEAK AT LAW SCHOOL COMMENCEMENT

U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission Chairman and GW alum Mary Schapiro will speak at the Law School Diploma Ceremony on May 16.

According to the press release, GW Law School Dean Frederick Lawrence said of Schapiro:

"Her passion for public service and willingness to take on the challenges of
these economic times will undoubtedly inspire our graduating class."

Foggy Bottom is not Dangerous, Racial Profiling Is.

I’m very thankful that GWblogger64 has articulated his reaction to an article that I consider to be convincing, misleading, well-intentioned, and dangerous. Have a look at the article, and see if your reaction was similar to GWblogger64s:

Is it just me, or does it seem that the spur of criminal acts lately on and around campus are progressively getting worse? The recent thefts of the cell phones in GWU residential areas and the laptop from the Gelman Starbucks has struck me the most.

Here’s where the Hatchet staff—in the news or opinion sections—needs to step in and say: “No, none of this information suggests an escalating trend. These are just things you should be conscious of—in a Podunk-town mall or in a GW Starbucks.” That didn't happen. Here are my problems with this article:

1. I looked at the Metropolitan Police website. In the area 207 mentioned in the article, there is no change between the 60-day period mentioned and the same period last year, although overall, all crimes have dropped by more than 40%. If you take a 1500 foot radius surrounding the library, you’ll find that crimes are down from last year, including categories related to robbery, by more than 50%. This area is much safer than the surrounding city, and even the relatively few crimes mentioned mostly occur along the outskirts of campus. http://crimemap.dc.gov/presentation/intro.asp
   
2. The term suspicious is never defined, but Wheeler-Moore claims that they will be focusing on suspects, “[Many of them] are young black males between the ages of 13 all the way up to 20.” “Many of them” is an addition by the reporter. It would have been nice to have the context or the actual words, considering this is the closest we come to a definition of “suspicious” and “shifted-focus.”
   
3. The reporter refers to University alerts, most of which are not investigated and have no conclusive suspects or witnesses aside from the alleged victim. I will remind you that students are required to file a report when they redeem most warranties for stolen property, and they are always asked to give a description of the suspect when appropriate.
   
4. University alerts are just alerts, and they only represent a small fraction of university crime reports. This should never be used as an indication of overall safety. This might just mean that students are communicating with campus police rather than metro police, or it might mean that emails are being sent based on changing philosophies about what constitutes an immediate danger. None of these street cases are still listed on the advisory website (although there are plenty of snow warnings still up). The emails are better-safe-than-sorry precautions.
   
5. Wheeler-Moore explains: “We’re having our officer’s stop [suspicious groups] and briefly speak with them and ask them for their information and what they're doing." Based on the description of suspects mentioned earlier, I see no significant difference between this and racial profiling.
   
6. Most importantly: we are talking about what Lev Trubkovich, the GW senior interviewed, correctly labeled “crimes of opportunity.” Most of these “street robberies” involve a young man who quickly grabs a phone or piece of jewelry and runs. This happens everywhere and only represents a danger to our wallets. Also, these crimes can not be proven or prevented, except by our own careful vigilance. It’s ludicrous to claim that preemptive tactics will do anything but antagonize our neighbors.

People drive defensively so others don’t smash their fenders, we should also handle ourselves in public defensively. Remember, we are the outsiders here—considering that a pitiful percentage of GW population is made up of DC students—so why should people be harassed in Foggy Bottom when they can go anywhere else in the city and look like your average resident? Let’s get some perspective: an army of people in red coats, skin-tight pants and riding boots was enough to make Paul Revere suspicious, so should we put the trendy female population of GW on watch?

An education is supposed to help us dismiss our assumptions and stereotypes. This has to continue outside of the classroom, and articles like this are a disservice to people like GWBlogger64, who should be made familiar with his new city rather than afraid of it.

What do we want?...HEALTH CARE!!

When do we want it? NOW!

I just got home to see this outside my apartment on 22nd street:


A group of labor unions is joining together today for a protest/rally organized by HCAN (Health Care for America, Now) to support a strong health care bill. The rally is taking place outside of the Ritz Carlton on 22nd street, where insurance companies are gathering for a meeting on how to kill health care reform. The message from HCAN is that they're here to arrest the insurance industry! I saw shirts for AFT (American Federation of Teachers), AFSCME (American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, and SEIU (Service Employees Industry Union).

While labor is often a strong demographic for Democrats and progressive issues such as health care reform, this particular policy debate has been problematic in terms of gaining labor support. Obama's proposed "Cadillac Tax" on the most expensive health care plans would be a hard hit on some well negotiated labor health care plans. Labor is out here showing support for passing reform, and pressing the congress to make it as strong as possible.

If you don't have classes or midterms to study for, come up to 22nd and L and work on your rally cries!

Updated 2:31pm:Protest has cleared out but it was pretty rowdy. The protesters announced a citizens arrest on the insurance companies meeting inside. We had a pretty good view from above and our estimate was at least 800 people came out. They left a pretty powerful trail of rally signs and chalk drawings behind them:

Diaries of A New Kid On The Block

Is it just me, or does it seem that the spur of criminal acts lately on and around campus are progressively getting worse? The recent thefts of the cell phones in GWU residential areas and the laptop from the Gelman Starbucks has struck me the most.

Being new to GWU’s campus, I am unfamiliar with the criminal activity that goes on. On the other hand, ever since I became a victim of theft via gunpoint my freshman year at my alma mater, crime and violence on any campus has always been a concern of mine.

Has the crime activity here on campus remained consistent, or has it gotten worse in recent times? Does anyone think that the spur of crimes lately are a result of the recent economic downturn, and if so, can anyone assume that it is only going to get worse? According to the Hatchet,

Six robberies have been reported in police service area 207 in the month of February, according to the Metropolitan Police Department's crime map Web site, compared to one in January and three in December. Many reported incidents have occurred within the vicinity of the Foggy Bottom Metro station, and MPD officers have repeatedly mentioned the public transit stop as a means robbers use to flee the area.Are there any suggestions that upper classmen can make to newer students unfamiliar to the campus in order to help keep themselves safer and less of a target?

Are there any suggestions that upper classmen can make to newer students unfamiliar to the campus in order to help keep themselves safer and less of a target?

Is there anything different that UPD can or should be doing in order to keep the criminal acts at bay?

Sincerely,

New Kid on the Block

WRGW News-- a go-to GW news source?

We've discussed The Daily Colonial and The Hatchet, but besides getting critiqued on its election coverage, we haven't really pondered whether or not WRGW News is considered a go-to place for campus news.

Sure, many of us may not be big radio listeners and tune into our campus radio station, but why don't we consider WRGW News like we do The Daily Colonial or The Hatchet?

Their website, in blog form, seems to be updated daily, with maybe the exceptions of weekend posts. (Their last post was this past Friday).

But the real question is: what is WRGW News lacking in its appeal to our need for campus news?

It has almost everything one could ask for: a savvy streamlined website, embedded videos (their latest an interview with Student Association President-Elect Jason Lifton), and a varying range of coverage (latest posts cover everything from metro delays to an opera performance at the Kennedy Center).

So then we must ask why WRGW News hasn't been discussed as a news source; is it because it isn't considered a main player in the game? Or has it just simply been overlooked by this blog's contributors?

The Daily Colonial?

Senioritis said he is a non-Hatchet reader, but my habits are much different. I would go as far as to say that I am a Hatchet-nerd, receiving their email-updates and checking the website frequently between Monday and Thursday. It is my experience that many students at GW do the same. Because of my appreciation for the Hatchet, I started contributing to its Opinions section last month.*

Then what is the “Daily Colonial?” As a junior, I only just heard about it because a friend began doing photography for them. After checking out their website, they explain that the online paper was founded in 2004 to fill the need for daily information.

Doesn't the Hatchet already do the same thing? The Hatchet may only be printed twice a week, but they update news daily.

The paper also boasts being linked to USA Today. A fun fact, maybe, but that still doesn’t prove its journalistic standards.

Upon closer inspection, the daily paper seems to actually be turning out fewer articles than their rival.

Don't get me wrong--I'm glad there is more than one news outlet on campus, even if some are more popular than others. But, if the Daily Colonial wants to gain more readership, it should try to bring something different to the table, and fill the "niche" it says it does.

* Disclaimer: Although I do contribute to the Hatchet's opinions page, I am in no way am speaking on behalf of the Hatchet.

What's the Real News?

This semester I became a Hatchet reader. While reading, I have been asked if many people actually read the Hatchet. I usually say yes, but after the past few issues, I am more inclined to say no. Building off of Senioritis' post, The Hatchet has more work to do than just add more details to its stories. How about add some pertinent stories that concern the undergraduate population? Especially those revolving around the Student Association, who should have an impact on students.

This week's issue featured another form of social media to stalk people. They reported the Student Association's recruitment of GoodCrush, "a public online forum where users can write messages to their crushes in the hopes of discovering mutual attraction." The S.A. brought GoodCrush to GW, to allow students to reach their crushes without having to face embarrassment of rejection.

I use the word impact lightly when describing the S.A.'s importance. Most Hatchet reports merely report penalties from the JEC or the winner of the election. But what is the S.A. doing for us? An article like GoodCrush just makes the Student Association even less important in students' lives. Why should students care about what the S.A. does when the Hatchet shows a ridiculous announcement made.

In light of recent elections, I'll cut the Hatchet some slack when it comes to highlighting candidates, but throughout the year, there has been minimal information on the accomplishments made. The new constitution? That's a big deal, maybe not to most students, but Hatchet writers need to write to them, and make them understand why it is important.

Hatchet: please let us know what the Student Association is actually accomplishing this year. It might actually make students take the organization more seriously in the first place.