Gelman Library Wasn't a [Major] Campaign Issue

I told myself that I was going to keep quite on all SA related issues for the rest of my time at GW. But, when my friend Ted Costigan asked me to appear on his radio show last night to comment on President-elect Jason Lifton's new promise to make the Gelman Library renovation his top priority, I broke the promise to myself. Wright10 criticized Lifton for this in his blog post, and I too question Lifton's decision to make the library his main initiative.

Having spent the entire month of February researching, brainstorming campaign issues, and prepping Lifton's opponent for the presidential debates, I know that the Gelman Library rennovation was never a major campaign issue. An alcohol amnesty policy was, campus safety was, reducing the rep tape at GW was, but the library wasn't. For that reason alone, I question why it would be his main initiative to this point.

Secondly, the details of how he plans to improve the library are pretty vague. The Hatchet article does mention the following:

Lifton said he plans to work with Ryan Last, founder of the Facebook fan page
"Get Gelman Going," which has gathered 1,163 fans, and the WRLC to explore the
possibility of relocating more books to an off-campus site to make room for more
study space.

However, the article also states that they already ship 20,000 books per year to the off site location. That's nothing new though, and it's not really an improvement that seems worth while.

Lastly, as the article also points out, the main issue with the library rennovation is the lack of funding for the project. It states that only $150,000 of the $5 million needed for the project had been raised in September. The issue is funding. In my opinion, it is not the job of the Student Association President to fundraise.

We Want Free Snacks and Coffee in Gelman for FINALS!

That's right kids. No longer can we sit idly by while Vern Kids and Eckles studiers get to enjoy their all-nighters at the final stretch of the semester drinking free coffee and eating free snacks while we who study at Gelman, the majority of students, are forced to pay for our own refreshments. It is an unfair practice, and the University needs to start providing the same services at both libraries.

Sign the Petition or Join the Facebook group to end this unfair practice- there are still 6 days until the semester is over, and if we act fast, we may be able to put enough enough pressure on the librarians so that they will start providing free coffee and snacks at Gelman.

More importantly than joining the Facebook group - TAKE ACTION by using THIS SIMPLE FORM to CONTACT GELMAN LIBRARY OFFICIALS.

With only 6 days left for the University to start providing us in Gelman with free snacks and coffee like they give kids in Eckles during finals, we must act fast!

It will not take more than five minutes of your time to join the facebook group, sign the petition, and/or take action.

The result could be free snacks and coffee for the next week! Definitely worth five minutes of your time!

If you need motivation, watch this video...(But before you do, join the Facebook group, sign the petition and take action!):



Now that you're motivated...

JOIN THE FACEBOOK GROUP...SIGN THE PETITION...TAKE ACTION

Send Gelman the message that we want free snacks and coffee in Gelman for FINALS!

If you need more motivation, here's another one of my favorites (psst):

Now
do
it

Only by putting a lot of pressure on the Gelman Library in these last days can we accomplish this goal. Join the fight.

Asking Me for Money isn't the Solution

With the doom and gloom of the economy dominating the headlines, many universities are finding ways to help their students afford school.

However, in true GW fashion, instead of cutting costs, the University is attempting to ask students to give more money.

As previously mentioned in this blog, some student leaders are working to implement a mandatory $25 fee that would be used to improve library services on campus.

At the most recent SA Senate meting it was reported that some members of the GW community are working on implementing George’s Green Gift, an additional voluntary gift that would go towards GWU’s green initiatives. Similar to a UC Berkeley program, the money from George’s Green Gift would be controlled by the Office of Sustainability.

I e-mailed Cory Antonakos, SA Director of Green Initiatives, for some more clarification:

This initiative is for a voluntary gift that would not be required by anybody. The purpose of putting it onto the tuition bill is to make all students and parents aware of the opportunity that they would have to donate money toward green initiatives at GW. Because this is not part of the Student Association fee and is not a required addition to tuition, George's Green Gift would not be put to a referendum. Right now, we are in the final stages of writing a concept paper and a letter to President Knapp about the green gift. We are also collecting student signatures for a petition in support of the green gift.

When asked about whether the state of the economy would affect receptiveness to George's Green Gift, Antonakos went on to state:

I think that the student body supports green initiatives and would like to see GW implement some more significant green projects. I think that the students would be receptive to the opportunity to donate money toward sustainability projects on campus. I have already spoken to many students who are supportive of George's Green Gift.

Like many GW students I’m a fan of both sustainability and improving Gelman. But, asking students to fork over extra cash isn’t the solution. There are a variety of useless projects and initiatives (inaugural float anyone?) the University has undertaken this year

The economy is in bad shape, and with many universities reorganizing and trimming budgets, it’s time for GW to follow suit. Instead of asking students to chip-in extra money, GW needs to look at its own budget, and figure out its priorities.

Want GW to be more fiscally responsible? Join the facebook group.