GW Students React To Makeup Classes

For students here at The George Washington University, this past week has been very unusual. Instead of the normal “Reading Week,” where students are supposed to catch up on their reading and prepare for finals, many have had class. As part of the makeup schedule for time missed because of the “Snow Week” in February, some students even have class on Saturday!
“It’s terrible… I wish I could have a whole week to get prepared for papers and final exams,” Peng Fan, a disappointed freshman stated. He emphasized the fact that the teachers didn’t do much teaching, but rather reviewed instead.
Erika Grohoski concurs with Peng. “It’s been hell,” she stated. “Ridiculously crazy.” She explained that she has had two papers due this week and has four finals next week, but not enough time to study for them.
Vignyanand Penumatcha feels differently though. “It hasn’t affected me much actually,” he explained. “I’ve been regularly keeping up [with my work].”
Neither has Sara Saab felt any effects; she didn’t have any makeup classes this week.
Other students, like Tanuj Joshi, Brenna Markle, and Mike Searway, however, are more ambivalent.
“It sucks,” Tanuj explained. “But you get to learn new things, so you have a reason to party.”
For Brenna Markle “it hasn’t been too bad” because she has “no makeup classes on Saturday,” but she admits that this makeup week was “not the best plan.” Though she is “a little upset,” she’s “accepted it” already and has moved on. She is going to do all her studying this weekend.
For Mike Searway the only problem has been “a lot of reading” and having “the same class three days in a row,” though he too admits it hasn’t affected him much.
Though there are mixed feelings about the makeup week, it’s clear that this week is much less popular among students than the Snowmaggedon.

An Evening to Discuss Women's Rights Abuses in the Arab Gulf

On Thursday night, GW's Project Nur, a student-led initiative of the American Islamic Congress, and the Al Waref Institute hosted three women activists to discuss women's rights abuses in the Arab Gulf.
It was a time to express "the voice for the girls who are oppressed in my country," said Maliha Ahmed Alshehab, one of the night's speakers and a Saudi feminist and activist, "To educate what they see as oppressive nature onto women in our countries."
Held in the Marvin Center, young female students made up a majority of the audience along with a sprinkle of those who came, ranging one from George Mason University to the Iraq Embassy.
Each speaker spoke about her particular country's situation with its women population.
Alshehab told of women's harsh reality in Saudi Arabia. Being there is no minimum age for girls to be married in Saudi Arabia, exploitation and abuse of young women is common in these marriages. The relationship between a man and a woman is solely "guardianship." The "guardian system," which Alshehab argues, handicaps Saudi Arabian women, is "the woman needing a male shadow in all stages of her life or losing her personhood."
The societal condition of women in Oman is a "better situation than in Saudi Arabia," but women do not have the freedoms that women have in the United States. There is currently no law dealing with domestic violence, which is difficult when living in a male-dominated society such as those in the Arab Gulf.
The speakers opened up the floor for Q & A after the lecture where discussion of the politics and future of women in the Arab Gulf region took place.

Caps Sent Home Early

The top seeded Washington Capitals lost in Game 7 of the first round against the Montreal Canadiens by a score of 2-1. After a stellar season, the Caps' bid for the Stanley Cup championship has ended much earlier than most had anticipated. After being up 3 games to 1 in the series, the Caps lost 3 games in a row.

Marc-Andre Bergeron put the Canadiens on the score board first with a power play goal with seconds left in the first period. After a scoreless second period, the Canadiens extended their lead to 2-0 with a goal from Dominic Moore. The Capitals were finally able to get onto the board with a goal from Brooks Laichs with just under four minutes left in regulation. While the Caps had scoring opportunities late, they were unable to get anything going, primarily due to the efforts of Canadien goalie, Jaroslav Halak. He saved 41 shots this game.

The Capitals' offense was shut down for much of the last two games. Alex Ovechkin ended the series with 5 goals and 4 assists, but was scoreless in the last two games. Alexander Semin, who scored 40 goals during the regular season, did not score a single goal during the series.

The Montreal Canadiens will move on to face the Pittsburgh Penguins on Friday in the Eastern Conference Semifinals.

Study Zone Collaborates with Sodexo

Extended study hours for finals started on Tuesday and will continue until May 11th.

In effort to raise more awareness about what space is open during exam periods and extend hours in desired study destinations, the university implemented the "Study Zone" initiative. For the first time, Study Zone has teamed up with Sodexo to hold late night hours in Wendy's, Freshens, WOW Cafe and Wingery as well as G-Dub Java on both the Mount Vernon and Foggy Bottom Campuses. The dining locations will be open till 2 a.m. on weekdays.

Late night study hours will be held in Duques Hall, the Fishbowl, the Marvin Center on the Foggy Bottom Campus and Eckles Auditorium, Eckles Library, Ames Pub and G-Dub Java Lounge on the Mount Vernon Campus.

Go to http://living.gwu.edu/studyzone for specific times and locations.

Fountain Fling Continues in the Rain

On Saturday afternoon, hundreds of students flocked to the Mount Vernon campus for the annual Fountain Fling event, despite cloudy skies and rain.

The event was moved to the Lloyd gym due to the weather, but was still a great success with student performances, giveaways and a concert by the well-known alternative rock band State Radio. Students were crowd surfing and enjoying the band that recently had three sold-out concerts at the 9:30 club and opened for Dave Matthews Band in 2008.

GW was the last of seven stops on the Save My Oceans tour, which advocates against global warming, plastic pollution and overfishing. The “bag monster” also made an appearance at the event. The Bag Monster ‘attacks’ on college campuses to educate about the importance of reusable bags and the amount of unnecessary waste created from single-use plastic bags. The costume is made up of 500 single-use plastic bags and represents the amount an average person uses in one year in the United States.

The Surfrider Foundation was also in attendance to spread awareness about the protection and enhancement of the world’s oceans. Brita water filters and reusable water bottles were given out along with free food and Fountain Fling t-shirts.

“I am very impressed with the turn-out, especially considering the rain and moving of locations,” said Alyssa Abraham, who lives on the Vern and helped plan the event with Program Board. “It shows that GW students are willing to make the trip to the Vern if there is a good reason to.”

For more information on the Save My Oceans film, book and concert tour, go to www.savemyoceans.com

CDs, CRs React To Financial Reform, Immigration

In response to two pieces of legislation, one making its way through Congress and the other recently signed into law in Arizona, the G.W. College Republicans and College Democrats produced an official reaction on Friday.

Both the financial regulatory reform bill, backed by Congressional Democrats, and the illegal immigration bill signed into law by Republican Governor Jan Brewer of Arizona, have proved to be hot button issues in terms of the national political attention, dividing public opinion.

Michael Garber, the CD communications director, explained that it is a “universally accepted necessity” that this country needs financial regulation, stating that it’s important for the federal government to reign in bad practices such as derivatives trading.

“The actions of Wall Street, hurt main street,” Garber said, noting the CDs full support for Sen. Dodd’s bill.

Sinead Casey, the CRs' director of public relations, disagrees. While her organization does advocate for reform, “the problem is-we need smart regulation, not necessarily more regulation,” citing the fact that expanding government would do little to prevent another collapse.

Specifically, she disagrees with “the $50 billion ‘bailout’ fund,” and emphasized the idea that businesses need to possess “the freedom to fail.”

In terms of the Arizona immigration bill, which expands police power to question anyone believed to be an illegal immigrant, Garber explained, “it seems like it basically legalizes discrimination.”

Though illegal immigration is a serious policy that needs to be addressed, the CDs feel it needs to be resolved in a responsible manner, and that targeting people based on how they look is not an acceptable method.

“[Since] not all illegals are from Mexico [or are Hispanic], why are they only targeted?" Garber asked.

Though the College Republicans have not taken an official position on the new law, Casey said that “in accordance with Republican core principles, we support the state of Arizona when there is a lack of leadership on Capital Hill regarding illegal immigration.”

She emphasized the fact that the Democratic Congress needs to address the issue, instead “of only dealing with one issue at a time,” such as healthcare reform or financial regulation.

UCC Chalk-In Draws Many

When streets are blocked off around GW's campus, students can typically assume that a dignitary - perhaps the President - is visiting.

But on Thursday afternoon, a roped-off H Street was in fact playing host to the University Counseling Center's annual Chalk-In. The event, intended to raise UCC's profile on campus, provided boxes and boxes of chalk for students to draw with. H Street and its accompanying sidewalks were filled with images and writing, from butterflies to shout-outs - even a periodic table - in homage to students' younger years.

The event coincided with other events around campus, including the Program Board's Arts Festival adjacent to H Street in Kogan Plaza and Earth Day celebrations on University Yard. The Arts Festival featured free hotdogs, hamburgers and popcorn, while environmentally-themed organizations like Green GW and GW Trails promoted their organizations at the Earth Day event.


Check out our Flickr stream for more colorful images from the event!

Metrorail Maintenance, Delays Continue this Weekend

WMATA has announced that customers should again expect extensive delays this weekend due to track maintenance. The work on a switch replacement at the Rosslyn station will continue, causing delays of up to 40 minutes on the Blue and Orange lines for customers traveling in the direction of Franconia-Springfield and Vienna, notably disrupting service to Pentagon City from Foggy Bottom.

Trains will be single-tracking in two locations on the Red line, with trains delayed up to 30 minutes between Medical Center and Friendship heights, along with Rhode Island and New York Avenue Stations.

Coming up on News in Depth...

(Photo Credit: Todd Franson)

A WRGW News EXCLUSIVE: Fashion designer, "Project Runway" alumnus and prominent HIV/AIDS activist Jack Mackenroth sits down with WRGW's Jared Pliner for a conversation on headlining the 2010 Whitman-Walker Spring Gala on the National Mall, the ordeal of living with HIV and what people can do in the global fight to find a cure.

You don't want to miss this special edition of WRGW's flagship interview program "News in Depth," THIS SUNDAY from 12 to 1 p.m. on gwradio.com and campus cable channel 22!

When Do Classes Really End?

Shortly after classes resumed after snow week, GW students were sent an e-mail about make-up classes. While many groaned at the thought of having classes on Saturday, they quickly put it to the back of their minds. Now as the end of the spring semester quickly approaches, there has been a lot of talk about these classes. When are they? How many Monday schedules are there in a row? Do I really have a class on Saturday?

The break down for the final week of classes is:
Monday, April 26- Monday schedule
Tuesday, April 27- Monday schedule
Wednesday, April 28- Monday schedule
Thursday, April 29- Tuesday schedule
Friday, April 30- Wednesday schedule
Saturday, May 1- Thursday schedule

Although all students received an e-mail regarding the schedule for make-up classes, many are still unsure if their professors are holding them. According to some GW students, some of their professors have not even acknowledged the make-up classes or they are even more confused about them than the students are.

Marisa Mammone, a sophomore, had to ask one of her Monday-Wednesday professors what the schedule was for the final week of classes, but the professor was unaware of the schedule changes and stated "I don't know, we'll just have class Monday and Wednesday." Mammone went on to explain that she does not have classes on Saturday because her professors were against the idea of having class on a weekend.

Many other students have had similar experiences as Mammone. Nicole Longo, also a GW student, says although most of her "professors are sticking to the new schedule", her Monday-Wednesday professors are not holding class on Tuesday.

Victoria Wright, who is currently taking six classes, has not experienced any cancellations. Not only does she have classes every day, but she has a quiz on Saturday. She finds it frustrating since finals start on Monday and this leaves her less time to devote to studying.

Professors have every right to hold classes according to the make-up schedule, but before setting your alarm for next week, be sure to find out when and where you actually need to be.

Google Previews New Google Docs

Last week Google released a preview of improvements to its increasingly popular Google Docs office productivity suite, bringing the set of software even closer to what consumers have come to expect in competitors Microsoft Office and Apple's iWork.

The set of changes was announced on the Google Docs' development blog, where the company unveiled a yearlong project to completely rewrite the software's underlying code. It is the first rewrite since Docs was released four years ago.

Now available inside of the document editor are features such a ruler to adjust margins and indentation, more fine-tuned line spacing and alignment, and greater control over formatting.

In addition to expanding word processing features, Google has improved the collaboration tools that have made Google Docs popular. Users now see other's edits appear live, character-by-character, in the document, and Docs can now handle multiple people inserting text without error. Google Chat has also been integrated into the sidebar.

Docs' spreadsheet program has also undergone a face lift, with extensive performance improvements and changes that bring it closer to an Excel-like experience.

GW students wishing to use the new tools may be out of luck, however; the "preview" of the new versions are not currently available to those using GWmail accounts. Those using Gmail accounts may enable the preview through the settings tab in Google Docs.

As of Wednesday afternoon Google had not responded to a request for more information on a release for enterprise and university clients.

Six Arrested After DADT Protest at White House

Six military veterans were arrested Tuesday after handcuffing themselves to the northern fence of the White House in protest of Don't Ask, Don't Tell, the policy that keeps gay people from serving in the military.

Lt. Dan Choi, Capt. Jim Pietrangelo II, Petty Officer Autumn Sandeen, Petty Officer Larry Whitt, Cadet Mara Boyd, and Cpl. Evelyn Thomas chained themselves to the White House fence and stood in silence as volunteers from GetEqual, the advocacy organization that organized the protest, and other LGBT acvitists chanted and cheered them on in the streets.

Protestors screamed "Thank you for your service, you deserve better," "Hey hey, ho ho, Don't Ask, Don't Tell has got to go," and "Shame, shame, shame" as police officers unchained and arrested the veterans.  The protestors - and all civilians in the area - were moved across the street to Lafayette Park, which was soon also cleared because of the disturbance.

The six veterans spent the night at D.C. County Jail.  They now await an arraignment hearing at D.C. Central Cellblock on Wednesday afternoon.

Choi and Pietrangelo were previously arrested last month for a similar act of civil disobedience.

Photo captured from CNN footage.

WMATA Warns of Major Disruptions to Metrorail

In an unusually blunt press release, WMATA cautioned Metrorail customers to expect "lengthy" delays of up to 40 minutes on four out of five lines this weekend as the agency conducts widespread track maintenance. Here is a summary of the disruptions:

• Trains between Foggy Bottom and Arlington stations on the Blue line along with Foggy Bottom and Courthouse Stations on the Orange Line will be sharing a single track as switching equipment is replaced. Expect delays of 40 minutes.
• Trains between Medical Center and Friendship Heights stations on the Red line will be delayed as track is replaced, with delays of 30 minutes anticipated.
• Trains between College Park-UMD and Greenbelt stations on the Green line will also be delayed as new welding is applied to the tracks, 20 minute delays expected.

WMATA advises those intending to attend this weekend's sporting events, especially this weekend's 3-game series between the Nationals and the Brewers, and Saturday's Washington Capitols playoff game, should build considerable time into their schedules in light of these delays.

Incoming SA President Lifton Previews Presidency

In an email interview with WRGW News, incoming SA President Jason Lifton described his priorities for the coming year and gave his opinion on a wide range of issues concerning GW students.

“We plan on working on a number of different student life and academic issues next year,” he said. “We want to focus on fixing the student organization financial process. We are going to work with Student Judicial Services to ensure that students are being properly treated when they are in violation of the student code of conduct. We also want to work on making the SA more of a resource for organizations, helping them save money and pool resources.”

Lifton said that Gelman Library needs a “technological facelift,” citing a dearth of outlets, projectors, and multimedia study rooms in the school’s largest library.

“The library needs help. I don’t anticipate this being a one-year solution, but my goal is to set the library up to be better sponsored,” he said. “They have great plans for modernization, but without the funding to do it, it will never happen.”

Get Gelman Going, a Facebook group created by students concerned with the slow pace of Gelman’s much-needed improvements, has already accumulated over 1,200 members.

Another issue on students’ minds is J Street. From limited dining options to expensive weighing stations, many students have expressed disappointment with the current state of the closest thing GW has to a dining hall.

Lifton said contracts with Sodexo make it difficult to work on J Street, but he has looked at George Mason University’s dining hall, also run by Sodexo, as a model for the ideal J Street.

“George Mason has an interesting setup that they use for dining where they have different small venues with different options. It’s not like our food court setup; it’s more of different smaller stations,” he said. “I hope that we can use that as an example to improve how J Street Works.”

Lifton also discussed methods for improving campus security, addressing inefficiencies in 4-Ride and general safety concerns around campus.

“I think that the simple solution for long wait time is more 4-Ride vans,” Lifton said in response to many students who have reported waiting upwards of 45 minutes for a 4-Ride van to pick them up. “That said, I’m not sure about the feasibility of that immediately.”

“There are a lot of things that can be done to protect students, from security in residence halls to officers on the streets,” he said. “I think that we need to make sure that UD is doing everything to educate our students about safety on campus and doing everything to protect those students.”

Lifton cautioned students not to expect big changes immediately.

“There are many smaller things that we can work on, such as the financial process and improving SA resources, but something like the library or new dining options aren’t things that we can fix in one year,” he said. “I want to finish my term as president having advocated for the issues that are big ticket items that will drastically change students’ experience at GW.”

Caps Lose Game 1 in Overtime

The top seeded Washington Capitals were upset in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Playoffs Thursday night against the Montreal Canadiens in overtime, by a score of 3-2. The # 8 seeded Canadiens were able to shut down Cap's All-Star Alex Ovechkin, who was not a factor in this contest.

Mike Cammalleri got the Canadiens on the scoreboard first with a power play goal in the opening period. The Capitals responded with a goal to tie the game just 3 minutes later by Joe Corvo. It was a scoreless second period, but early in the final period Capitals took the lead off Nicklas a Backstrom goal. They could not hold onto the lead however, as Scott Gomez tied up the score for the Canadiens to send the game into overtime.

The sudden death extra session ended 13:19 minutes after it began, as Tomas Plekanec scored the winning goal for Montreal. Both goaltenders battled all night, with Montreal's Jose Theodore making 44 saves and Jaroslav Halak stopping 36.

The Capitals will hope to rebound Saturday night, as they host Montreal in Game 2 of the best of seven series. The puck drops at 7:00 PM.

Photo from WTOP.com

Son of Late Shah of Iran Visits GW

The International Affairs Society hosted Reza Pahlavi, former crown prince of Iran, in the Elliot School of International Affairs building Tuesday night for a discussion on the current tumultuous state of his home country and the need for reform. While living in exile, Pahlavi has devoted his life to speaking out against the tyrannical regime currently in power in Iran.

Pahlavi emphasized the importance of regime change led by the Iranian people without foreign military assistance. He compared the situation to apartheid in South Africa and the solidarity movement in Poland.

Pahlavi claimed to notice a change in the tone of the Iranian public following the recent election fraud. He said the event showed the true colors of both the corrupt regime and the fed up people who took to the streets in protest. He also noted the importance of Obama as a figure of influence in the youth-driven movement for change in Iran. Whereas past failure to mobilize against the current radical government stemmed from a lack of organization, Pahlavi sees public resistance moving in a new direction.

"Our unity will expediate our salvation," he said."

Pahlavi mentioned his own personal connection to the GW community; his wife attended the university for both undergraduate and law school.

He finished his comments with an appeal for a peaceful transfer of power in Iran achieved by a popular movement, receiving a standing ovation from the packed room.

-Joseph Rabinowitz

GWise 'Mixes' Up Some Fun

On Wednesday night in University Yard, 13 student organizations gathered to make and drink non-alcoholic cocktails for the second annual GW Mix-Off run by GWise and CADE. Teams that were voted by students to have the best cocktail were awarded cash prizes. There was also a free BBQ, personalized BAC cards being given out and music blasting.

“This is much more legit that I thought it would be,” said Cameron Smither from the Vern RAC team mixing up ‘Vern Passion.’

Each team had to come up with an original cocktail and provide educational literature for a target audience that raises awareness about safe partying or any other cause that the organization works with.

“We decided to come out for the first time because it is a great cause, a chance to meet students from other student organizations and promote all that CADE stands for,” said Ashley-Lynn Goldstein from Sigma Delta Tau’s executive board. “We are really excited and having a lot of fun.” The girls from Sigma Delta Tau were making ‘White Virgin Sangrias’ with fresh oranges and white grape juice.

GWISE has been planning the event since August; it is their biggest event of the year. The organization is made up of approximately 15 peer educators that meet once a month with the aim to address alcohol and drug abuse on campus. E-mail gwpeereds@gmail.com if you would like to get involved and become a peer educator.

Elliott School Launches Major Research Initiative

Elliott School dean Michael Brown announced the launch of his school's Rising Powers Initiative Tuesday, bringing over 25 professors together to form an inquest into the foreign policy debates and shifting identities of countries across Asia.

The initiative, being run out of the Elliott School's Sigur Center for Asian Studies, is funded by two independent grants from the Carnegie Corporation of New York and the MacArthur Foundation.

The Carnegie Corporation's project, titled "Worldview of Aspiring Powers Abroad," seeks to promote a greater understanding of the domestic debates over foreign policy in China, India, Russia, Japan, and Iran.

The project asserts that, despite their increasing importance, there is a lack of understanding of these discourses in both the American Media and academic sphere,and aims to promote their incorporation into American discussions on foreign policy and security. Elliott School professors Henry Nau and Deepa Ollapally will be jointly directing the research.

The second project, sponsored by a grant from the MacArthur Foundation, focuses on predicting how international relations between Asian states will evolve in the future. Will Asia, like Europe, embark on a trend towards integration and cooperation, or will it return to the era of security tensions and interstate war? Professors Mike Mochizuki and Deepa Ollapally will lead a team of researchers to investigate this topic in their "Power and Identity in Asia" project.

Headlining Tuesday's launch was a lecture by Peter Katzenstein, prolific author and professor of International Relations and Comparative Politics at Cornell University. Katzenstein's talk, "Reflections on Identity, Security, and the U.S. Role in Asia" focused on the importance of Asian state's self-perceptions in determining their foreign policy, and that the United States must seek to place its own foreign policy in this context.

The initiative has already hosted a conference in New Delhi, India, on that growing state's foreign policy dynamics, and will be hosting another gathering in China next month.

iPad Review: From the Perspective of a College Student

Thinking about getting an iPad?  It certainly is a tempting gadget, with a beautiful 9.7 inch multitouch display and a familiar iPhone operating system. But does the feature set and potential of the device make it a good option for college students?

The main thing one has to realize before getting an iPad is that it was designed for consumption, not productivity.  It's a device that you watch movies on, browse the web and play games with.  It wasn't made to write papers or edit photos and videos.

First off, if you want to use an iPad to take class notes with, you're going to want to get a keyboard.  Although the on-screen keyboard is spacious it can get very distracting during fast-paced lectures.  Other options include the keyboard dock, which requires you to put the iPad in an awkward portrait position, or you could also use any bluetooth keyboard which might be a more versatile option (giving you the ability to use the keyboard on other computers).

I was able to type just as fast using the on-screen keyboard as I was using my normal laptop, however since the keyboard is touch, you need to constantly look at the screen while typing.  Also, if you have a note-instesive lecture, typing on-screen will become a hassle after about 40 minutes.  For light note-taking or simple text entry the screen keyboard is more than capable, but for anything else, you'll want to use a real keyboard.

Pages, Apple's version of Microsoft Word is a decent word processor that allows you to edit or write papers, and only costs $10.  There are also more intriguing options, like Evernote (free) which lets you simultaneously take notes AND record the audio of the lecture.  Just make sure to sit in the front row to capture decent audio.  

I wouldn't recommend writing papers on the iPad unless it's a simple response paper that doesn't require sources or citations.  The lack of multitasking (which is coming in a Fall update) really keeps the iPad from allowing you to write serious papers unless you want to switch back and forth between Pages and Safari, which would take about 5-10 seconds each time.  It doesn't theoretically seem like it's that much of a hassle, but it would get really really annoying extremely quickly if you're writing a long research paper.

If you have classes that require you to read a lot of PDF documents, there is an app called iannotation ($6.99) that lets you upload your pdf files from your computer and then annotate/highlight/type/draw on  the document.  It makes reading and taking notes fun, and saves a lot of paper in the process.  I found this app to be the one of the few things where the iPad flat out beats the experience you would get on any Mac or PC.  It feels natural to read and flick through pages and then highlight or annotate when necessary.

Reading books on the iPad is also a great experience.  Some people might say that your eyes will fatigue from looking at a LED screen for hours, but college students are already used to looking at a monitor for several hours a day.  iBooks is fun to use, and if you find any books in the epub format, all you need to do it open the file on itunes and it will sync to iBooks on the iPad.  You'll be surprised how many of the older (and even some of the newer) books on your syllabus are hidden on websites across the web at no cost, waiting to be read on an iPad or Kindle.

Unfortunately, we don't know when or if actual textbooks will be coming to the iPad.  If they do indeed come, and are marked down 40-50% from the retail price, the iPad could become a truly revolutionary device for college students.  You could have thousands of pages of your textbooks in a 1.5 pound device.  Apple would be silly not to encourage publishers to make their textbooks available for the iPad.  It works out for the publishers too: iPad textbooks would help to marginalize the second-hand textbook market and increase their revenue stream, even if they lower the prices of the books.  It's a win-win for both students and publishers.  

The iPad excels in terms of web browsing, listening to music, and watching videos.  The iPad will be a much more capable device in the Fall once it gets multitasking, so you can switch between a Netflix movie and the imdb app, for example, without the movie and app restarting every time you switch between the two.

Overall, I can't recommend the iPad to college students right now.  We will have to wait and see how exactly Apple implements multitasking for the iPad, since in all likelihood it might be more intuitive than the multitasking set to appear on the iPhone.

The iPad is really all about potential.  If Apple gets textbook publishers on board, manages to incorporate a good implementation of multitasking, and if more useful productivity apps are created (google docs editing & annotating iBooks immediately come to mind) the iPad will become an essential gadget for any college student.  The more features the iPad gets, the closer and closer it will come to replacing computers.  The iPad could very well be the future of personal computing.

BREAKING: Russian President Drops by GW

WRGW's Jared Pliner reports: 

Russian President Dmitry Medvedev made an unannounced visit to GW's Lisner Auditorium Tuesday night for a 40th anniversary concert, featuring the legendary Russian rock band "Mashina Vremeni" ("Time Machine").

Medvedev, who is in town for the Nuclear Security Summit, swung by Lisner's H Street side entrance in his stretch Mercedes limousine and extended motorcade (complete with two ambulances) just before 9 p.m. 

The Russian president stayed for roughly one hour, before departing from the auditorium's front entrance on 21st Street. He waved to crowds of students lining the sidewalks, who received him with cheers and applause. 

The summit, attended by 46 foreign government delegations, was aimed at devising ways to better safeguard weapons-grade plutonium and uranium in the quest to prevent nuclear terrorism.  

College Republicans Elect Leadership

Monday night the College Republicans here at The George Washington University gathered at 1957 E Street to select their leadership for the 2010-2011 school year. Candidates gave two-minute speeches before answering a series of questions raised by members of the audience.

Jake Wolf, the winning candidate for chairman, the highest position in the organization, emphasized his experience, previously serving as treasurer for two years. He also was active in organizing trips and coordinating events. Wolf’s goals include reaching out to conservative students and increasing the number of speakers for the College Republicans.

His opponent, Cynthia Meyer, attempted to “set herself apart” from Wolf during her campaign. She stressed the importance of the array of contacts she possesses, while discussing her plans for various new programs, such as a military outreach program.

Will Frey, the winner in the vice chairman election, effectively second in command of the College Republicans, discussed transparency and reform. He emphasized making the group more accountable while simultaneously expanding the organization.

His opponent, Rob Noel, discussed his previous service and membership. His goals, he explained, were to reach out to the College Republican alumni, the Student Association, and the general student body. 

All candidates discussed, albeit briefly, their criticisms of the Obama administration and the Democratic controlled Congress, while highlighting their hopes for a conservative future.

Other winners included Kevin Dore as secretary, Brandon Neuman as treasurer, Chris Oman as political affairs Director, Eva Hanson as membership director, Kaitlyn Martin as publications director, and Sinead Casey as public relations director.

First Annual Business Conference a Success

This past Saturday, the business school was bustling with leaders from the International Monetary Fund, World Bank and Delloite for GW Women in Business' first Spring Conference. Over 100 students, faculty, alumni, and friends from the GW community attended the event.

The daylong conference opened with a presentation by Dr. Eliane Karp-Toledo, former first lady of Peru and anthropologist. The program included panel discussions led by twenty executives from both corporate and government sectors. The topics discussed were entrepreneurship, international business, business government relations and corporate social responsibility, which provided a comprehensive and insightful exchange of workplace dynamics.

The day concluded on a high note with an energetic presentation by Chad Holliday, former chairman and CEO of DuPont, who encouraged students to continue to broaden their knowledge of the business world by attending conferences, being a leader by bringing out the best in people and maintaining ethics when doing business in other countries.

The day was sponsored by corporations such as Coca-Cola, TD Securities, Deloitte and Bloomberg. All of the conference attendees received Juan Valdez coffee, gift certificates for FoBoGro, Vineyard Vines and Aveda Spa, clothes from BCBG and food from SweetGreen.

The idea for the event stemmed from Harvard’s annual business conference, with top professionals and university faculty meeting with students and providing learning and networking opportunities for students from all majors.

“Today's GW Women in Business conference successfully bridged the gap between classroom lessons and real world experiences,” said Kathleen Duffy, associate director of undergraduate career management. GWWIB is working hard to make this an annual event across campus and to make it bigger and better every year.

Besty Smith, executive coordinator of GWSB undergraduate programs and previous member of GWWIB, was incredibly proud of the young women that organized the day’s event. “GWWIB has been a pioneer amongst GWSB student groups since its inception, and the School of Business eagerly awaits whatever they plan to tackle next year!” said Smith.

For more information on GW Women in Business, go to http://www.gwwib.org/

Students Plant Community Garden on Campus

If you’ve walked by Amsterdam Hall lately, you’ve probably noticed the budding garden across the street. On Saturday mornings, students from the GW Food & Justice Alliance come to cultivate the GroW community garden and help spread awareness and education about urban gardening.

Everything from rhubarb colored chard, radishes, beets, and peas are growing right in GW’s own backyard. Garden manager Melissa Eddison said the garden began to surface Sept. 2009 with about four garden beds and has received a great amount of support from the Foggy Bottom community. Spreading mulch, filling beds and even painting a mural behind the garden is all included in the Saturday festivities. But growing a garden in an urban setting poses its challenges. To fight too much direct sunlight and to make sure the garden receives enough, Eddison said the garden is south facing for direct sunlight and trees are being planted to create partial shade for crops. The garden was designed by the students to grow more crops in a smaller space through a process called grid gardening and also houses a compost bin.

Food & Justice Alliance President Amanda Formica was inspired by friends and the Real Food Challenge, a national campaign to start farms and gardens on college campuses, to take action on growing the garden at GW. There are plans to have a similar garden on the Mount Vernon campus. In addition, there are hopes for a rooftop garden on top of Warwick Hall, a School of Public Health building located in Washington Circle.

All of their hard work hasn’t only helped “green” GW, students working in the GroW community garden contributed over 200 hours to Mrs. Obama’s service challenge.

The garden is sponsored by the Office of Sustainability, and receives support from sororities, fraternities, professors and graduate students. It is also a community partner for The Neighbors Project which works with DC based organizations to help organize events and promote the awareness of social issues across several different areas.

The Food & Justice Alliance will be working in the garden every Saturday until Nov. including the summer months. For more information or to help with the garden and contribute to a sustainable GW, contact foodjusticealliance@gmail.com.

GW Students Celebrate Start of MLB Baseball

For some, the start of spring is all about the weather, being able to go outside and enjoy the day. For others, however, this time of year is special because it marks the beginning of Major League Baseball. For GW students the start of baseball means a lot.
Henry Przybylowicz, a Yankee fan whose favorite player is closer Mariano Rivera, stated that he’s “afraid… I don’t like what they did with the lineup, losing Matsui and Damon, and the relief [pitching].” His biggest fears for this season are the Boston Red Sox, a resurgence of the Tampa Bay Rays, and the bullpen, explaining that he isn’t sure about the American League East this season. He also predicts that the Philadelphia Phillies would once again capture the National League Pennant.
A fan of the team that the New York Yankees defeated in the World Series last year, Alex Junkin, expressed her views on the 2010 Philadelphia Phillies, describing the team as “excellent.” While discussing last season, she also stated that, “I think that we were a better team [than the Yankees].” In the meantime, she is going to focus mainly on her two favorite players, Chase Utley and Cole Hamels.
Mike de Rosa, a Florida Marlins fan, whose two favorite players are Hanley Ramirez and Dan Uggla, predicts that his team will win the Wild Card. Overall, he explained that “we improved from last year… but we need another big bat.” He predicts that the St. Louis Cardinals will beat the Detroit Tigers in the World Series, a rematch of the 2006 series, because he doesn’t “like the A.L. East.”
When asked about his feelings about his favorite team, lifelong Houston Astros and Lance Berkman fan, Michael Garcia admits that “no, we’re terrible, we’ve been terrible,” while shaking his head in a disgusted manner. He went further to explain “it’s going to be a while before it changes.” He also stated that “it’s way too soon to tell” who will come out on top.
For these and many other pro-baseball fans here at GW, our nation’s pastime is an important part of their lives, one that they celebrate the beginning of each and every spring.

Adam Green: Progressive Agenda is Mainstream Agenda

Adam Green, co-founder of the Progressive Change Campaign Committee and a graduate of the School of Media and Public Affairs, spoke to the College Democrats Thursday night to give them words of encouragement going into the 2010 elections.

Green, who previously worked for MoveOn.org and several campaigns such as that of Tim Johnson of South Dakota, said that PCCC was founded to provide Democrat activists with an alternative to institutions such as the Democratic National Committee.

“A lot of candidates who went on to vote against Obama’s health care agenda, Obama’s environmental bill, received the most money from the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee,” said Green. “We want to give people the opportunity to vote with their dollars and volunteer hours, and force the DCCC to compete and become more progressive.”

Green said that the conventional wisdom about candidates needing to pander to the center on issues is “wrong.”

“What genius came up with the idea that because something is in the ideological center of our country, that’s in the center of the bell curve?” He asked, referring to the widely-accepted bell curve showing that the majority of Americans are in the political center, with fewer voters leaning to the left or right of the political spectrum. “We have a lot of ignorance in the media about the center of our ideology being in the center of the bell curve, and a lot of it comes from pundits we’re taught to respect.”

“A progressive agenda is a mainstream agenda,” he added. “The center of our country is progressive.”

Green cited polls showing that, before the health care reform vote, over 70 percent of Americans wanted a public option, and yet many Congressional Democrats said they would only support health care reform legislation if it did not include a public option.

“The problem with Democrats is that they aren’t representing their districts,” Green said.

One of these Democrats, Blanche Lincoln, D-Ark., is now facing a primary challenge from Lieutenant Governor Bill Halter, who is catching up with Lincoln in recent polls. The PCCC and other organizations helped Halter bring in $1.5 million in grassroots donations.

Green assured the College Democrats that giving conservative Democrats such as Lincoln primary challenges by more progressive candidates would not threaten their majorities in both houses of Congress.

“There is room in the Democrat party for new ideas. It’s okay to question authority, to question conventional wisdom, to question the norms,” he said. “The book is constantly being re-written.”

The Census Comes to GW

Census forms have begun to appear in mailboxes across campus and around the District this week as the university begins its participation in the 2010 count.

The stakes are high as the District of Columbia competes with all other states for over $400 billion in federal spending each year, spending which is distributed proportionally according to data collected by the census. As one in six DC residents are college students, their counting is of great importance to the district.

In fact, the university calculates that each student not counted costs the District $46,000 over the 10-year course of the current census, depriving the city of funding necessary to maintain education, transportation, and emergency services.

The transitory nature of college students, however, has created some confusion among the student body, in particular their official residency status. Should GW students be counted in DC, or in the hometowns?

By Census Bureau methodology, GW students are residents of DC and should only be counted in the District, not in their hometowns. Families whose children are living in GW or off-campus housing in the district should not include them in their family census form, as they will then be double counted in both their home state and DC.

As stated on the form's envelope, all residents (citizens and non-citizens alike) are required to complete the census form by law. If they fail to do so, a Bureau of the Census employee will attempt to interview the resident in person by visiting dorm rooms reported by GW as non-responding. The Bureau allows for census enumerators, as the door-to-door headcounters are called, to visit a non-responding domicile up to six times to ensure the complete recording of the population.

Students in GW housing may return their forms by placing them inside the envelope in which they were received and depositing them in their dorm's misdirected mailbox, or by placing them in census form collection boxes located in Colonial Central and the package center. Off-campus students may simply place their forms in the mail, and Mt. Vernon students may return the form to the Somers Hall Key Depot or Ames Hall's package services pickup window.

iPad Saves Newspapers - Rupert Murdoch on the Kalb Report

High atop the National Press Club, Rupert Murdoch held up his personal iPad for the assembled audience to see.

“It may be the saving of newspapers,” he said of the just-released device. “It’s better than them going out of business all together.”

The acclaimed and critiqued iPad was one of the many topics discussed by Murdoch and moderator Marvin Kalb in the latest edition of the Kalb Report. The Kalb Report is a series of discussions with media, journalism and policy professionals which on Tuesday night featured Murdoch as the focus of “The Making of a Modern Media Mogul.” From the worth of technological innovations to a barrage of questions on some of his more controversial media holdings, Murdoch responded to both Kalb’s questions and questions from the audience.

In conjunction with the presenting of the iPad, Murdoch touched upon his decision to make one publication he owns, the Wall Street Journal, require a subscription for access online. A major concern for Murdoch is the ad revenue procured by companies such as Google and Microsoft from complete Wall Street Journal content these search engines reveal to browsing audiences sans subscription.

“We’re going to stop Google and Microsoft from taking our stories for free,” he announced.

Murdoch has a diverse portfolio of holdings, including the Wall Street Journal, Fox News and 21st Century Fox, and he stated that there is “an equation of quality” for all of the content produced by his parent company News Corporation.

Kalb, a former CBS reporter who was the last to be personally hired by the legendary Edward R. Murrow, questioned Murdoch on the value of entertainment and journalism in many incarnations.

“I do believe that the public wants good, ethical journalism; good, factual journalism. But they also want to be entertained,” Murdoch summarized.

Fox News was one of the most discussed topics of the forum. Asked about whether Fox had an agenda similar to the liberal agenda he claimed for the New York Times, Murdoch responded, “Sure there’s a lot of conservative commentators. But there’s not conservative angling of the news.”

Murdoch at times distanced himself from the day-to-day administration and production of Fox News, noting in one example, “I don’t know how much Roger [Ailes] uses Sarah Palin. I know whenever he does, the ratings jump.” As for himself, Murdoch claims he is a radical, but not a conservative or even a Republican.

Murdoch also provided interesting opinions on the tenure of President Obama, saying that like the rest of the country he hopes the president does well. However, he also coupled the President pejoratively with the New York Times, claiming that the Times publishes “anything that Mr. Obama wants.” He continued on later to say that he wants the President to follow through with the good education plans he has laid out in recent speeches.

“We are criminal in this country in that we’re turning out a generation of people worse educated than their parents,” Murdoch said.

Notable quotes from “media mogul” Rupert Murdoch:

“The race to be first [in covering news] can lead to corners being cut, which is where we need to be careful.”

“I think social networks are an interesting phenomenon, but I don’t think they’re changing the world.”

On his role in recent media wars:
“I don’t get much tranquility, but I’m not at war with the world.”

On the worth of becoming a journalist versus being a media mogul:
“The editor is the most important person in the building.”

On the promotion of the Tea Party on Fox Business:
“No, I don’t think we should be promoting the Tea Party or any party.”

On his favorite non-news television program:
“I’m a great admirer of House. We don’t make it unfortunately.”

In the heart of Passover, Students struggle for food

As many Jews will admit, especially college students, lasting eight days without any chumetz, or bread products, can be particularly difficult, even more so when there are a limited number of kosher for Passover choices.
In my interview with the owner of the 5th Avenue Deli, and manager of Energy Zone, both located in The Marvin Center, Mr. Fred Boldaji acknowledged the difficulty for Jewish students to acquire a kosher for Passover meal. “We tried to open [5th Avenue Deli], they wouldn’t let us keep kosher for Passover,” he stated as he explained the complicated rules of Hebrew law.
Though he does provide a moderate amount of snacks, Mr. Boldaji explained the decline in the number of orders from last year prompted him to buy fewer meals and less variety, which he attributes to the lack of time following spring break for students to order food.
Hillel in the meantime has partnered with the Jewish Student Organization in providing snacks in Kogan Plaza around noon, while providing dinners for Jewish students at night. Though the numbers never exceed 20, students do drop by Hillel between 6 and 7:30 each night for a meal. “It’s such a large Jewish population… it meets the needs of students,” explained Ben Wacks, the Jewish Student Life Coordinator.
For many Jewish students Passover seems like a nightmare. Alexa and Kimberly Wertman, a sophomore and junior respectively and sisters here at GW, explained that their father pre-cooked meals for them, but it still remains tough. “It’s easy to keep kosher for Passover when you’re home… we didn’t struggle until DC when we saw everybody eating chumetz,” Kimberly explained.
Junior Max Feinblatt certainly agrees. Though he has kosher for Passover food, such as turkey, matza, and chips, “It’s more difficult and annoying at school,” but he survives on “matza-pizza” for lunch and Hillel for dinner.
Freshman Daniel Lehrman, however, has a different strategy. He decided that he would take advantage of Passover and eat healthy foods, such as salad and lots of vegetables, while consuming more fluids. Though he has kept to his strategy, he admits, “It’s [still] hard though.”
Overall, the general consensus for my interviews produces a clear message: Jewish students here on campus cannot wait for Passover to end.

DC Mayor, MD Governor Races Heat Up

With primary elections only five months away, races at every level are beginning to heat up, DC and Maryland included.

In DC, Mayor Adrian Fenty's reelection bid appears to dace a formidable challenge in DC Council Chairman Vincent Gray. Gray, who officially announced his candidacy to be the Democratic nominee for Mayor on Tuesday, appears poised to mount a campaign challenging Fenty's sway over African American voters, a group with which Fenty has recently struggled.

Due to DC being an overwhelmingly Democratic city, the Democratic party's primary is widely considered the true competitive race for mayor. Despite this sentiment, Rob Noel, GW college Republicans communications director refused to rule out the possibility of a strong Republican candidate.

"The citizens of DC are beginning to warm to many republican positions, perhaps most notably the school choice program that republicans advocate," Noel said in an email to WRGW, "Parents are tired of sending their children to DCs (sic) failing public schools and would greatly benefit from the ability to send their children to thriving private schools. A Republican mayor would likely work hard to give them that opportunity."

Michael Garber, Noel's counterpart in the College Republicans, denied to throw support behind a particular candidate in the primary, vowing to support whoever wins that election during the general contest.

In a more traditional partisan race, Maryland Governor Martin O'Malley, a Democrat, appears to most likely face Republican Robert Ehrlich in a rematch of the 2006 contest. The Washington Post reported Tuesday that Ehrlich plans to ride a wave of "anti-incumbent, anti-spending" sentiment among voters to the statehouse.

Despite these sentiments, polls show Ehrlich behind O'Malley by 6.5 points, a margin similar to his loss in the 2006 election.

The College Republicans described Ehrlich as "a strong candidate...[with] a strong platform to run on," specifically noting his previous stint as governor of Maryland. They demurred when asked to explicitly support him, however, electing to await the result of the state's Republican primary.

The College Democrats expressed support for O'Malleys candidacy, and are "looking forward to the challenge" posed by his reelection campaign.

2010 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament Nears End

This weekend is the 2010 NCAA Men's Basketball Final Four in Indianapolis. With only one #1 team left, the teams that remain are not the ones that were expected to be there.

On Saturday, April 3 at 6:07 p.m. the Butler University Bulldogs will play in their hometown against the Michigan State Trojans. Both teams were seeded five in their respective sections of the bracket. The Bulldogs have had several upset wins throughout the tournament that have allowed them to reach the final four. They beat the #1 seeded Syracuse Orange in the Sweet Sixteen and #2 seeded Kansas State in the Elite Eight. Michigan St. on the other hand has not had to face a team ranked higher than four because of various upsets including, Northern Iowa knocking off top seeded Kansas in the second round. Last year, the Trojans lost in the national championship game to North Carolina.

The second game on Saturday is between two teams that many predicted would make deep runs in the tournament. The Duke University Blue Devils, the last remaining top seed, will take on the #2 seeded West Virginia Mountaineers. Duke has not encountered any major trouble thus far in the tournament and has reached the Final Four for the first time since 2004. The Mountaineers' biggest test came in the Elite Eight against top-seeded Kentucky, where they were able to prevail by the score of 73-66. West Virginia was able to take down Kentucky with a score of 73-66. Tip-off for this game is at 8:47 p.m.

The national championship will be on Monday, April 5 at 9:21 p.m. All games will be aired on CBS.