Greek Life Expands

Last Thursday, Delta Tau Delta officially made its return to GW with its pledging ceremony for the new pledge class. Delta Tau Delta left GW four years ago following hazing incidents. The national chapter sent men to restart the colony once all of the former members had graduated. Advertising simply by word-of-mouth, the use of the Greek society, and tabling at the Marvin Center, there was a total of 57 pledges for the fraternity’s return. The executive board of the fraternity was chosen prior to the pledging ceremony, and will now take over as the ones running the fraternity, with assistance from a member from the national chapter.

Also new to campus this semester is Chi Omega Fraternity. The sorority is recolonizing on GW’s campus after a 40 year absence. The sorority’s pledging process began over a month ago with 114 girls. Chi Omega is the largest women’s organization in the country, even larger than the Girl Scouts, with 1 of every 4 Greek women being a Chi Omega.

The return of these two Greek organizations along with a general higher interest in Greek life on campus, raised the percentage of GW students involved in Greek life from 19% to 21% this academic year.

-Zahin Hasan

George Mason MSA Wins Saudi Arabia Trip

Over a dozen schools were represented this past Saturday at the Battle of the MSAs, a Jeopardy-like competition in which the Muslim Student Associations of DC area schools competed.

Fourteen schools were in attendance, forming seven rounds of competition. American University, who went on to the final round of the event, eliminated GW in the first round with a surprise come-back. The winner of the event was George Mason University. Their team won a trophy, team medals, and a fully sponsored trip to Saudi Arabia for a pilgrimage, which was donated as a prize by an anonymous donor.

Want Inauguration Tickets? Good Luck.

First come fist serve seems like kindergarten etiquette – the way that things have always been done. Unfortunately so is sharing and it may affect your chance of getting inauguration tickets.

Washington is a place where relationships play a major factor in getting things done. With tickets being distributed through Congressional offices some worry that legislators will begin dolling out tickets to friends, family, colleagues, retired officials and notable figures before the general public has a shot. Congressman are not required to disclose who the tickets are given to.

240,000 free tickets will be distributed to the 535 members of Congress with each office receiving between 200 and 500 tickets. Hotel rooms within 150 miles of Washington are booked, the stages are in construction, and officials are preparing for upwards of 4 million people to pack the length of the National Mall. But considering Washingtonian culture it will be difficult for many to receive tickets – and being first may be meaningless as some offices are considering lotteries. Others may reduce the five ticket maximum per family. Some have stopped taking requests all together including D.C. Congressman Eleanor Holmes Norton.

And don’t even think you’ll get close to the festivities. 1,600 of the 240,000 tickets will allow access to the areas closest the stage. According to the Washington Post power figures like Cabinet members, Supreme Court justices, Medal of Honor winners, and federal judges will be filling these seats. Others will line the Mall and watch the swearing in over giant screens.

-Jesse Regis

Law & Order: GWU

First up from Lafayette Hall, an argument between two roommates turned physical. One of the individuals contacted UPD to report that his roommate had hit him. The victim is not filing charges, and the case has been referred to SJS.

In Ivory Tower, more roommate problems necessitating police involvement, this time between two female students. The two students were once roommates, but one had previously moved out. She filed a complaint with UPD for harassment.

Multiple cases of vandalism were reported on campus: first, in ivory tower, several ceiling tiles were broken by a moving crew. The parking garage entrance gate to the Marvin center parking garage was again reported broken, likely damage from a car entering the garage. And finally in Thurston, officers responded to a report of vandalism to find that a whole fire extinguisher case had been completely ripped out of the wall.

And last, an assault case from Thurston Hall. A female student, not a resident of Thurston, reported that she was assaulted while sleeping. The assault was physical but not sexual; apparently, a few male students pulled a prank on the girl but it was not taken that way.

-Jenn Neuner

Weekend Brings Protests, Depsite Rain

As our nation’s capital, Washington D.C. is a prime setting for a wide range of protests. This past Saturday was no different, as multiple protest groups gathered on and around the National Mall under cloudy skies, armed with signs and chants.

According to the Associated Press, some of the causes were Tibetan Independence, Chinese Human Rights policies, and even pro-Chinese government. But the most notable crowds were in protest of the G-20 summit and the passing of Proposition 8 in California, gathering hundreds of protesters.

G-20 is a summit that is held to discuss economic growth and stability of the financial system worldwide. Protesters congregated in front of multiple locations, including the world bank building and the National Museum Building, site of the summit. They held signs denouncing capitalism and the prioritization of free trade over free people.

Proposition 8 is an amendment passed by ballot vote in the State of California that restricts the definition of marriage to a union between a man and a woman. The protesters planned to go from the Capitol to the Washington Monument and then on to the White House, despite the morning rainstorms. However, the weather effectively ruined the strength of the protests as the rain turned into torrential downpour come afternoon. Many people ran for cover or returned home to get dry. But a legion of the most dedicated remained through the afternoon to march through the Mall, signs and umbrellas in hand, fighting through the rain for equal rights for all.

-Jenn Neuner

SA Update

The SA is considering putting rules into place to limit conflicts of interest between senate legislation and student organizations that senators are involved with.

The Senate met last night at 9:00pm in the Marvin Center for its 5th regular meeting, to consider SB-F08-04, a bill sponsored by Steve Glatter that would limit the ability of senators to participate in debate regarding bills in which they have a perceived conflict of interest. The bill posits that “voting members of the student association senate shall not participate in debate of bills or amendments particular to the appropriations for student organizations of which they are an executive financial officer.”

Also, the Office of the EVP has created a survey of student concerns going into Thanksgiving Break, which consists of only 4 questions and can be accessed via the SA homepage. The survey allows you to rate various aspects of life at GW, such as costs, entertainment options, housing, campus spirit, athletic events, dining hours, cost of food, faculty and internship availability, as well as overall academic experience.

-Monika Wysocki

For Some, An Obama Win is Sign of Hope

Race relations in America in the wake of the 2008 presidential election…

That was the topic this past Sunday on WRGW’s News In-Depth with Jared Pliner.

The exclusive guest was Michael Tapscott, Director of the Multicultural Student Services Center here at the George Washington University.

For nearly an hour, Tapscott answered questions and provided insight on the significance of Barack Obama’s election to African Americans, what milestones the victory marks, and what work still has to be done.

On the broader implications of President-Elect Obama’s journey to the White House, Tapscott noted:

“It’s a sign of hope, it’s a sign of prospect and it’s also a sign of growth in American culture and American society, in terms of how it embraces race and difference.”

When asked what Dr. King would have said had he lived to see the outcome of November 4^th, Tapscott responded that he would have been proud but cautious: “This is not the mountaintop. The mountaintop is still somewhere down the road.”

For more information on the GW Multicultural Student Services Center and its programming you can visit its website at gwired.gwu.edu/mssc.

And for the very best in college radio, you can listen to WRGW’s news in depth, Sundays from 12 to 1 pm with Jesse Regis and Jared Pliner.

-Jared Pliner

ISA Presents Annual Diwali Show

Last Saturday, the Indian Students Association presented its annual Diwali show in the Continental Ballroom at the Marvin Center.  Accompanied by a buffet of free Indian cuisine, the Indian Students Association showcased classical and modern Indian dance, choreographed by the students themselves and presented before a large, enthusiastic audience. 

Acts included Fresh Kids on the Block – a medley presented by the freshmen of the ISA, Bhangra, a famous genre of Indian dance that has folk routes and can be seen in different styles all over the globe, and a skit performed by the members of the ISA, depicting an Indian exchange student who falls in love with a girl while working his UPD shift at a dorm.  GW graduate students performed in the showcase as well. 

Also present at the Diwali show was the Caribbean Students Association, who performed and gave a presentation on their club.  CSA president Jodian Thomas said she looks forward to what she hopes will be a “long friendship with the Indian Students Association.” 

After the showcase, raffle tickets were drawn, and the winners were awarded gift cards to the GW bookstore and a box of Belgian chocolates.  Students then migrated to Patcha, a club on P Street that went 18+ for the night, to finish out the evening’s festivities.

-Alex Laska

DC Sports Update

The GW men’s basketball team had a surprisingly strong performance in their exhibition game last Saturday against Division 2 opponent West Georgia, winning by a final score of 101 to 71. The young team showed marked improvement as 10 different Colonials scored during the contest. The men’s team will play their official season opener this Friday at Boston University.

Keeping with basketball, the Washington Wizards have yet to win a game. Losses to Milwaukee, New York, and Orlando this past week kept the Wizards in last place for the league. They are currently the only winless NBA team. On a more positive note, the Wizards are hosting the first college night of the season this Wednesday, featuring $10 tickets if you show your GWorld. Visit the Wizard’s website for more information.

The Washington Capitals suffered an overtime loss in Ottawa last Tuesday, but rebounded with victories against Carolina and the New York Rangers. Alexander Semin scored in the last 11 seconds of the game to secure the win against Carolina on Thursday. Goaltender Brent Johnson made 28 saves on Saturday against the Rangers as the Capitals took out the NHL’s top team. Olaf Kolzig will return to the Verizon Center tonight as the Capitals play the Tampa Bay Lightning for the first time this season. olie the goalie, originally drafted by the Captials in 1989, holds the record as the longest tenured athlete in the history of DC sports. The puck drops tonight at the Verizon center at 7 pm.

Finally, the Washington redskins had their bye week this past Sunday. Their next game is at home against the rival Dallas Cowboys.

-Joe Lewis

Law & Order: GWU

Up first, a female unaffiliated with GW was charged with simple assault after University Police officers stopped her on the street. The individual was having difficulty walking as she made her way down the middle of the street as a result of her intoxicated state. She became disorderly and assaulted the officers, who brought her to the hospital to be treated and then transported her to Metro Police 2^nd District.

A drug case in Fulbright Hall: UPD officers responded to a noise complaint, and entered the room in question after the occupants didn’t respond to a knock. The officers witnessed marijuana in plain view, and therefore contacted the community director on call to perform an administrative search. Among the items confiscated were 9.3 grams for marijuana and sleeves used for manufacturing fake IDs. The three male students occupying the room were all taken to Metro Police 2^nd District.

Another noise complaint resulted in drug confiscation in West End Hall; officers observed 5 individuals drinking and smelled marijuana. A community director’s administrative search resulted in the confiscation of approximately 4 grams of marijuana.

And finally from Mitchell Hall, the 7 Eleven reported a disorderly person. The individual was harassing patrons and placing items in his pockets without paying. It was determined that the man had previously been barred from campus three times. He was arrested for trespassing.

-Jenn Neuner

Music Minute

iTunes Top Five

1. You Belong With Me- Taylor Swift


2. Heartless-Kayne West


3. Live Your Life-TI


4. If I Were a Boy-Beyonce


5. Womanizer-Britney Spears

Upcoming CD Releases
November 11^th
Christina Aguilera- Keeps Getting Better
David Archuleta-David Archuleta
Tracey Chapman-Our Bright Future
Deborah Cox-The Promise
Missy Elliot-Block Party
Enya-And Winter Camer
Gnarls Barkley-Who’s Gonna Save My Soul
Music Soulchild- On My Radio
Seal-Soul
T-Pain- Thr33 Ringz
Taylor Swift-Fearless

Concerts this Weekend:
Friday
Common-Love
Hellogoodbye-Sonar
Dar Williams with Lucy Wainwright- Birchmere
Joel McHale-Warner Theatre
Saturday
Alejandro Escovedo-Avalon
Cassandra Wilson-Warner
The Decemberists-Rams Head Live
Dark Star Orchestra-930
Sunday
The Cheetah Girls-Verizon Girls
Alejandro Escovedo-Birchmere
Ben Kenney-Black Cat

-Taylor Barnes

Little Change in Local Elections

The obvious focus of last night’s elections was the Presidential race, but what happened locally? Some may not know, but George Washington University is in Ward 2. For city council, Democrat Jack Evans easily beat Republican Christina Culver. Evans has been City Councilmember of Ward 2 since 1991. Mary Lord had no problem winning Ward 2’s school board position because she ran unopposed.

While D.C. doesn’t have official voting Senators and Representatives, they do elect shadow congressmen to help lobby for D.C. statehood. In the D.C. Senate election Democrat Paul Strauss easily won the seat with 82% of the vote. Democrat Mike Penetta won the seat in the D.C. House with 87%. For City-Council-at Large, Democrat Kwame Brown won, beating several other candidates. Finally, Democrat Eleanor Holmes Norton dominated at the polls for U.S. Delegate, beating her opponent, Republican Maude Hills.

-Roxanne Martin

All Quiet at GW Polling Place

In continuing election coverage here at WRGW, our very own campus polling place at the Smith Center was rather calm yesterday, with none of the hour-long lines that some of our professors had to endure in Virginia and Maryland. Voters did not report any problems with the machines, and the only thing remotely unpleasant about the day was the steady drizzle of rain that persisted all morning.
The steady trickle of individuals coming to the Smith Center to vote seemed to be mostly employees of local government buildings.

Daniela Karlin, a graduate student at the Elliot School, was standing on the corner of 22^nd and G streets from 12 noon to 4 pm, handing out fliers with numbers to call if you need a volunteer-organized ride to your polling place or if you see someone’s voting rights being violated. Karlin reported that many of the students she spoke with had already voted via absentee ballot, and most of those students had voted for Barack Obama.
Karlin also was handing out fliers reminding voters that they would have to cover up their campaign shirts or buttons inside the polling place, but that they could not be denied the right to vote on account of wearing campaign apparel. She expressed excitement about the election, and cautious optimism about Barack Obama’s chances of winning, citing the Bradley effect as a possible distortion of the various national polls.

- Monika Wysocki

Ibsen's Hedda Gabler Comes to GW

Henrik Ibsen’s Hedda Gabler was performed this weekend at the Dorothy Betts Marvin Theatre. Gabler is one of Ibsen’s most well known plays, and tells the story of a socially devious and ever climbing housewife who believes she has been put into the wrong by marrying a lack luster scholar.

The play opened for a special preview on October 29^th to great reviews, and had a theatrical run until a November 2^nd matinee. Alan Wade directed the play and Samantha Schaeffer designed the beautiful set. The play stared Patrick Pasake as Hedda’s husband, George, and Madeline Ruskin as Hedda Gabler.

Hedda Gabler is the Marvin Center’s second Mainstage performance of the fall semester. The next performance will be Danceworks, which begins its theatrical run on November 20^th, at 7:30 pm. for more information on shows and events at the Marvin Center visit their website at http://gwired.gwu.edu/marvincenter.

-Pat Miller

Election Night at GW

DC was the place to be last night as Barack Obama made history, winning the 2008 presidential election and becoming the first African American president in the history of the United States. 

The College Republicans and College Democrats started their election parties off at 7 pm on the 3^rdfloor of the Marvin Center with food, drinks, and of course big screens that televised live coverage of the incoming results. Activities included a mechanical bull on the red side of the grand ballroom and a jousting ring and “blogging” section on the blue side. 

It was easy to tell from early on in the evening how overwhelming the support was for presidential candidate Barack Obama.  Hundreds of people were packed into the College Democrats side, chanting, shouting, and cheering as the result poured in, while the red section was remained quiet for much of the night.

Jay Herman, a sophomore at GW said, “Barack Obama is good on all the policy issues but his appeal goes beyond that.  He has inspired millions of people to participate in their democracy.  He is a once in a lifetime candidate.”

The support from GW students also reflected in the polls, as 95% of D.C voted for Senator Barack Obama while only 5 percent voted for Senator John McCain. 

The night was capped off with hundreds of students storming the White House to rejoice in the victory of this historical election.

-Haley Lesavoy

GW Votes Delivers

On the eve of one of the most historic elections of recent memory, the GW Student Association’s voter registration initiative – GW Votes – is boasting record numbers.

While the figures have yet to be completely tabulated, SA President Vishal Aswani told WRGW that GW Votes delivered absentee ballots to and registered just around 1,700 GW students. It is by far the most successful year in the voter campaign’s 4 year history.

The process is quite simple: go online, enter the student’s zipcode, download a state election ballot and election rules, and within 36 hours, mail the forms… all on the SA’s dime.

In the days and weeks leading up to tonight’s finale, the initiative had expedited its turn-around times from 36 to 24 hours in hopes of ensuring on-time ballot arrivals to some of the nation’s most important battleground states.

President Aswani noted that ballots were sent to many of the 2008 swing states, including Ohio, Pennsylvania, Nevada, Colorado and others. In fact, the most ballots mailed to a toss-up state, went to the one that decided it all in 2000– Florida.

And while GW Votes has seemingly done its part this election cycle, GW waits on the rest of the country to do theirs tonight.

-Jared Pliner

Pre-Election Party

Less than twenty four hours before the polls opened on election day, the GW College Democrats hosted a pre-election rally Monday afternoon to prepare its members for tonight’s election results party in the Marvin Center, where the CDs and CRs will gather to watch the election returns.

The rally, which took place in Kogan Plaza, featured the “Yes We Can” drive, in which students donated nonperishable food items to be donated to charity in exchange for an official Obama/Biden rally sign to wave at the election results party. Students could also make their own banners, using the markers and paper supplied by the CDs.

Tonight’s party will be taking place in three different rooms in the Marvin center: the CDs and CRs will each have a separate ballroom on the third floor, where they will be watching the returns as they come in. Program Board will be hosting the actual party in Columbian Square, which will feature food from Sodexho and Crepeaway, and activities such as balloon darts, spin art, and patriotic tattoos.

The CDs are advising all party attendants to bring a blanket and pillow, in case of a long night.

DC Sports Roundup

This week marks the beginning of the GW basketball season for both the men’s and women’s teams. The women’s team will play the DT-3 All-Stars, a group of former college players, in an exhibition match this Wednesday at 7:30 pm in the Smith Center. The men open in an exhibition against West Georgia on Saturday at 2pm, also at home.

Keeping with basketball, the Washington Wizards lost their first two regular season games against New Jersey and Detroit this past week. The Wizards travel to Milwaukee for their next game on Wednesday.

The Washington Capitals defeated Nashville at home last Tuesday in a 4 to 3 shootout victory but were shut out against Buffalo in a 5 to nothing loss on Saturday. Star forward Alex Ovechkin was absent for both of those games as he has been in Russia spending time with his ailing grandfather. Ovechkin returned in time for practice today and will be in the lineup for tomorrow’s game as the Capitals travel to Ottawa to face the Senators. The puck will drop for that game at 7:30 pm.

Finally in football, the Washington Redskins will play tonight at home against the Pittsburgh Steelers. The Redskins go into the game with a 6 and 2 record. Wide receiver Santana Moss is listed as a game time decision to see if he will play tonight. Moss missed practices this week after suffering a strained hamstring in the Redskin’s win over Detroit. He is currently the 7^th ranked receiver in the NFL with 658 yards for the season. Kickoff for tonight’s game is schedule for 8:30 pm.

-Joe Lewis

Greek Week Aims for Campus Unity

Saturday marked the exciting conclusion to Greek Week 2008. A barbecue held at Kogan Plaza brought the teams together for the last time to announce the winning team, as well as Greek God and Goddess for this year.

Greek week is a series of events meant to celebrate the Greek community, fraternities, sororities, and multicultural organizations alike, while raising money for a philanthropic organization.  This year, profits went to a local food bank called So Others May Eat. This year also marked the first time that the multicultural community has been included.

Greek week fostered friendly competition as members of the Inter-Fraternity council, Pan-Hellenic association and multicultural Greek council were split into teams and pitted against each other in the Olympic-themed events. The winning teams for some events were determined by participation points, such as the unity ball and a forum on Greek Life led by guest speaker David Stollman. Other events, including the date auction on Monday, an Olympic relay on Tuesday, a pumpkin carving contest on Wednesday and the talent show on Thursday night all consisted of first, second, and third place finishes. The participation points and place finishes were tallied to determine the final results:

Third place went to the white team - Alpha Phi, Sigma Chi, Phi Sigma Kappa, and Sigma Psi Zeta. Second place went to the black team: Sigma Delta Tau, Zeta Beta Tau, and Pi Kappa Alpha. First place was awarded to the blue team: Phi Kappa Psi, Alpha Delta Pi, and Iota Nu Delta. The titles of Greek God and Greek Goddess went to Jack Burmingham of Phi Kappa Psi and Katie Mize of Alpha Delta Pi.

There has been some controversy to the blue team’s win because the president of the Inter-Fraternity Council and the president of the Pan-Hellenic Association are in Phi Kappa Psi and Alpha Delta Pi respectively. Claims that the blue team was stacked have appeared on GW’s section of the gossip site juicy campus. But none of this has quelled the excitement of the week or of the blue team’s win.

Alpha Delta Pi pledge Paula Shulman said, “Greek week got the whole community involved. It was great seeing everyone out in full force, especially the multicultural community because it’s the first year that they’ve been involved.”

-Jenn Neuner

Concert Review: Murs

LA rapper Murs was in D.C. Saturday night for a concert at the Rock N' Roll Hotel, along with openers Isaiah, Big Poo (of Little Brother) and Kidz in the Hall. 

The venue was relatively empty during Isaiah’s set (and those who missed him shouldn't be disappointed, he was mostly inappropriately angry), but steadily filled up as the evening went on. Big Poo lived up to his reputation and was hilarious. Kidz in the Hall, made up of DJ Double-O and rapper Naledge, were also very good and although strangely awkward at time, with some bizarre back and forth between them.

Murs stole the show; coming on stage he immediately started jumping everywhere and was able to keep that energy up through the show.

Murs latest album, titled Murs for President, came out last month, but he didn't just stick to the album’s songs. Instead, he performed songs from many of his albums, including highlights of his work with producer 9th Wonder. Murs' latest record is his first with a major label, Warner Brothers Records, but the show didn't feel at all as though he had "sold out" to corporate interests.

All in all, the show was quite fun. And during his set, Murs invited some of the openers on stage - a few of whom seemed more than a tad inebriated, which just added to the overall festivity of the concert.

-Ahna Olsen