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Thursday, December 5, 2013
Wednesday, December 4, 2013
Mixed Reaction to GW Admissions Controversy from Prospective Students and Parents
By Sara Schaeffer
The GW Office of Undergraduate Admissions was criticized in
October over new information that the University had placed hundreds of undergraduate
applicants on the waitlist each year due to personal financial constraints, which clashed with the University's self-description that it was "need blind."
The controversy has spread beyond the borders of Foggy
Bottom. A On the message-board, College Confidential, a NationalPublic Radio article regarding the university’s admissions
practices has generated significant attention from prospective students and
parents. WRGW reached out to some prospective students and parents to gauge
their reaction through the college message board College Confidential. The NPR article generated mixed reactions
ranging from outrage to jaded indifference.
“I saw that article,” wrote one responder.
“[It is] So wrong to claim to be need blind and then not be. [This] Sets
students up who otherwise may not have even applied.”
Another person noted
that such practices are not uncommon at other universities. “The admissions
officers at some other schools have done the same and I've jumped on a few of
them for this.”
However, some
interpreted the situation differently.
“There's not a school in the country
that is ‘need-blind’,” said one responder. “The only question is how they make
use of the information.”
Karen Felton, the
Director of Undergraduate Admissions, through a University spokesman, said
Admissions is working to improve communication with prospective students and
their families about how financial circumstances impact admissions decisions.
“It is our goal to make sure that all of our
admissions practices and policies, including how we factor need into the final
admissions decisions, are communicated clearly to prospective students and
parents,” Felton said.
To many parents, the article came as no surprise in today’s
college market. One responder noted that, “Even the need blind colleges manage to accept the same (small) number of needy kids year
after year after year… Most schools will accept some needy students and there's
no way to predict if you will be one of them. They just have to like you
enough.”
When asked about the
impact the story had on a family’s decision to apply to GW, a parent bluntly said,
“Lying about being need-blind is just stupid, but did not impact much our
opinion of the college.”
One
woman, who asked to remain anonymous, provided WRGW with a detailed account of
her son’s confusing admissions experience with GW.
“He
applied RD to GW for the 2008 year. On that fateful day when decisions
were posted online, he found that he was accepted. Five days later, a
skinny envelope came from GW…The letter said he was waitlisted. I
emailed him at school, suggesting he see his counselor about this. Before
he met with his counselor, he checked his online status which still said he was
accepted. It took his counselor days to get a firm answer on what his
admissions status was since his GW [admissions representative] was not in the
office. His counselor was eventually able to get the [admissions
representative’s] cell number to find out that he was in fact
accepted. It still took weeks after that, and many frustrating phone
calls by both me and his counselor, to actually get his admissions packet.”
In light of GW’s
revelation, the woman suspects that her son was originally waitlisted but then
later was admitted to take the spot of someone who wasn’t admitted due to their
financial need. The woman says her son
did not apply for financial aid.
“When I
heard last month about GW being need-aware, my son's experience made more
sense than just getting caught up in an administrative snafu,” she said.
Felton, through a
University Spokesman, explained what has not changed about the Admissions process
following the University’s revelation.
“The admissions practices at GW have not
changed with regard to how financial aid requests are factored in,” Felton said.
Numerous attempts to contact Laurie Koehler, Senior
Associate Provost of Enrollment Management, who is in charge of Admissions and
originally clarified Admissions’ policy, went unanswered.
Jackson Richman contributed to this report.
Monday, December 2, 2013
Wednesday, November 27, 2013
Dan Rather Speaks on the 50th Anniversary of His Most Important Story
BY EMMA THOMSON
Fifty years after he broke the
news that President John F. Kennedy had been killed, Dan Rather joined The Kalb
Report at the National Press Club to talk about his experiences as a journalist
covering the president’s assassination from Dallas. The former anchor of the
CBS Evening News sat down with Marvin Kalb to give his firsthand account of the
events surrounding Kennedy’s death.
His
Story
On Nov. 22, 1963, CBS assigned
the Texas native to coordinate media coverage for a “routine political visit”.
Rather was stationed at the underpass where the president’s motorcade was
scheduled to culminate when he saw what he believed to be Kennedy’s limousine
speed by him.
It was not until Rather rushed to
the local CBS station to complete a film drop that he heard Kennedy had been
shot. The wires at the station began to run as the news
broke.
“Every reporter’s emotions just
kicked in,” he said.
Knowing the phone lines would
soon be busy, Rather placed three calls to the hospital where Kennedy had been
taken. Although a nurse hung up on him the first time he called, Rather
eventually was able to speak to a doctor and a priest, who both confirmed the
president indeed had been shot and was dead.
The word of doctors and a priest
was enough evidence for Rather.
“When you’ve got a dead man,
you’ve got a dead man,” Rather said.
Although television broadcasts
would wait until the official White House announcement to break the news to the
American people, CBS immediately played the Star Spangled Banner and announced
that Kennedy had been assassinated.
During the four-day ordeal,
Rather relied on his journalism fundamentals to report the facts to the
American people. This allowed him to calmly break the tragic news during one of
the most emotional experiences of his life.
“When a sledgehammer hits your
heart, your instincts kick in,” he said.
“You’re a reporter…and you’ve got a dead man.”
Rather attributes his news
instincts to helping him avoid a potential disaster as he covered Kennedy’s
death. When Kalb mentioned that he would have been terrified to break such
immense news without official confirmation, Rather reminded him that when
things are in chaos, simply reporting was more important than anything
else.
“If you had been there, you or
any reporter, your instincts would have kicked in,” he said.
Kalb and Rather discussed the
role of journalism in the Kennedy coverage. Both pointed out that the
assassination was the beginning of the, “TV age as we knew it.” Comparing earlier work to modern
journalism, Rather said past journalism had been less bias and more honest.
“[The coverage of Kennedy’s
death] was the spine of American journalism,” he said. “Most journalists were
honest brokers of information.”
Rather related the Kennedy
assassination news reporting to the coverage of 9/11. He called the two
national tragedies, “bookends of the television news era.” According to him, TV
news came of age during the four day programming following the Kennedy
assassination and lost headway in the digital era following 9/11.
Conspiracy
Theories
Rather is for the most part quick
to dismiss potential conspiracies surrounding Kennedy’s death. He believes that
Lee Harvey Oswald acted alone and Jack Ruby was the person who killed Oswald.
“An assassin assassinated in the
police station, you can’t make this stuff up!” Rather said.
He emphasized the necessity to
analyze the Kennedy assassination with facts and not emotion.
“We’re entitled to our own
opinions,” he said. “But we’re not entitled to our own facts.”
GW
connection
Many members of the GW community
attended Friday’s School of Media and Public Affairs (SMPA) sponsored event.
Steve Mukherjee, who earned an
engineering management degree from the School of Engineering and Applied
Science (SEAS) in 1979, said he was thrilled to see Rather that evening.
Although Mukherjee was in a small Indian town when he heard that Kennedy had
been shot, he still values the veteran journalist’s work surrounding the
assassination.
Rather is, “The best there is,
the best there was, and the best there ever will be,” he said.
Other attendees included Provost
Steven Lerman and SMPA Director Frank Sesno. Lerman, who was in his seventh
grade gym class when he heard that Kennedy was dead, said that the opportunity
to attend the Kalb Report was an educational and exciting opportunity for GW
students. As a broadcast journalism veteran, Sesno emphasized the importance of
television reporting during the coverage surrounding the assassination.
Several GW students had the
opportunity to ask Kalb and Rather questions following the program. Junior
Omeed Firouzi asked Rather how President Lyndon Johnson was affected by the
Kennedy assassination. After the event, Firouzi said he was excited to hear
Rather’s “unique vantage” of the events surrounding Kennedy’s death.
“Rather lived through the
events,” Firouzi said. “He is a primary source.”
However, the man of the hour did
not try to venture into the unknown. On Kennedy’s legacy and the what-ifs
surrounding his administration cut short, Rather does not speculate on the
“would have beens.”
“We’ll never know,” he said. “It
ended too soon to judge.”
The accomplished journalist still
considers the story the biggest of his career. When he was asked which network
had the best coverage of the assassination and following events, Rather replied
with a sheepish grin.
“CBS,” he said. As if he had any
other option.
Monday, November 25, 2013
Friday, November 22, 2013
Former Ambassador to Yemen Tells GW Students She's Optimistic for the Country
by Eleanor Dickinson
On Wednesday evening, Barbara Bodine, the former Ambassador to Yemen (1997-2001) spoke at the Elliot School to GW students and other interested members of the community as a part of the “Distinguished Women in International Affairs Series,”co-sponsored by the Institute for Global and International Studies, Delta Phi Epsilon Professional Foreign Service Sorority, Sigma Iota Rho, The Honors Fraternity for International Affairs, and Women in International Security at GWU.
She was introduced by another former ambassador and professor at GWU, Ambassador Edward “Skip” Gnehm, a self-proclaimed “old friend” of Bodine's.
Bodine spoke at length about her views on the Arab Awakening, progress in women’s rights in Yemen, and her time in the foreign service, which included tours in Hong Kong, Bangkok, Baghdad and Kuwait as well as her ambassadorship in Yemen.
In regard to Yemen’s Arab Awakening, Bodine was very optimistic.
“[Yemen is] the one country that is going to be able to come out of the Arab Awakening going forward, against all odds," she said.
During the Question and Answer session at the end of the 2-hour-long event, the Ambassador discussed her role as Deputy Chief of Mission in Kuwait after the Iraqi invasion, when she and her colleagues at the embassy were “virtual hostages.”She also answered questions from audience members on topics ranging from success in the foreign service as a woman to US drone policy.
GWU sophomore Aisha Iqbal really enjoyed the event.
"Ambassador Bodine is such an interesting woman," Iqbal said. "I’m so glad I got the opportunity to hear her speak, and I hope I can be as candid as she is one day.”
Bodine now lectures at the Woodrow Wilson School and is the director of the Scholars in the Nation’s Service Initiative at Princeton University.
Stupid People are Ruining America: Cain Speaks on Campus
BY JOHN PERRINO
The
GW College Republicans and Young American’s Foundation co-hosted “A Conversation with Herman Cain” Monday
evening in a packed 1957 E Street lecture hall.
The
2012 candidate for the Republican presidential nomination entered the room to a
standing ovation and addressed an audience packed with both conservative and
liberal students.
“Thank
you for that warm welcome. Somebody told me I was going to get booed,” he said
as he arrived.
Cain’s
fiery vernacular language and straight forward personality were on display as
he opened with a story about his upbringing and life in business before
entering politics.
“Stupid
people are ruining America,” Cain said. “Stay informed. Stay involved. Stay
inspired. Do what you can do.”
When
asked what he would do about the current Republican divide, Cain responded,
“Fire all of them.”
Much
of the speech focused on the topic of leadership. “Great leaders are
born…leading is war and it is hell too…w-a-r,” Cain said. His much repeated
mantra was, “Ask the right questions.”
He
addressed the hot topic of the American health care system saying, “You don’t
blow up the building to fix the leak in the roof.”
Speaking
about the Affordable Care Act, Cain said, “They may not call it socialized
medicine, but that’s exactly what it is.”
Cain
drew some of his largest applause when talking about his 9-9-9 strategy, which
brought him much initial success in the 2012 Republican primary.
He
briefly remarked on the accusations of sexual harassment that he received
during the 2012 Republican primary. He claimed they were false and orchestrated
by opponents who began to view him as a formidable opponent.
Cain
accused the media of not giving all the facts and said that the reason he
started his current radio show, “The
Herman Cain Show,” was to correctly inform people.
In
closing, Cain told the audience that, “Nobody is a Republican or Democrat, we
are all Americans first.”
Thursday, November 21, 2013
Tough as Steel and Delicate as Magnolias
Generic Theater Company presents “Steel Magnolias” Thursday through Saturday, Nov. 21-23 in Lisner Downstage. The show's all female cast is directed by senior Henry Morillo.
“Steel Magnolias” is
about the lives of six women who live in the Natchitoches, La. area. The show’s classic title foreshadows the
reality that the female characters can be both tough as steel and delicate as magnolias.
“I expect the audience to have a lot of fun, that's our main goal,” says actress Samantha Gordon, who plays
Ouiser. While the cast promises both laughter and tears, “Overall you are going to come out happy and glad you went,” says actress Courtney Wade who plays Annelle.
The show is rare in
the sense that the audience will see an all-female cast. There
are not many opportunities to see such a thing in theater.
“I wanted to do a show that had an all female cast because there are many females at GW who want to perform,” said director Henry Morillo. “Unfortunately in theatre
it's traditionally hard to find good roles for women.”
Beyond its female dominated cast, the show is memorable for its famous satirical
lines and relatable plot. “The show touches so many topics
that everyone has really dealt with, such as illness or losing a family member,” says stage manager Natalie Petruch.
The story also touches on many psychological themes and the audience is expected to experience a
wide range of
emotions while watching the show. The story
reminds the cast and crew of the importance of friendship and the basic everyday struggles we all face.
“The show is about women who are very powerful and confident of who they are,” says assistant stage manager Leah Cohen. “It’s
an awesome message of women power.”
The show is set in a local 1980s Louisiana beauty salon and Generic did an
amazing job emulating this. “It's a very homey atmosphere,” said assistant director David Huppert.
“The set up is
salon, six women and an audience that feels like they are right there
with the women.”
The cast praised
Morillo for his fun and engaging way of directing. From research into the time
period to plenty of planning, he created a vision everyone could get on board
with. “I trusted the production team and Henry,” said actress Kellianne King. “He really had a great vision.”
The show starts at
8:00 PM on Thursday and 7:00 PM and 10:00 PM on Friday and Saturday. Tickets
are five dollars and can be purchased with cash at the door.
Wednesday, November 20, 2013
Tuesday, November 19, 2013
SA Senate Addresses Undergraduate Admissions Policy, Student Organization Allocations at Latest Meeting
By McKinley Kant and Joe F. Paolicelli
The GW Student Association Senate met for the third straight week in November in the School of Media and Public Affairs building to hear from Senior Associate Provost for Enrollment Management Laurie Koehler about the university’s “need-aware” admissions practice.
Provost Koehler, who admitted last month that the university had been falsely advertising its undergraduate admissions process as “need-blind” for years even though some applicants’ financial information was taken into account when making a final admission decision, told the Senate that the Office of Admissions has taken steps to accurately communicate its practices.
Koehler said the Office of Admissions has taken steps to include more information on the undergraduate admissions website and hold additional staff training.
“At the request of President Steven Knapp, I’ve spent a great deal of time trying to engage in conversations with our current admissions staff, current administrators, reviewing our admissions print and online materials, to try to gauge what happened,” Koehler said.
“I did, regrettably, identify occasions where we were not as accurate as we should have been.”
In response to a question by Sen. Ryan Counihan (SoB-U) Koehler said the Office of Admissions has not changed the way it admits and denies students and continues to emphasize a holistic approach.
After the conclusion of Koehler’s statement and questions from the senators, the Senate unanimously passed a bill approving fall allocations for approximately 40 new student organizations. Senator Counihan, chair of the finance committee, reported the committee had just under $200,000 remaining in their co-sponsorship fund after approving funding for the Parliamentary Debate Society to host a tournament and the Engineer’s Council to host an app development workshop.
Senator Counihan also reported that funding reviews had determined that catering by Sodexo for student organizations had almost doubled in cost over the course of a year. He gave an example of an event hosted by the College Democrats where, for the same event and food, the cost went from $392 last year to $754 this year, and increase of over 90%.
“It’s something we’re looking into,” Senator Counihan promised the other senators.
The Senate welcomed a new member during the session, electing Vinu Varghese as the graduate senator from the School of Business. In his appeal for support, Varghese said he was interested in increasing networking between student organizations, as well as between undergraduate and graduate students.
The Senate will have its final meeting before the new calendar year on December 2, the Monday immediately following Thanksgiving break.
Shankar and Her Many Strings Stun Lisner
BY WILLIAM BEALS
Sitar player Anoushkar Shankar performed Friday evening for a
sold-out crowd at Lisner Auditorium. The nearly two hour performance
was highlighted by passionate performances by Shankar and her supporting band.
The performance included five other backing artists, who provided
percussions, vocals, cello and piano. The concert was to promote
Shankar’s seventh studio album, “Traces of You”, her first album release
since her 2011 Grammy nominated album, “Traveler.”
The concert began with a standing ovation and ended with cheers
for an encore. The artists were happy to oblige.
Shankar began training on the sitar with her father as a child.
Consisting of a couple sessions per week, practice began at the age of ten.
Shankar gave her first public performance at the age of 13 at Siri Fort in New
Delhi. By the age of14, she was accompanying her father at concerts around the
world. She signed her first record contract with Angel Records at the age of
16.
Anoushka Shankar is the daughter of famed sitar player Ravi
Shankar, who gained international fame in the 1960s, and taught George Harrison
of “The Beatles.” Anoushka Shankar is also the half
sister of singer songwriter Norah Jones.
Many Faiths Come Together To Share a Meal
BY
JESSE ZAPATA
The twelfth Annual Interfaith Dinner was
held last Wednesday in the Marvin Center to highlight the various faith
organizations on campus. Students who attended were treated to live music,
food, guest speakers, and more during the annual event. Started after 9/11, the
dinner strives to bring together students in solidarity against prejudice.
Overall, the event was focused on examining faith’s common role in social
justice and freedom.
Tim
Kane, associate director for inclusion initiatives, introduced the various
performers and guests. Each campus faith organization was represented, and they
also chose the speakers. The Voice Gospel Choir began the program with several
hymns.
Speakers
for the event included Muslim Student Association student Aabid Mohiuddin,
Satyam representative Pavithra Chidambaram, Intervarsity Christian Fellowship
choice Jon Yu, Allied in Pride representative Nicholas Gumas, GW Catholic
student Olivia Bee, Jewish Student Association representative Joey Saban, and
Kabir Gumer from the Sikh Student Association.
Each
original speech was unique, yet they all taught lessons. Some were deeply
rooted in the biblical tradition and quoted passages from the New Testament
while others focused on a secular morality. Another defined the term “Tikkun
Olam” as the Jewish faith's "one common goal of a better place for those
who follow". A fellow speaker focused on the Sikh traditions of identity
and scholastic petition. Each address, though different from the others,
represented the night’s theme of the involvement of faith in freedom and social
justice.
In
closing, GW President Steven Knapp gave a brief history of the Interfaith
Dinner and the university’s history of student led interfaith initiative. He
also shared an excerpt of a letter written by George Washington to a Rhode
Island Synagogue's congregation. The letter contained not just the theme quote
of the evening, " to bigotry no sanction, to persecution no
assistance," but a larger statement about the power of diversity in
bringing wisdom and prosperity to those who embrace it.
Interfaith Director for Satyam, the school's Hindu awareness
organization and planner of the event Priya Yadav said she was happy with the
dinner’s turnout. She added that the school had been working to “re-excite
interest in interfaith and multicultural events.”
“We have so many [students] dedicated to their faith who want to
let others know,” she said.
Monday, November 18, 2013
Mobile Farmers Market Wins the 6th Annual Pitch George Elevator Competition
by Alex Nowakowski
On Saturday the 6th
Annual Pitch George Elevator Competition took place in Duques Hall. Fifty
teams, composed of both undergraduate and graduate students, competed to win
prizes of up to $2,000 and the opportunity to advance to the semi-final round
of the GW Business Plan Competition.
John W. Rollins, director of
the GW Business Plan Competition, said this year’s competition was the “best so
far” and that he was “blown away” by the quality of the projects presented.
The six finalists for the
undergraduate competition were the following: Mobile Farmers Market, JiYeon’s
Tea Thermos, CARLOS dos, CarrierPigeon, Studentstart.it, and CarneAsada. First place went to Mobile Farmers Market, 2nd
place went to CarneAsada and 3rd place went to Studentstart.it.
Tea Thermos won the fan favorite award.
Mobile Farmers Market, led by
Lulu Ma, Felicity Xie and Lisetta Garcia, is a portable wireless app that
allows entrepreneurs to sell their products where they please without being
constrained by a central EBT system. Ma, Xie and Garcia came up with the idea
due to the lack of mobility and flexibility for farmers to sell their products
through electronic payments.
Cecilia Ramirez came in second
place with her Carne Asada project—a proposal to establish the first Paraguayan
restaurant in Washington, D.C. Mrs. Ramirez, a native Paraguayan, wanted to
find a way to share her culture with the area and decided to create a “fast and
casual” restaurant similar to that of Chipotle.
Studentstart.it founders
Michael Rickert and Christina Nanfeldt came in third place. The two developed
an idea to tap into the creative and entrepreneurial potential of the campus,
seeking to provide students a way to get their projects off the ground. At the
moment, the website is in development and the two are contemplating creating a
mobile app.
Ji Yeon Jung won the fan
favorite award for Tea Thermos, a prototype transparent thermos that allows for
easy cleaning and is two layered to retain temperature better than the average
thermos. Her next step is to find a possible manufacturer.
Dr. George Solomon of the
Center for Entrepreneurial Excellence, said that the competition’s goals are to
encourage research and entrepreneurship, reach out to the community, and
develop research programs both within the school and outside. Solomon also
noted that many of the students this year focused their business plans around
apps and believes that it will be important to see if the trend continues. Above
all, he said, it was important for students to develop projects they were
passionate about.
“Money follows passion, passion doesn’t follow money,” Solomon said.
The competition was set up by
GW’s School of Business, School of Engineering and Applied Science, the Office
of Entrepreneurship, and the Center for Entrepreneurial Excellence.
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