Town Hall Between GW Students, Administrators, and Foggy Bottom Neighbors Discusses Off Campus Issues

By Michael Scarborough

Five ANC (Advisory Neighborhood Commission) Commissioners, roughly twenty local residents, and a handful of students gathered Tuesday night at The School Without Walls to discuss university-neighborhood relations and the potential of UPD having some jurisdiction at off-campus student residences.

The implementation of the controversial proposal, which would allow University Police Department officers to respond to off-campus disturbances and issue citations, has been postponed until at least January 2014, according to recent statements by Dean of Student Affairs Peter Konwerski.

The plan has received criticism from students who see the expansion of UPD power as overbearing and unnecessary, but GW officials maintain that friendly relations with neighbors are a top priority.

 Within minutes of starting the meeting, local ANC Commissioner Jackson Carnes alleged that Greek life presidents had received an email from GWU Greek life director Christina Witkowicki “strongly advising” them to stay away from the meeting.

 Carnes said he was not comfortable revealing the initial source which forwarded him the email, and announced to the gathering that he had indeed confirmed from “multiple sources” that GW Greek life presidents had received the email.

Carnes said in Witkowicki’s email no reasoning was given as to why members of Greek life were discouraged from attending.

 GW Associate Dean of Students Tim Miller told the gathering he was not aware of such an email.

Neighbors said they were disappointed Greek Life leaders did not attend because they wanted to have a constructive dialogue with them.

Witokowicki could not be reached for comment.

 During the meeting, ANC commissioners and attendees peppered Miller and Assistant Vice President of Government and Community Relations Renee McPhatter with questions regarding the new UPD guidelines and the relationship between the University and Foggy Bottom residents.

 Miller reported to the meeting that steps would be taken to implement a community awareness orientation program similar to the alcohol and sexual assault orientations which already exist. Students would have to complete an online course with content related to DC laws and neighborly conduct. 

When WRGW asked Miller about enforcing the completion of the course, he mentioned that registration holds were possibly on the table.

 McPhatter responded to questions about the range of UPD’s jurisdiction under the new policy proposals but did not have many definitive answers. She promised that when the policy is crafted, the specifics would be ironed out.

 Numerous Foggy Bottom residents voiced their concerns about persistent late-night noise, rowdy behavior, and cases of public urination. They allege that GW students are to blame for most of these disturbances.  One resident held up a poster board with pictures of trash strewn about local streets, alleging that GW students, both Greek and non-Greek, were to blame.

 Student Association president Julia Susuni assured residents that the GW student body would work to improve their reputation.

“I am proud to represent such a great group of students and I assure you that we will be better neighbors,” Susuni told the group.

Construction for New Science and Engineering Hall Sparks Mixed Reviews

By Evan Ritscher

Beginning at 8 a.m. every Monday through Saturday, many GW students are awoken by a sound that can be heard across half of campus. The noise emanates from a construction site on H Street N.W., between 22nd and 23rd streets, one of many sites across campus. 

The construction site will be the home of the university’s new science and engineering hall, but right now it looks like anything but an academic building.

The area, which encompasses almost an entire square block, is currently just a deep hole in the ground containing construction equipment including about 10 bulldozers, excavators, large jackhammers, and a large crane. The giant machines that currently occupy the city street represent the dirty part of the process of change and improvement the university is currently undergoing. 

GW’s Board of Trustees approved the project in 2010 after a year of planning and design. Construction began in the summer of 2011 and is scheduled for completion by January 2015. 

Along with the construction of the science and engineering hall, GW is renovating Gelman Library and Ross Hall; constructing a new School of Health and Health Services building; reconstructing GW-owned properties along Pennsylvania Avenue; and constructing a new GW Museum, garage, and program space for the law school.

For university administrators, the construction, particularly that of the science and engineering hall, will further advance the school’s image as a leader in research and will also bring leaders in science to the university.

“The science and engineering hall will be that anchor that brings people into our community,” Steven Lerman, provost and executive vice president for academic affairs, said in a video discussing the project. “GW can be a convening place; it will bring people from all over the world into our community.”

Peg Barratt, dean of the Columbian College of Arts and Sciences, also said GW “will be the hub for what is a world science center around the greater D.C. area.”

Still, the work is far from over and the school is currently in the middle of the noisy, dirty and disruptive stage of its improvement plans. 

“I don’t think a day has gone by without the noise in someway disrupting me, either while I’m asleep or when I’m trying to work,” Luke Austing, a Fulbright Hall resident, said.

Brian Shear, another Fulbright resident, said he understands the work is ultimately good for the university, but wishes the school would do more to minimize impacts on current students. 

In late August, GW Housing sent out an email to the residents of Fulbright, JBKO, Madison, and Munson halls saying the university was working to reduce “exceptionally noisy” activities in the early morning. The email also said the university provides free earplugs and loans white noise machines to students affected by the noise. 

Regardless of the noise, the university believes the construction furthers the university’s goal of transforming GW into a hub for academic research and discussion, and the construction will continue as the university moves towards expansion. 

For current students, the noise seems to be something they will just have to live with.

Club Schenley Looks to Change Tune on School Spirit

On an early spring day in Washington, Lynyrd Skynyrd’s “Sweet Home Alabama” emanated from a set of cheap Logitech speakers placed strategically along a set of third floor window screens.

“You are now listening to Club Schenley,” an automated female voice announced after the song ended. “We are taking song requests through Twitter and we’ll be back with more music.”

The George Washington University’s Schenley Hall, located at 2121 H St. N.W., lies directly in the heart of the school’s urban campus. Two weeks ago, sophomores Pranav Sethuraman, Saager Enjeti and Peter Finn transformed their third floor dorm room into a disc jockey’s booth so they could share their sounds with the people around them.

The trio’s room is now known as “Club Schenley,” and different styles of music radiate from the third floor window screens weekdays between 12 p.m. and 6 p.m.

“We love playing our music, especially during nice days when there are people outside,” Enjeti said. “(Along H Street) You have the food trucks, Kogan Plaza, and a lot of foot traffic, which means we get more listeners.”

The group behind Club Schenley even created Twitter and Facebook pages where listeners can request songs, post comments, and interact with the DJs behind the eclectic sounds. Collectively, the sites have amassed over 100 followers. But the group never thought Club Schenley would be such a sensation.

“Originally, we wanted to play a raunchy song just once, just so we could see the reactions of

DC Tied For Worst Traffic In The Country

For years, Los Angeles has been regarded as America's most-congested city.  That unwelcome honor, however, has been passed along this year.

According to a survey by the Texas Transportation Institute, Washington DC and Chicago are tied for the most congestion, with 70 hours a year per person spent in traffic.  That comes out to about 3 days, while Los Angeles stands in third place with 63 hours wasted.

Nationally, traffic congestion costs the country billions of dollars each year.  2009's bill, 115 billion is a marked increase 1982's 24 billion.  Average congestion time nationwide has also shown a long-term upward trend; commuters spent a mere 14 hours in traffic in 1984, less than half of the 32 hours of today.

DC's diminutive size sets it apart from the sprawling metropolises of Chicago and Los Angeles, a problem exacerbated by the daytime doubling of the city's population by commuters.  Space for that many cars simply does not exist. Current strategies to prevent congestion, such as staggering work hours and fixing trafic light timing are band-aids to the bigger problem: DC continues to grow in population, but not in space.

Perhaps predictably, the Washington Post and AAA both report that road rage in the area has risen in area among commuting drivers.

Finally in campus transportation news, WMATA anticipates serious repairs to the entrance of the Foggy Bottom Metro station.  A Wednesday press release indicated that the transit agency will replace all existing escalators, the awning over the entrance, and install a stairwell.  Work could take over a year.

D.C. Court of Appeals Clears Way for "Square 54"

The Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia affirmed a zoning commission order today, giving the green light for further development of Square 54, according to University officials.

The order stemmed from an appeal by the Foggy Bottom Association, challenging two separate orders by the D.C. Zoning Commission approving GW's 2007 Foggy Bottom Campus Plan and Square 54 project. 

"It is gratifying to us and our partner, Boston Properties, to receive the Court's decision and have the matter so firmly decided," said GW President Steven Knapp in an official press release. "We look forward to sharing the amenities of this wonderful project with our neighbors in Foggy Bottom and beyond." 

Last September, the Court of Appeals affirmed the commission's Campus Plan decision. The latest order affirms the Square 54 decision.

Square 54 will include office space, residential apartments, extensive retail space, a full-service grocery store, and an underground parking garage. The project is expected to be completed by early 2011.