Sodexo Strife

Since its arrival on campus, Sodexo – GW’s dining services contractor – has received much flak from the student body over food quality and hours of operation. But as of this week, Sodexho now has a brand new concern – a fiery D.C. workers’ union.

The Unite Here Local 25 Union is accusing Sodexo of laying off WOW Wingery employees under false pretenses and has compelled the company into legal mediations. The latest development marks the second complaint regarding the subcontracting of the Hippodrome’s Wingery to a non-union entity.

The union claims that the restaurant was never subcontracted, but rather, still under the control of Sodexo.  As evidence that the eatery is still under Sodexo’s realm, the union points to two D.C. business and liquor licenses – both still in the name of the corporation’s GW manager. 

Union leaders are seeking, among other things, the reinstatement and salary compensation of workers that were fired as a result of the supposed management change.

This is not the first beef J Street employees have had with Sodexo management. Last march, 40 workers signed a petition against the company, claiming unacceptable working conditions and verbal harassment at the hands of Sam Ramos – Sodexo’s Director of Operations at the university.

Ramos has habitually rejected interview requests by GW student media – including the Hatchet and WRGW.

- Jared Pliner

Dupont High Heels Race Turns Political

Thousands of spectators packed 17^th Street last night for the 23rd annual High Heels Race. Anticipation ran high as shrieks pierced the alcohol laden air as dozens of drag queens pranced down the stretch between Church and R streets near Dupont Circle.

The political environment just one week before the election inspired a handful of Sarah Palin and Cindy McCain look-alikes. Men dressed as Joe the Plumbers and Todd Palin also made appearances.  Cher and Princess Diana were in attendance with some others simply putting on glamorous dresses and high heels.

At least one Palin impersonator proclaimed his love for lipstick while wearing a pig snout and ears – a throwback to the controversy earlier in the political season when the real Governor Palin joked that lipstick was the only difference between her and a pit bull.

Actual politicians like D.C. Mayor Adrian Fenty made appearances along with Jack Evans who is seeking reelection to represent Ward 2, which includes Foggy Bottom.

The actual race lasted a mere 1 minute 50 seconds, with those near the starting line sprinting from the gate towards the finish line. Others took their time, posed for pictures, and strut towards the end.

Voux Jyna won wearing a flesh colored body stocking and a purple boa. She reportedly won a trophy and a $50 bar tab to JR’s Bar and Grill.

 - Jesse Regis

Law & Order: GWU

First up, an individual affiliated with GW reported a theft from his car parked off-campus. Upon returning to the car, he witnessed two suspects emerging from it, and took chase when they fled. He caught one suspect, and held him until officers arrived. The individual reported a few items stolen, including a laptop and charger and a pair of sunglasses.

In other parking news, two employees of the University Parking Garage reported being threatened by an individual unaffiliated with GW. The subject reportedly claimed that he would throw urine at the employees if they did not stop bothering him while he was trying to sleep in the lower level of the parking garage. The employees called UPD, but the individual was gone by the time officers arrived.

In City Hall, a weapons policy violation was reported after a student called UPD on his friend.  He claimed during the phone call that the other student had brandished a knife at him when he knocked on the subject’s door in the middle of a disagreement. But UPD officers, after interviewing both subjects, discovered that both students agreed that the student with the knife simply had it on him, and had not in fact threatened the other student with it.  A community director was called in for an administrative search, and a folding knife was found lying on the living room table.

Our final case occurred in Thurston, where a suspicious odor was reported. The officer on patrol contacted the community director about the room. An administrative search yielded drugs and drug paraphernalia in plain view, including a glass smoking pipe and grinder and less than 1 gram of marijuana residue.

- Jenn Neuner

Factions Begins

212 years after President Washington warned against the formation of political parties, they have by many accounts become a dominating force in politics. These bodies have fostered a discourse, which has often polarized the electorate. The result is Factions - WRGW’s online forum where members of the GW community will debate the issues facing the nation.

Just days until the 2008 Presidential Election, issues like the economy, healthcare, Wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, and a variety of other issues will be debated online by five members of the George Washington College Democrats and five College Republicans. In a format inspired by the Political Arena on Politico.com, a moderator from WRGW will pose a question to the forum and designated members chosen by each organization will engage in conversation. Other people, whether they be affiliated with the CD’s or CR’s or not, are free to weigh in.

Check it out now at http://factions.wordpress.com!

-Jesse Regis

Gelman Full? Check Out the New Student Lounge.

Last week, Colonials Invasion, the infamous introduction of the basketball season, was accompanied by the opening of a new student lounge at 2145 G Street.  The space, previously a DJ’s Fastbreak, will be the new home of the spirit office as well as EMERG offices on the top floor.

The lounge features a big screen TV and couches, provided by the university, wireless internet access, desks and chairs for a quiet study area in the back, vending machines and a bathroom.  Students are encouraged to take advantage of the space after picking up lunch at the GW Deli and to make suggestions on how to improve the space to the staff.

The day after the official opening of the space on Thursday, Jeffrey Cohen, the Chair of the Department of English, sent an email to Helen Cannaday-Saulny, GW's Assistant Vice President for Student Academic Support Services to recommend that the lounge be made into a “funky noncorporate coffee [house] where students and faculty hang out together, go to poetry readings…”  As an inspiration for the space, Cohen suggests Busboys and Poets, an artsy café that has a location on 14th and V Streets where the English Department has been involved in some events.  

Other plans for the space have included a student-run business.  But in the meantime, students will probably appreciate having additional student lounge space as temperatures fall and winter approaches.

- Monika Wysocki

(Mostly) D.C. Sports Update

The Philadelphia Phillies are one game away from clinching their first World Series since 1980. The Phillies beat Tampa Bay in Game 4 at Philadelphia last night with a final score of 10-2. Philadelphia had 4 homeruns on the night, one of which came from pitcher Joe Blanton. Blanton became the first pitcher in 34 years to homer in the World Series. Game 5 will be held tonight, in Philadelphia at 8:00 pm eastern time.

The Washington Wizards finished the preseason with a loss to Cleveland. The Wizards had a final preseason record of just 2 and 5. The regular season begins on Wednesday at home against New Jersey.

Keeping with basketball, the George Washington University men and women’s basketball teams were introduced last Wednesday at the annual Colonial’s Invasion. During a shooting exercise with the men’s team, Head Coach Karl Hobbs said over the loudspeaker, “Jesus Christ, somebody make a basket.” Hopefully this is not a sign of things to come for the new season.

In hockey, the Washington Capitals snapped their losing streak on Saturday with a big overtime win against the Dallas Stars. Earlier in the week the caps fell in their road games against Calgary and Phoenix. Sergei Federov and Tomas Fleischmann each had two goals in regulation and Tyler Sloan gave the Caps a lead early in the third period. Dallas’s mike Modano tied the game at 5 all when he scored with just over a minute left on the clock. 2 minutes and 17 seconds into the sudden death overtime, Alexander Semin netted his 7^th goal of the season to win the game for Washington. Federov’s two goals brought his career total up to 475, making him the highest scoring Russian born player in NHL history. The Captials play at home tomorrow night against the Nashville predators.

Finally, the Washington Redskins beat the Detroit Lions yesterday. The final score was 25-17. Washington was statistically dominant the entire game in everything except for the score. Jason Campbell completed 23 of 28 for a season high 328 yards and a touchdown. Clinton Portis rushed for 128 yards on 24 attempts. This was the 5^th game in a row that Portis had over 120 yards on the ground. Big plays on special teams were critical for Washington as Santana Moss took a punt return 80 yards for a touchdown and kicker Shaun Suisham completed 4 field goals. The win improves the redskins’ record to 6 and 2. The next game is at home against the Pittsburg Steelers on Monday.

-Joe Lewis

Leonard Bernstein Remembered at Kennedy Center

Yesterday, Marin Alsop led the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra in a rare performance of Leonard Bernstein’s Mass at the Kennedy Center. The cast of performers was over 200 and included soloists, choirs, and a marching band.

2008 marks what would have been Bernstein’s 90^th birthday. Concert series have been held across the United States to commemorate his work as one of the most pivotal and well known American composers and conductors.

George Washington alumna Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy Onassis originally commissioned the mass for the opening of the Kennedy Center in 1971.

While Bernstein’s mass was a special one time performance, the Kennedy Center is constantly hosting world class artists. Tickets for the remainder of the National Symphony Orchestra’s classical season are on sale and going fast. And don’t forget, free concerts are held every day at 6 pm on the Millennium Stage.

-Joe Lewis

Amnesty Debate Streches Campuses

Amidst the rush of last-minute get out the vote campaigns, members of the GW College Democrats and Georgetown Students for McCain-Palin got together on Monday to debate a topic which has been largely ignored by the presidential campaigns in the wake of the failing economy and the war on terror:  human rights issues, both domestically and abroad.

Choosing a New America:  Human Rights and the Presidential Election,” which was hosted by the GW chapter of Amnesty International and was moderated by GW professor and CNN special correspondent Frank Sesno, focused on a wide variety of topics, including wiretapping, Guantanamo Bay, same-sex marriage, and the genocide in Darfur.

On some issues, the students representing both presidential candidates - Senators Barack Obama and John McCain – seemed to agree for the most part.  For instance, both sides recognized their candidate’s desire to shut down Guantanamo Bay.  Allison Wagner, who represented the Georgetown Students for McCain-Palin, said that Guantanamo is a “symbol of degradation of human life.”

On other issues, the two sides were in clear opposition of one another.  On the subject of how to deal with the issue in Darfur, the students for McCain-Palin stated that their candidate believed in utilizing diplomacy before sending troops to Darfur, while Matt Ingolia, speaking for the GW Democrats, argued that “the solution will require more than just talk.”  James Jones, also of the GW Democrats, went on to add that darfurscore.com, a reputable website that grades congressmen on their stance on Darfur, gave Obama an ‘A,’ and McCain a ‘C.’

The debate, which took place in the Continental Ballroom in the Marvin Center, fostered vibrant discussion between the two major political parties, thanks in part to Sesno, who made a habit of asking follow-up questions, and allowing the debaters to pose questions to one another – tactics that were not seen frequently in the presidential debates.

- Alex Laska

Metro Stop of the Week: Van Ness-UDC

Van Ness-UDC may not be the most exciting metro stop in this series, but it does have a lot to offer – especially for all of you international affairs students.  The first thing that comes to mind when thinking about this stop is embassies, embassies, embassies! 
 
Only a block or so from the metro's entrance is International Drive.  While it's not Embassy Row, International Drive is home to about 20 embassies including Austria, Bangladesh, Egypt, Israel, Jordon, Kuwait, Ghana, Mauritius, Nigeria, Singapore and the new Chinese embassy.  These embassies do hold public events, so it may be worth a trek to check them out.  Much of the architecture is extraordinary and holds true to the country's tradition.
 
A bit of a walk from the stop is the acclaimed bookstore, Politics & Prose.  If politics is your thing, this bookstore is definitely worth checking out.  They host author events almost daily.  Robert Kennedy Jr. was there earlier this week to talk about his book Robert Smalls, The Boat Thief.  
 
And you can't mention this stop without talking about UDC, the only public university in the District of Columbia.  This weekend is homecoming for UDC and they have a step show scheduled for tonight and a parade for tomorrow morning.  Ending the weekend is Jazz Alive on Monday night.  The program will feature musicians and ensembles from the university's jazz program.
 
Have a great weekend!  Next stop:  Tenlytown-AU

-Mallory Thompson

Law & Order: GWU

Up first, a theft was reported at the Lerner Health and Wellness Center. A student left his belongings in a locker, and returned to find that they were missing. A University Police sweep of lockers nearby yielded the student’s duffle bag in another locker. His wallet and cash had both been removed. Another theft in Lisner Hall: a staff member left her office unlocked and went to teach a class. She came back and found that her wallet was missing and that there were unauthorized charges on several of her credit cards.

At 1957 E Street a professor reported that he was being harassed by a non-GW student. The individual had apparently been asking repeatedly if he could audit the professor’s courses, and would not take “No” for an answer.

Ivory Tower was the scene of drug possession recently. An officer smelled marijuana on a routine patrol and called the on-call community director to the scene. In the room were 6 people, one of whom was a resident. An administrative search yielded 3.9 grams of marijuana and drug paraphernalia, all of which were confiscated.

Another drug case, this one is Francis Scott Key. A suspicious odor led an officer to call the on-call community director who performed an administrative search of the identified room. They encountered 3 individuals in the room, two of which were residents. Among the items confiscated were 0.4 grams of marijuana and drug paraphernalia. Alcohol was also discovered and disposed of on scene.

One last drug case in Schenley Hall involving 2 individuals: a suspicious odor was reported, and the room in question was identified. A community director’s administrative search revealed that the suspicious odor was in fact a result of the 4.4 grams of marijuana and drug paraphernalia located in the room. All were confiscated.

- Jenn Neuner