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Meghan McCain’s scheduled GW appearance is the latest to fall victim to “Snowmageddon.”

McCain’s speech at the Jack Morton Auditorium Tuesday night has been postponed due to the “blizzard-like conditions” predicted this week for the D.C. area, one of the event’s sponsors said Monday night.

The event will be rescheduled later this semester, according to a press release from the Graduate School of Political Management Student Association. It did not offer details about honoring tickets already distributed for Feb. 9th.

McCain is the daughter of former Republican presidential nominee Sen. John McCain. Her appearance sparked controversy last month when the College Republicans withdrew their financial support after the event was billed as the keynote speech for Allied in Pride’s “Marriage Equality Week.”

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With the official start of the campaign season just a week away, Executive Vice President Jason Lifton has launched a Facebook group declaring his candidacy for Student Association President.

Visitors must currently request to join the Facebook group. A note on the main page says that according to the election rules, the group must be a closed group. Lifton told The Hatchet that he could not yet make a public statement due to Joint Elections Committee rules, which prohibit campaigning until the registration period begins.

The JEC originally scheduled election registration for Monday, Feb. 8 and Tuesday, Feb. 9 but updated their Web site on Monday to announce that registration dates have been postponed a day and will take place Tuesday and Wednesday, Feb. 10.

Sen. Logan Dobson, CCAS-U, posted a copy of a completed candidate registration form on his Web site seeking the Executive Vice Presidency. Dobson did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

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Monday, Feb. 8, 2010 7:40 p.m.

Tuesday’s classes are canceled

Update 7:45 p.m. All classes  on Tuesday, Feb. 9 have been canceled, according to GW Campus Advisories.

Update 7:05 p.m. The federal government will be closed Tuesday, according to the Office of Personnel Management. George Mason University and D.C. Public Schools have also announced they will not be open Tuesday but the D.C. government will open with a 1-hour delay.

Update 3:34p.m. The projected snow total has been increased, in “Snowmaggedon”-appropriate all-caps, to 10 to 20 inches, according to an AlertDC message sent Monday afternoon.

“National Weather Service has issued a Winter Storm Warning for D.C., effective noon tomorrow to 7PM Wednesday. All parts of the forecast that were just sent remain the same, except the projected snow totals HAVE BEEN INCREASED TO 10-20″.”

Update 2:54p.m. The National Weather Service has updated its winter storm watch. “There is a good likelihood of snow in excess of 10 inches,” the alert now reads.

The additional snow will make digging the region out from under the weekend’s 26 inches of snow even more difficult and calls into question University operations for the rest of the week.

One of the biggest issues threatening classes and day-to-day operations is the commute of professors and staffers into the city. Many faculty members and employees rely on public transportation (which has been limited) or live in the greater D.C. area where downed trees have cut power and unplowed roads are proving impassable.

Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs Donald Lehman, who makes the final decision about canceling classes alongside Executive Vice President and Treasurer Lou Katz, said on Sunday that the three “key aspects” the University weighed in closing the school on Monday are “the safety of faculty and staff members in getting to and from GW, the lack of sufficient public transportation, and that many neighborhoods in MD, VA, and DC have yet to be plowed.”

Outside Foggy Bottom, Georgetown, American, Howard and Catholic universities joined GW in canceling Monday classes but have made no announcements regarding Tuesday’s operations. The federal government, which loses about $100 million for each day its D.C.-area offices are closed, has also not announced whether it will be open Tuesday.

Nearby Loudon County, where GW’s Virginia Campus is located, has canceled classes for the rest of the week.

Update Sunday 9:57 p.m. Enough snow yet? The National Weather Service is forecasting another 5 to 8 inches of snow will fall mid-afternoon Tuesday through Wednesday afternoon even as the District continues to dig itself out from this weekend’s blizzard.

If at least four inches fall, this year will be Washington’s snowiest winter since Reagan National Airport became the weather station of record for the city, according to The Washington Post.

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This post was written by Hatchet Editors Gabrielle Bluestone and Amy D’Onofrio

Even as D.C. took a snow day to clear up piles of ice, snow and slush from this weekend’s blizzard, another storm is expected to bring 10 to 20 inches of snow to the region, throwing yet another wrench into students’ travel plans.

Some students who left before the weekend storm hit now are struggling to get back to D.C. before the snow begins again Wednesday and others are seeing their plans for the long President’s Day weekend jeopardized.

Over the weekend, flights in and out of Reagan, Dulles and BWI and many Amtrak trains  were canceled due to the inclement weather conditions. Though some major roadways have been cleared, many streets are still covered by snow and ice, and travel looks even more daunting in the face of the second storm.

Junior Heather Hachenburg was due to fly back to school from a weekend at home in Massachusetts but her Sunday flight was canceled. The flight she booked for the next day kept getting delayed, so she left the airport and went home again.

“I’m zero for two,” Hachenburg said. She has booked a flight for the third time for Thursday and is hoping the snow from the upcoming storm will be cleared in time. Though it’s due to snow in Massachusetts on Wednesday, she said she’s not worried about flying out because “it’s Boston, so they know how to deal with snow a little better.”

Getting back will be a relief, Hachenburg said.

“It’s nice definitely to have a little mini-break unexpectedly but at the same time I do feel like I’m missing out on everyone having snowball fights,” Hachenburg said.

And while most flights made it out today, no announcements have been made from Metro, Amtrak or the city’s airports regarding Tuesday’s storm.

District Department of Transportation spokesman John Lisle said Sunday that the agency would run plows “until we have the streets in the shape we want them to be in,” and expects to run them all day tomorrow through the storm.

“We ask that people be patient, we’re out there trying to clear every street and we will but it’s still early and we have work left to do,” Lisle said. “We wouldn’t encourage anyone to call 311 yet, give us a chance to get our drivers out there.”

Junior Julie Tiedrich, who is planning to go abroad this semester, came to visit D.C. for the weekend but almost did not make it home because of the snow.
Tiedrich said she changed her train to arrive in D.C. Thursday night instead of Friday, enabling her to visit friends before leaving this month to study abroad in Shanghai, China.
She found out Sunday morning that her train back to New Jersey was canceled, so she booked a late train, but getting to Union Station ended up taking an hour-and-a-half. First, her Metro train was delayed, so at Farragut West station she tried to find a taxi to get her there faster, but there were few cabs on the icy roads.
“I almost ended up back on campus,” she said.
After 20 minutes of searching and turning down ride offers from strangers, Tiedrich found a taxi, but had a bumpy ride.
“It was scary being on the road, you have absolutely no control over the car,” Tiedrich said.

Natasha Whitaker, a junior, is planning on taking a train on Thursday to go home to New Jersey for President’s Day weekend.

“I definitely hope the snow is cleared for Thursday,” Whitaker said, adding that if her train is canceled she’ll try again on Friday. “I don’t see me having another choice.”

Whitaker said she is used to large amounts of snowfall—about a foot-and-a-half fell where she  lives — and she said she thought D.C. seemed to be overreacting to the storm.

“In New Jersey it snows a lot more and people don’t freak out,” she said.

Jason Lifton, the executive vice president of the Student Association, said his mother asked if he wanted to come home jokingly to avoid the next storm, but he doesn’t think it’s realistic to try to travel.

“I’m not interested in going anywhere,” he said.

Lifton said he would be surprised if the University had classes on Wednesday if the expected 10 to 20 inches falls, but acknowledged he has no control over the cancellation.

“I don’t foresee it being an easy clean-up,” Lifton said of the expected snow. He said he was impressed with the University’s clearing of sidewalks after this weekend’s blizzard.

Living off campus, Lifton has already had to shovel the sidewalk in front of his townhouse in accordance with D.C. law. He said he got it down to “four inches of ice” and is not looking forward to clearing more snow.

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Update: Classes for Tuesday have been canceled

A decision on whether or not to hold classes Tuesday has not been made, and may not be decided until early Tuesday morning, a University spokeswoman said Monday night.

Candace Smith, director of Media Relations, said the University will decide whether or not to hold school based on road conditions in Virginia and Maryland, where many professors and students live, as well as whether or not public transportation is running.

An e-mail went out to parents and caregivers of GW students advising that make up days for classes “will be announced at a later date.”

Tuesday’s Kalb Report performance has already been postponed and Meghan McCain’s performance slated to be held Tuesday is postponed as well.

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News Corporation CEO Rupert Murdoch’s scheduled appearance on the Kalb Report Tuesday night has been postponed due to inclement weather, according to the program’s Web site.

“As a result of the dangerous weather conditions in the region, Mr. Murdoch is unable to travel to Washington and has requested a postponement of this forum.”

Murdoch, who is the owner of major media outlets including the Fox News Channel, was going to speak at 8 p.m. at the National Press Club at an event titled “Rupert Murdoch: the Making of a Modern Media Mogul.”

According to the site, the event will be rescheduled for another date this semester and all tickets distributed for Feb. 9th will be honored.

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Managers at two local grocery stores, Trader Joe’s and Safeway in the Watergate Plaza, said their respective stores are filled with customers stocking up on food before the next round of snow hits D.C.

The National Weather Service issued another winter storm alert for the District Monday afternoon, warning that 10 to 20 inches of snow may fall on D.C. between 12 p.m. on Tuesday and 7 p.m. on Friday.

Louis Cha, a manager at Trader Joe’s said his store was restocked this morning but is already filled with shoppers. Trader Joe’s, located at 1101 25th St., will close at 10 p.m. tonight, keeping its normal business hours, he said, adding that the store will also be open from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. tomorrow.

The Safeway in the Watergate Plaza will also have their normal business hours today and tomorrow, closing at 10 p.m. and opening at 5 a.m., manager Eugene Peters said Monday afternoon. Like Trader Joe’s, Safeway was stocked this morning but is already “very busy,” Peters said.

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This post was written by Hatchet Reporter Justin Kits.

Blizzard conditions in the Northeast closed 70 law school admission test centers and threw kinks in some students’ plans to take the law school admissions test on Saturday.

D.C, which the National Weather Service estimated received about 27 inches of snow, had closed testing centers at American University, Howard University, the University of the District of Columbia, and Catholic University, according to the Law School Admission Council, the organization that administers the test. The testing center at Georgetown University remained open.

Wendy Margolis, spokeswoman for the Council, said more than 5,500 students nation-wide were affected.

“This is something people look forward to, and when the weather gets in the way, it can be stressful,” Margolis said.

Margolis said tests administrators at each individual site determine whether their center should close due to inclement weather.

“It is a case-by-case basis,” she said.

The next LSAT is not scheduled until June but, Margolis said several make-up tests will be scheduled and students will be notified by e-mail about their options.

“We are doing everything we can to make these tests up,” Margolis said.

The LSAT is a half-day, standardized test that is administered four times a year, usually on a Saturday.

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D.C. Circulator bus passengers will have free rides all day Monday when service resumes, but Metrorail service will be underground-only and  Metrobus service will be “limited,” according to AlertDC messages sent Sunday night,

All Circulator routes will be open and free “in an effort to provide D.C. government employees and residents who will be heading into work an alternative to driving.”

The District Department of Transportation warns that there may still be delays in service, so riders should plan for longer trips. Updates are available from D.C. Circulator and DDoT’s Twitter account.

As for Metrorail service, a press release advises commuters that limited underground service will be available beginning at 7 a.m. The clearing of above-ground tracks has been hampered by ice and drifting snow.

D.C. officials are advising that commutes will take longer, as trains will service the underground stations at 24 to 30-minute intervals.

Less than two dozen Metrobus routes will be running Monday from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m., so check with Metro on which routes you will be able to take. Riders can also call 202-637-7000 and say “Next Bus” to find out when the next bus will arrive at their stop.

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Spokeswoman Michelle Sherrard had a list of updates and changes to typical University operations after GW announced all Monday classes were canceled and only “designated” employees were required to report to the University.

  • Gelman Library will only be open from 10a.m. to 9p.m. on Feb. 8
  • Registration for iHousing will open Tuesday instead of Monday
  • University Police Department officers and 4-RIDE staff will be on campus
  • Sodexo dining services at Marvin Center and MVC will operate normal hours on Monday
  • UPD supervisors, officers, 4-RIDE staff and personnel are designated personnel and will be on campuses
  • University-planned programming will be going on in the Fishbowl all day, more details to come
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