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Nat Grossman

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Tuesday, April 28, 2009 12:33 p.m.

Veterans to get free tuition

by Nat Grossman

Veterans who attend GW will have their entire tuition covered by the University and the Veterans Administration, University President Steven Knapp announced at an event in Kogan Plaza this morning.

Under the policy announced today, the University will give each veteran roughly $18,000 per year, an amount that this then matched by the VA. Earlier this year GW enrolled in the federal government’s Yellow Ribbon Program, which promises to match any amount offered by a University.

“With this commitment, we are honoring veterans and showing our commitment to their service,” Knapp said.

Knapp was joined by former Sen. John Warner (R-Va.) and Assistant Secretary of Veterans Affairs Tammy Duckworth, a GW alumna who lost both her legs while serving in Iraq. Warner recalled how he took a class at GW after serving in the Korean War.

“I am here for a simple purpose, to say thank you,” he said.

Junior Brian Hawthorne, a founding member of GW Veterans, was pleased by the news.

“Today’s announcement ensures that veterans will be able to get a quality education here at GW,” he said.

Hatchet Staff Writer Geoffrey Middleberg contributed to this post

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Thursday, April 23, 2009 9:21 a.m.

Law School drops in U.S. News rankings

by Nat Grossman

Update, 1:51 p.m. This post has been changed to correct inaccuracies in the original.

GW Law School placed 28th in the 2010 U.S. News and World Report survey of the nation’s best law schools, released yesterday. The rank represents a substantial drop for the Law School, which was ranked No. 20 last year.

The drop may have been largely due to a change in the methodology U.S. News uses to compile the rankings. For the first time, the organization combined admissions data for part-time and full-time students. In past years, they had only included full-time students.

Director of Data Research Bob Morse told the Wall Street Journal his magazine believed some schools were “gaming the system” by funneling students with less impressive credentials into part-time programs.

Of the other five schools in the top 50 that have part-time programs, Fordham University and George Mason University both dropped three places, while the University of Maryland dropped one position. American University moved up one spot to 45, while Georgetown kept its 2009 ranking at 14.

In the category specifically for part-time schools, GW was ranked second in the country, behind Georgetown.

In a statement, Law School Dean Frederick Lawrence attributed the drop to the change in methodolgy, claiming the school “continued to improve in many ways that cannot be measured accurately or adequately by any ranking system.” He further cautioned students against placing too much emphasis on the rankings, saying that most academics view the rankings as “flawed.”

Hatchet Reporter David Heller examined the changes to the methodology in an article last semester.

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Sunday, April 19, 2009 9:05 p.m.

Junior competing in Miss USA pageant

by Nat Grossman

GW junior Nicole White competed in tonight’s Miss USA Pageant in Las Vegas as Miss District of Columbia. White did not advance past the first round.

White was crowned Miss D.C. last December. She is a veteran of beauty pageants, having won the Miss District of Columbia Teen USA Pageant in 2004.

The Miss USA pageant is not to be confused with the Miss America pageant. Unlike the latter, Miss USA contestants do not take part in a talent program. The winner of the Miss USA pageant will go on to represent the country in the Miss Universe pageant, held annually since 1952.

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Thursday, April 9, 2009 8:04 p.m.

Law School adjunct professor to lead ATF

by Nat Grossman

Kenneth E. Melson, an adjunct professor in the GW Law School, has been named the acting head of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Department of Justice announced yesterday.

In a news release, Attorney General Eric Holder called Melson a “dedicated public servant” and “extremely capable and experienced.”

Since 2007, Melson has been the director of the Executive Office of U.S. Attorneys, and has held positions in various state and federal agencies for over 30 years. At the ATF, he will lead an agency with more than 4,500 employees and a $1 billion operating budget. Melson’s move to ATF was part of a series of personnel changes by Holder.

In addition to being an adjunct professor, Melson is also an alumnus, having received his J.D. from the law school in 1973.

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Tuesday, April 7, 2009 9:29 p.m.

Students in Italy unharmed by earthquake

by Nat Grossman

This post was written by Hatchet Staff Writer Madeleine Morgenstern.

All 69 GW undergraduates studying in Italy are safe after Monday morning’s 6.3 magnitude earthquake in the town of L’Aquila, the Office for Study Abroad said today.

Thirty-nine students are abroad in Rome, which is 70 miles from L’Aquila.

Laura Ochs, executive coordinator for the Office for Study Abroad, said they have been in contact with the study abroad providers hosting the GW students. No reports of harm to or involvement of GW students have been received, and the OSA is continuing to monitor the situation,” Ochs wrote in an e-mail.

The current death toll has been placed at 207.

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Monday, April 6, 2009 2:50 p.m.

Volkswagen CEO to speak at Business School graduation

by Nat Grossman

Volkswagen Group of America President and CEO Stefan Jacoby will address graduate students at the School of Business graduation ceremony, the school announced today.

As head of the VWoA, Jacoby was responsible for moving the company’s headquarters from Detroit to Herndon, Va. He has held positions with Volkswagen around the globe and was named CEO of its American arm in 2007.

The speaker at the undergraduate School of Business ceremony has still not been confirmed.

The Hatchet published a list of other outside speakers scheduled to address the individual school ceremonies before the University Commencement on the National Mall.

Other confirmed speakers:

  • Law School: Gregory Garre, former U.S. solicitor general
  • ESIA: Kurt Volker, U.S. ambassador to NATO
  • SEAS: Bill Westenhofer, Oscar-winning visual effects artist
  • SMHS: William Devries, renowned surgeon
  • CCAS: No outside speaker; CCAS dean, students and faculty will speak
  • SPHHS: Roslyn Brock, vice chairman of NAACP board

Lauren French contributed to this report.

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Sunday, April 5, 2009 9:24 p.m.

Johnny Rockets closes early after staff dispute

by Nat Grossman

This post was written by Senior Staff Writer Marisa Kabas, who was eating in the restaurant at the time of the incident.

The Johnny Rockets at 20th and Pennsylvania Avenue closed its doors early Sunday evening after a heated dispute among several staff members.

At about 7 p.m., patrons were informed that the establishment had run out of hamburgers and ice cream, two core items which compose their menu. One waitress yelled from behind the bar “we have no food,” and the manager declared the place “a zoo” and admitted that he was planning on quitting.

When new customers, including students and families with young children, walked in, patrons already seated tried to dissuade them from dining because of poor service and a lack of menu items.

Tensions began to rise when the waitress told patrons that the kitchen staff was on the verge of walking out. Moments later, there was a commotion from the kitchen, including the crashing of a plate followed by two staff members walking out.

The events culminated with a waiter walking to the entrance and locking the front door to prevent any more customers from filtering in.

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Saturday, March 14, 2009 12:33 p.m.

GW investment chief appears on CNBC

by Nat Grossman

University Chief Investment Officer Don Lindsey appeared on the CNBC show “Squawk on the Street” Friday to discuss GW’s investment strategies during the economic downturn.

Lindsey told host Mark Haines that the University has begun taking money from the equity markets and investing in high-grade corporate bonds.

“At this point, without a very strong catalyst to push equity prices higher, it really makes sense to get the high current income [from corporate bonds] and wait,” he said.

An allocation chart showed that the University had 5 percent of its endowment in investment-grade corporate bonds at the end of January, an area in which it had nothing invested at the end of December.

Although many investments are based on long-term strategies, Lindsey said that market fluctuations mean that changes have to made regularly.

“It’s a market where you have to be willing to make tactical adjustments on a short-term basis.”

GW’s endowment lost 22 percent of its value in 2008, but Lindsey maintained that the endowment losses would not affect overall spending.

“One thing that’s very significant for us is that the endowment does not provide a substantial portion of our operating budget,” he said. “There are other universities where the endowment provides a significant amount of the operating budget; that coupled with illiquid strategies presents some real hardships. ”

The four-minute clip can be viewed on CNBC’s website here.

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Monday, March 2, 2009 5:31 p.m.

Vern bus hits utility pole

by Nat Grossman

A Vern Express shuttle bus was involved in a single-vehicle accident at about 2 p.m. today on Foxhall Road.

Robert Snyder, managing director of Mount Vernon Campus Life, said the accident ocurred when the shuttle attempted to turn from Whitehaven Parkway onto Foxhall Road while en route to the Foggy Bottom Campus.

Snyder called the accident “minor,” but said that the driver and one passenger were taken to the hospital as a precaution. The other six passengers onboard did not report any injuries and were taken to Foggy Bottom on another bus.

The cause of the accident in unknown, but Snyder said the road was “wet and partially snow-covered.” He did not say how much damage had been done to the shuttle bus itself.

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Thursday, Jan. 29, 2009 1:53 p.m.

YAF crosses defaced in MC, College Democrat takes responsibility

by Nat Grossman

This post was written by Hatchet Staff Writer Gabriella Schwarz.

Courtesy GW College Republicans.

Courtesy GW College Republicans.

A number of crosses used by the Young America’s Foundation during an anti-abortion event last week were defaced and left in a Marvin Center office, and a member of the College Democrats has taken responsibility.

Members of the College Republicans found the crosses on Monday evening scattered around the office they share with the College Democrats. One was pinned upside down on a bulletin board and draped with a condom, another featured a drawing of Jesus along with the words “pwned” and “lol,” and others were emblazoned with words like “Darwin” and “Amelia West,” the vice president of the CDs.

A CD statement Thursday morning said a member of their organization had stepped forward and apologized for the vandalism. The perpetrator was not named.

Courtesy GW College Republicans

“We respect and welcome individuals from all religious backgrounds, and we extend our sincerest apology to those who were offended by the actions of one of our members,” the release said. CD leaders declined to comment further.

YAF President Rob Lockwood said the incident has been reported to the University Police Department, and the crosses are now in the department’s custody.

The College Republicans also addressed the incident in a news release.

“The College Republicans are outraged by the desecration of Christian symbols that occurred in our shared office with the College Democrats,” the release stated.

College Republicans Chairman Brand Kroeger said he appreciated the College Democrats’ response.

“The leadership of the College Democrats has been very apologetic during our conversations and we look forward to resolving this situation,” he said.

Updated at 5 p.m.: University Spokesperson Tracy Schario said the student responsible has been identified by the University and will face disciplinary action under the Code of Student Conduct. UPD is investigating the incident further.

In a statement, University President Steven Knapp condemned the student’s actions.

“Such actions are unacceptable and utterly incompatible with the spirit of mutual respect that is essential to the life of an academic community,” he said.

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