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Sarah Scire

Sarah Scire, senior news editor at The Hatchet, is a senior with a double major in political communication and English literature. She previously served as the campus news editor and a staff writer in the metro news section. She is originally from Windham, N.H.
sscire@gwhatchet.com · @skeery
Saturday, Nov. 14, 2009 8:23 p.m.

Alumnus, ambassador to China during Tiananmen Square protests, dies at 81

by Sarah Scire

Elliott School of International Affairs alumnus James Lilley died in Washington, D.C., on Thursday. He was 81.

Lilley, who graduated with a master’s degree in international affairs in the 1940s,  is most well-known for being the ambassador to China during the violent Tiananmen Square protests in 1989, but he served the U.S. in various diplomatic and intelligence positions for more than three decades over his long career in public service.

The Washington Post reported:

Mr. Lilley, born in China, the son of an oilman and a schoolteacher, had a storied career as an intelligence officer in Asia. Gruff with a no-nonsense manner and a keen eye for detail that peppered his reports from the field, Mr. Lilley was singular in the fractious world of China-watching in that he was respected by both Communist China and Taiwan and across the political spectrum at home.

Lilley visited GW in 2006.

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Friday, Nov. 6, 2009 1:28 a.m.

Gore challenges students to combat climate crisis in Lisner appearance

by Sarah Scire
Al Gore spoke in Lisner Auditoriun on Thursday night in an event cosponsored by D.C. Bookstore Politics and Prose. Michelle Rattinger/Assistant Photo Editor

Al Gore spoke in Lisner Auditorium on Thursday night in an event cosponsored by D.C. bookstore Politics and Prose. Michelle Rattinger/Assistant Photo Editor

This post was written by Hatchet Reporter Michelle Brown.

Al Gore delivered a grim forecast for the future of the environment Thursday night in Lisner Auditorium, and stressed that without broad public support for clean, renewable energy sources, the next generation will live in “a world of destruction and decline.”

The former vice president– who appeared on campus to promote his new book, “Our Choice,” in front of a sold out crowd in Lisner – outlined what he believes to be the major causes of global warming, explained his solutions, but ultimately concluded that without broad public support and participation in sustainable initiatives, the crisis will only worsen.

Gore said it will be GW students and their peers at colleges nationwide who have the determination to solve the climate crisis, and encouraged the older generation to believe a global climate crisis exists, and to start taking measures to solve it.

“I want to encourage you to become part of the solution for this crisis,” Gore said to the audience, about 400 of whom were students. “This is not just an intellectual exercise, it’s not a game, it’s not a political issue. This is the moral issue of the present generation.”

Gore noted he was just 13 years old when President John F. Kennedy issued his challenge to land a person on the moon within 10 years. The U.S. faces a similar test today, Gore said, and young Americans will be the ones to rise to meet the challenge.

The day Americans landed on the moon, eight years after Kennedy issued the challenge, “a great cheer went up from the control room in Houston, Texas,” Gore said. “The average age of the systems engineer that day in Houston was 26, which means their average age when they heard JFK was 18.”

After asking who was determined to solve the climate crisis, Gore said, “Those people who raised their hands represent the future of this world. And your commitment in changing your role says you are a determined part to solve this crisis is the greatest hope we have going for us in this world today.” Read more…

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Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2009 3:44 p.m.

Nearly 70 percent of college-age people do not plan to get flu vaccine, poll finds

by Sarah Scire

In an article that highlights several GW fraternity members, The Washington Post reported:

While college-age young people are among the most susceptible of all age groups to contract swine flu, that distinction is not scaring most into taking precautions, according to a recent Washington Post-ABC News poll. Nearly seven out of 10 people in the 18-to-29 age group say they do not plan to heed warnings to get vaccinated, the poll reported. (About 62 percent of those from 30 to 64 years old, as well as 53 percent of those 65 and older, also say they plan to skip the vaccine, the poll found.)

In the article, Post reporter Ian Shapira visited the Sigma Phi Epsilon townhouse and even describes the room of a sick student, after a student made him an offer Shapira couldn’t refuse: “My roommate is sick. Want to see him? He comatosed himself with NyQuil.”

The Post article also notes GW has requested 14,000 swine flu vaccine doses and has been prompting students to prevent the spread of the flu by outfitting residence halls and other places students congregate with bottles of hand sanitizer and prompting students to wash their hands and cover coughs.

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Monday, Nov. 2, 2009 9:01 a.m.

Trachtenberg’s compensation tops Chronicle list, garners national media attention

by Sarah Scire

Former University President Stephen Joel Trachtenberg’s ranking in the Chronicle of Higher Education as the country’s highest paid former official attracted national media attention Monday.

The New York Times mentioned Trachtenberg’s No. 1 ranking, and noted the president emeritus was one of just three former officials to receive more than $1 million in 2007-2008. The story led on The Washington Post’s local news homepage early Monday morning, with the headline “Ex-president of GWU leads in pay survey.”

The Associated Press also reported on the ranking, the first time the Chronicle has ranked former official pay, and the story was reproduced on The Los Angeles Times Web site and 28 other media outlets, according to a Google News search Monday morning.

Trachtenberg received more than $3.6 million in compensation from the University, The Hatchet reported in June. The $3.6 million figure was a “one-time lump sum payment” from the University when Trachtenberg retired in 2007, after serving as president for nearly two decades, said Assistant Vice President for Communications Sarah Baldassaro, in an article in Monday’s paper.

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Monday, Oct. 26, 2009 12:02 a.m.

Friends report GW senior missing; MPD launches missing persons investigation

by Sarah Scire

Update at 2:23 a.m.

Royal Gethers

Royal Gethers

City and University police have launched a missing persons investigation for GW student Royal Gethers after friends reported that the senior has been missing since just before 2 a.m. Saturday morning.

Lt. Ralph Neal of the Metropolitan Police Department’s Second District, which includes Foggy Bottom, confirmed MPD is investigating the report as a missing persons case. Neal said the case is currently “non-critical” and that investigations are designated as critical only when the missing person is very young, very old, or has a mental or medical condition.

As of press time, University Police Chief Dolores Stafford had not returned requests for comment.

Former student Monet Flowers said Gethers walked her and a friend to South Hall early Saturday morning, and Gethers told her he was returning to his 1959 E Street residence hall. Flowers said UPD told her that Gethers’ GWorld was swiped into 1959 E Street at 1:59 a.m. but Flowers said his roommates, who were home and awake at the time, did not see him come in.

When Gethers did not show up to an event at 11 a.m. on Saturday morning, Flowers said she knew something was wrong.

“I could possibly see him sleeping in – but I couldn’t see him not texting me and apologizing,” Flowers said. She said she went to his room later that day and his City and University police have launched a missing persons investigation for GW student Royal Gethers after friends reported that the senior has been missing since just before 2 a.m. Saturday morning.

Lt. Ralph Neal of the Metropolitan Police Department’s Second District, which includes Foggy Bottom, confirmed MPD is investigating the report as a missing persons case. Neal said the case is currently “non-critical” and that investigations are designated as critical only when the missing person is very young, very old, or has a mental or medical condition.

As of press time, University Police Chief Dolores Stafford had not returned requests for comment.

Former student Monet Flowers said Gethers walked her and a friend to South Hall early Saturday morning, and Gethers told her he was returning to his 1959 E Street residence hall. Flowers said UPD told her that Gethers’ GWorld was swiped into 1959 E Street at 1:59 a.m. but Flowers said his roommates, who were home and awake at the time, did not see him come in.

When Gethers did not show up to an event at 11 a.m. on Saturday morning, Flowers said she knew something was wrong.

“I could possibly see him sleeping in – but I couldn’t see him not texting me and apologizing,” Flowers said. She said she went to his room later that day and his roommates said Gethers had not returned home.

“That’s when I got scared,” Flowers said, adding she reported Gethers missing to UPD first on Saturday and again to MPD on Sunday afternoon.

Flowers said Gethers was wearing “a tan hoodie, light blue jeans and white Air Force sneakers.” He is African American, 22 years old, 6 feet 2 inches tall and 180 pounds.

Ally Petrilla, who graduated from the University in May and is helping to coordinate the search for Gethers, said their tight-knit group of friends is worried and scared, especially because being out of contact is out of character for Gethers.

“That’s why people are so upset – he’s not irresponsible at all,” she said. “We have contacted hospitals, even morgues, everything in a 30-mile radius.”

She added, “We have people going to his classes tomorrow, hoping that he just shows up there.”

Flowers described Gethers as “meticulous” and said he keeps his receipts organized by date and time and his prized hat collection in plastic bags. After seeing his room, she said she thinks Gethers did not return home or decide to go away for the weekend.

“I can tell you two things about Royal: he can eat and he would not leave without his hat,” she said.

Flowers said students and friends are posting flyers and are using social media in an attempt to find Gethers.

“He’s like our brother. We are all from different states and we are the closest thing we have to family in D.C.,” she said. “We’re doing everything we can think of.”

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Tuesday, Oct. 20, 2009 7:05 a.m.

Washington Post investigation into AIDS spending prompts city response

by Sarah Scire

After a damning investigative series published this week by The Washington Post, the city announced an investigation of their own into the alleged abuse and fraud committed by HIV/AIDS programs charged with providing and caring for the city’s sick.

The Post’s 10-month long investigation, titled “Wasting Away: The Squandering of D.C.’s AIDS Dollars,” found that “one in three of D.C.’s AIDS dollars earmarked for small groups went to organizations marked by financial problems and questionable services.” The total amount given to nonprofits and organizations with suspect records totaled more than $25 million from 2004 to 2008.

D.C. is plagued by one of the worst rates of HIV/AIDS in the U.S., and at least 3 percent of residents are infected, according to recent estimates.

A nonprofit targeted by The Washington Post, Miracle Hands, remains “one of the most heavily funded organizations in the city” despite being the subject of complaints from city monitors, former clients, and outside AIDS organizations. The Post investigation found Miracle Hands was awarded $4.5 million over five years despite “a lack of services and supplies, missing records and questionable expenses.”

In a news conference, D.C. Mayor Adrian Fenty called the fraud and abuse of AIDS dollars “inexcusably wrong.”

D.C. Attorney General Peter Nickles said the city’s investigation would focus on nonprofits currently receiving D.C. dollars, which includes Miracle Hands. Nickles said his office is considering trying “to recoup money from some groups and could potentially pursue criminal charges,” according to The Post.

One of the smaller groups questioned, the Ummah Endowment Fund, was once located near campus at 1015 18th Street, NW.

The Ummah Endowment Fund recieved $150,000, according to The Post. But “the city cannot produce a single document about the grants” and “the group promised to hold lavish fundraisers to assist other AIDS groups, but the beneficiaries say they received little money.” The Ummah Endowment Fund is no longer active.

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Monday, Oct. 19, 2009 12:50 a.m.

CNN’s Dana Bash returns to Foggy Bottom for Colonials Weekend event

by Sarah Scire
Dana Bash spoke to students and parents

Dana Bash spoke to students and parents to kickoff Colonials Weekend on Saturday morning in the Lisner Auditorium. Marie McGrory/Hatchet Photographer

This post was written by Hatchet Reporter Jerome Pierce.

CNN’s Dana Bash, a GW alumna, returned to campus this weekend to speak to students and their families about her career in broadcast journalism on Saturday morning.

Bash, who graduated from GW in 1993, spoke at Lisner Auditorium for the Eighth Annual Colonials Weekend kick-off and welcome. Bash covers the U.S. House and Senate as CNN’s senior congressional correspondent.

“[By] covering Congress I really do have the best job on TV news,” Bash said.

While remembering her time as a GW undergraduate, she said, “One thing that has not changed is the incredible experience and support [of the University].”

Bash spoke about the various internships she secured through her professors in the political communication department.

She said one of her first internships was with CBS Washington Bureau where she was assigned the task of watching for then-Supreme Court Justice nominee Clarence Thomas at the Palm Hotel in order to alert producers if he were to arrive there during the time of his contentious confirmation hearings in 1991.

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Sunday, Oct. 18, 2009 6:31 p.m.

UPD chief announces plan to retire

by Sarah Scire
2008-annual-awards-054(2)

Dolores Stafford

University Police Chief Dolores Stafford announced Sunday she will step down from her position after 18 years of leading the department.

Stafford, who has worked in law enforcement and security for 25 years, came to GW in 1992. Stafford said Sunday she previously planned to retire at 50 but recently decided to “accelerate that plan and retire from active law enforcement at 45” and notified the University of her departure on Wednesday.

Stafford said she will remain in her position through the period of transition to a new chief – but will leave office by the end of the academic year. Her successor has not been named.

“As I move on, I plan to slow my life down dramatically,” Stafford said in an e-mail. “I will live in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware and will work part time for the International Association of Campus Law Enforcement Administrators (IACLEA) and will continue to expand and manage the small consulting business that I began in 1997.”

Read more…

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Tuesday, Oct. 13, 2009 7:33 a.m.

Sold-out Jon Stewart tickets priced at $100 and more online

by Sarah Scire

Dozens of tickets to Colonials Weekend headliner Jon Stewart’s two sold-out performances are listed at more than $100 each, with some going for more than $200, according to listings on sites like Craigslist and Stub Hub.

Stewart, an Emmy Award-winning comedian known for his witty political commentary on “The Daily Show with Jon Stewart,” will perform twice on Saturday, at 7 and 10 p.m. in the Smith Center. Tickets to the show sold out quickly, with only a small number of obstructed-view seats left after 24 hours.

Tickets were originally priced between $50 and $90.

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Monday, Oct. 12, 2009 10:41 p.m.

Wind, rain and capsized boats end Navy ROTC regatta early

by Sarah Scire
Jordan Emont/Hatchet Photographer

Boats sail the Potomac River on Saturday before the regatta ended early. Jordan Emont/Hatchet Photographer

This post was written by Hatchet Reporter Komal Thakkar.

GW’s Navy ROTC unit won the annual regatta on Saturday after the competition came down to a game of rock, paper, scissors.

Officials ended the competition – featuring units from Auburn University, Jacksonville University, University of Pennsylvania, Villanova University and GW – early after wind and rain caused multiple boats to capsize after the first round of races.

“It’s not as much about sailing as it is a chance for the units to come together. They get to meet other kids and discuss their ROTC experiences,” Captain Brian Gawne, who heads the NROTC program at GW, said. “In a few years, they may be serving together, so it’s a good opportunity for them to interact with each other at events like this.”

The boat from GW is pictured above. Jordan Emont/Hatchet Photographer

One of the boats from GW. Jordan Emont/Hatchet Photographer

Units were separated by sailing experience into two teams, A-team and B-team, but only A-team raced the course – three buoys at various points on the Potomac – before wind and rain stopped the event.

Winners received one point; second place received two points and the team with the lowest number of points took home first prize.

After the races were canceled, the awards committee convened and decided to award the B-team’s third place trophy to Villanova’s Jim Bell for the most stylish outfit. Second place for the most stylish capsize was awarded to Gowell. After a competitive three-legged race, UPenn managed to win the first place B-team trophy.

“We have fun, and we hold our own,” said Villanova’s Tim Thomas said of his school’s placing.

A-team’s trophies were determined by actual measure of sailing ability. Third place went to Auburn. GW and Jacksonville were tied when the races ended so to determine the first and second place winners, both schools engaged in a tiebreaker game of rock, paper, scissors. GW took first place and Jacksonville took second.

The wind and rain forced the teams to have extra safety measures. Individuals racing had to wear a helmet and could only be from the more experienced A-team. Emily Gowell and Josh Saboti represented GW’s unit.

“I started sailing when I was eight. I really like it,” Gowell, a navy ROTC student from Georgetown said

With the help of various department heads, Midshipman Bryan Boldon organized the competition. Visiting teams arrived in D.C. on Friday night for a weekend of racing and inter-unit bonding, Midshipman Lauren Hedish said.

“Our overall mission is to have fun. We get to meet the people that we may be on the fleets with once they are commissioned,” Hedish, who organized lodging for the visiting teams said.

Visiting teams said winning the competition was not as important as the experience.

“This is our first regatta of the year,” UPenn’s Chris Stawiarsky said. “We’ll do our best, but it’s not really about trying to place.”

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