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Tuesday, Feb. 12, 2013 6:02 p.m.

Update: No serious injuries after taxi slammed into Savoy apartment

by Brianna Gurciullo

A taxi cab that crashed into a first-floor room in The Savoy Apartments Monday knocked out part of a wall and burst open a water pipe, but did not cause any serious injuries, Metropolitan Police Department public information officer Anthony Clay said Tuesday.

Crews remove debris from a resident’s room after a taxi cab crashed through a wall and window Monday around noon. Scott Figatner | Hatchet staff photographer

The cab veered more than 30 feet off New Hampshire Avenue, driving over the curb, through flowerbeds and into a bedroom. Two people, including the driver, were taken to the hospital, the building’s resident manager Lola Haynes said.

Residents of the affected apartment were not in the room at the time of the crash, she said. The residents were relocated to another room later that day.

The cab hit a hot water pipe that spilled into the apartment and the lobby, causing the building to shut down the entire complex’s water and heating system, Haynes said.

“It’s bad but it’s not horrible. It’s nothing that can’t be fixed and repaired and replaced,” Haynes said. “It was just a random, unfortunate occurrence.”

Haynes said she expects repairs to wrap up in two to four weeks, and the Savoy’s insurance company would cover all of the damages. She said she didn’t know how much the repairs would cost.

A woman working behind the front desk Monday also received medical attention. The crash occurred just a few feet away from her desk, and she was so startled that she fell. She was the first employee to discover the cab, and Haynes said she was treated for shock.

“We heard a loud bang, and they’ve been doing construction around here, so I just thought it was the construction noise,” said Haynes, who was in her office on another side of the building when the cab struck the apartment.

A cab veered more than 30 feet off New Hampshire Avenue into a Savoy apartment around 11:45 a.m. Monday. Sarah Ferris | Hatchet Staff Photographer

Haynes said the driver was conscious after the accident and sat outside his car as the police and fire departments arrived. She added that she did not see any passengers in the cab.

A clean-up crew removed debris from the property Tuesday morning, and a wooden wall was put up to cover the large hole. The room’s window and radiator were also wiped out by the cab.

A man who was driving alongside the cab driver during the accident was also present, and gave his account to police officers.

The Metropolitan Police Department had no further information about the incident as it is still under investigation, Clay said.

The Savoy Apartments, a popular off-campus housing option for students, are located at 2101 L Streets.

- Sarah Ferris contributed to this report.

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Tuesday, Feb. 12, 2013 3:00 p.m.

Columbian College narrows dean search to 13 candidates

by Cory Weinberg

The search for the next dean of GW’s largest college is down to 13 candidates, who will meet in off-campus interviews for the first time this week with a faculty-led committee.

Philosophy professor Gail Weiss, who chairs the Columbian College of Arts and Sciences dean search committee, laid out the search process for a group of about a dozen students in November. The search is now down to 13 candidates. Hatchet File Photo

James Clark, spokesman for the nine-person search committee, said he could not reveal specific qualities of the final 13 candidates, like how many finalists come from within GW. The top five or so candidates will be revealed publicly as early as next week when they start arriving for on-campus interviews with professors and students.

“We are very optimistic about the short-listed candidates, but I can’t say anything specific about the candidates on or off the short list,” Clark, an associate professor of biology, said.

Other committee members declined to comment and deferred to Clark.

University President Steven Knapp and Provost Steven Lerman will make the final dean pick from the committee’s recommendations in late March or early April.

The committee will be searching for a leader who can juggle research credentials, administrative judgment and fundraising skills. GW’s deans must spend at least 40 percent of their time fundraising.

The search is one of the most significant since the University brought in a new provost nearly three years ago. The next Columbian College dean will likely oversee the millions of dollars that the college will use to implement parts of GW’s 10-year strategic plan.

The next dean will replace Peg Barratt, who took on the college’s top position in 2007 and will step down in June. Her up-and-down tenure has seen growth in enrollment and research dollars, but also has been marked with faculty dissatisfaction.

She announced last May that she would step down, a month after her deanship was hit with rough reviews in a faculty survey that questioned her vision and leadership.

 

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Tuesday, Feb. 12, 2013 11:37 a.m.

Senior launches satirical campaign for SA president

by Chloe Sorvino

Hugo Scheckter, who resigned as Student Association senator last fall, launched a satirical campaign for the organization’s top post. Photo courtesy of Hugo Scheckter.

Correction appended

Hugo Scheckter, who resigned from the Student Association last fall after internal clashes, is now seeking the organization’s top post – but not actually.

The senior, an international student from the United Kingdom, dubbed himself the “King of GW,” touting that he does not care about students, just “like the majority administrators at this school.”

He pledged to raise tuition, move students to a new West Virginia campus (without a weekend shuttle) and add four more textile museums to campus to take the place of Whole Foods and the Smith Center.

He also demands a $1 billion paycheck.

“I seek only to make a profit from this University, and I will do that via constant tuition hikes, the closing of any student space possible and the promise that the needs of donors will be put ahead of any and every student,” Scheckter said.

Scheckter said GW struggles to earn alumni donations because of the steep cost of attendance that makes students feel as if they’ve been “price gouged.”

“Everyone here is fustrated with the University and with administrators. The University has forgotten that we are not employees of the University. We are actually customers and the level of customer satisfaction is very, very low,” Scheckter said.

He said another major problem is that administrators are inaccessible to students, adding that “administrators only hear from the same students who are very involved and very positive about the University and tell them yes the whole time.”

“President Knapp is so disconnected from the students. Every time he’s meeting with students it’s a forced photo-op,” Scheckter said. “He’s not a genuine president people know or like. He’s a figure-head most people have never met and if he has met them he doesn’t remember them.”

He added he’s considering renting a throne to sit on in Kogan Plaza on Election Day.

This post was updated Feb. 12, 2013 to reflect the following:

The Hatchet incorrectly referred to Hugo Scheckter as a junior. He is a senior.

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Monday, Feb. 11, 2013 1:51 p.m.

Junior announces bid for SA’s second highest post

by The GW Hatchet

Kostantinos Skodalos announced his bid for Student Association executive vice president Monday. Jordan Emont | Photo Editor

This post was written by Hatchet reporter Ilana Katz

An activist against sexual assault will vie for the Student Association’s executive vice president position, basing his platform on spreading the word about sexual violence.

Junior Kostantinos Skodalos is the co-president of Men of Strength and is an active member of Students Against Sexual Assault. The women’s studies major said his experience working with administrators to rework the University’s sexual violence policy will help him ensure that student’s voices are being heard.

“I’m not afraid to speak candidly with administrators and I’m not afraid to make sure our needs are being taken care of,” he said.

Skordalos said he wanted to revisit the University’s sexual assault policy, extending the 180-day period in which community members can report incidents. He also said he wanted to help the University with its project to create a one-stop website for sexual violence.

Skordalos said he would also continue the conversation on student space and improve communication with administrators, but could not provide specific ideas of what he wants to change. He said he’s eager to learn about other groups on campus and become a liaison to administrators.

 

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Monday, Feb. 11, 2013 1:12 p.m.

Taxi cab crashes into Savoy apartment

by Sarah Ferris

A cab veered more than 30 feet off New Hampshire Avenue into a Savoy apartment around 11:45 a.m. Sarah Ferris | Hatchet Staff Photographer

A taxi cab slammed into a first-floor room in The Savoy Apartments around 11:45 a.m. Monday, knocking out part of wall and a window and injuring at least one, according to Metropolitan Police Department public information officer Tisha Gant.

The cab veered more than 30 feet off New Hampshire Avenue, driving over the curb, through flowerbeds and into a resident’s bedroom. Gant said she did not know how many people were injured because officers were still investigating. The cab was towed from the scene around 12:30 p.m.

Scott Figatner | Hatchet Staff Photographer

 

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Saturday, Feb. 9, 2013 5:18 p.m.

Washington Nationals owner details business smarts behind on-field success

by The GW Hatchet

Mark Lerner, the vice chairman and principal owner of the Washington Nationals, discussed his family’s commitment to supporting D.C. baseball at the Jack Morton Auditorium Friday. Camille Sheets | Hatchet Photographer

 

This post was written by Hatchet reporter Amy Sechrist

The owner of the Washington Nationals reflected on his professional and personal relationship with baseball at the Sports Industry and Networking Conference hosted Friday by the GW School of Business.

Mark Lerner, a business school alumnus and the keynote speaker at the event, told a full crowd in the Jack Morton Auditorium about the savvy business decisions that supported the team’s sharp rise in success on the field.

The D.C. native and real estate mogul purchased the team in 2006, a move Lerner attributed to his lifelong love of baseball. He and his father Ted, another principal owner, were determined to bring winning baseball back after the District was left without a team in 1971.

“I always believed that the national pastime should have a special home here in the nation’s capital,” Lerner said.

The Lerner family has also poured more money into a team that had been maligned as one of the league’s poorest. The Nationals’ nearly $140 million payroll next season will be one of the highest in Major League Baseball.

In addition to his job as vice chairman and principal owner of the Nationals, Lerner is a principal of the largest private real estate developer in the D.C. area.

Lerner leveraged those real estate smarts to steer the completion of National Park in 2008, which has now helped revitalize the waterfront district. In their new ballpark, the Nationals became the first D.C. to make the postseason in 79 years last fall.

“All those years at Lerner has given me the practical knowledge necessary to build a ballpark from the ground up and help me understand that all good things are built on a solid foundation,” said Lerner.

Lerner said he never dreamed his family would one day own a ballpark, but he brought his business background to baseball by using his real estate motto: “The customer is number one,” he said.

“Today after almost six years of ownership I still get chills when I step out into the field. We have a world class ballpark at Nationals Park and a team that I believe is on its way to greatness,” Lerner said.

Lerner’s address is one part of the two-day event that is one of the leading sports career conferences in the industry.

After the address Lerner answered several questions from the crowd and imparted some advice to young sports professionals looking to get their break in a highly competitive business.

“If it’s your dream just keep fighting for it, because at the end of the day that’s what it takes. You just got to keep banging doors down,” Lerner said.

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Friday, Feb. 8, 2013 12:09 p.m.

J Street union workers, students hold demonstration

by Julie Alderman

Sodexo workers will hold a demonstration Friday at noon, alleging that J Street managers have violated their union contract by cutting hours and staff.

In the past two months, Sodexo, the company that provides dining services at GW, has cut workers’ hours from 40 hours a week to 30 and laid off about 10 employees since December, several union workers said. Workers will display union buttons on their uniforms as members of the Progressive Student Union pass out buttons to protest what they call tough working conditions.

Sodexo workers will hold a demonstration Friday at noon, alleging tough working conditions and layoffs outside of the group’s contract. Hatchet File Photo

Allison Burket, an organizer with Unite Here, the union that represents Sodexo employeees at GW, said while venues at the eateries have changed, many workers have been there for upwards of 20 years.“The relationship is strained,” Burket said. Burket and Unite Here declined to provide a copy of the union contract, which was last fixed in 2011. The next negotiation is set for 2014.

J Street general manager Bernadette Thomas said Sodexo is “following the process outlined in the [collective bargaining] agreement” agreed upon in 2011. She added that recent staffing changes still allowed workers with scaled back hours to receive health insurance.

“The changes that were recently implemented fall within the guidelines of that 2011 contract,” Thomas said.

One Sodexo employee, Rochelle Kelly, said workers sometimes serve up to 50 students at a time due to the layoffs, and that managers have also screamed at workers and discouraged them from talking to students.

“What they’re taking us through is just emotional, stressful and is a problem with everybody,” she said.

Former Sodexo employee Rosita McCollum said she was fired last week after 12 years as a server but that the union said it would take action.

A cook for Metro Diner, Therrece Brown, said she is worried about her future with Sodexo and whether management will keep her around.

Sam Nelson, a member of GW’s Progressive Student Union, said students must consider Sodexo workers part of their community.

“We need to consider Sodexo workers part of the GW community, like professor and faculty,” Nelson said.

Sodexo employees across the city, from school cafeterias, to hospitals and government buildings, are organizing a city-wide rally at the African American Civil War Memorial Feb.  28.

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Friday, Feb. 8, 2013 10:51 a.m.

Board of Trustees approves 3.4 percent tuition hike for Class of 2017

by Sarah Ferris

The University’s highest governing body approved a 3.4 percent tuition hike for incoming students Monday, marking the sixth year that GW has increased cost of attendance by about 3 percent.

The Class of 2017 will pay $47,343 in tuition, about $1,562 more than the previous year’s tuition price.

The Board of Trustees vote Friday also locked in the University’s fixed tuition plan.

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Thursday, Feb. 7, 2013 11:06 p.m.

Fraternities again report record recruitment numbers

by Jeremy Diamond

The Tau Kappa Epsilon fraternity invited potential new members to its annual car-smashing event during the Inter-Fraternity Council’s fall rush in fall 2012. Hatchet File Photo.

Fraternities continued to grow this spring, doling out a record 142 bids last weekend on the heels of a strong fall recruitment.

The 1,300 Inter-Fraternity Council members now account for about 28 percent of male students on campus – a boom of 20 percent over the last two years.

Interfraternity Council president Casey Wood credited the growth to the Greek communities’ increased commitment to philanthropy to appeal to more students across campus.

“I think it’s a great sign that the community is growing,” Wood said. “It’s very hard to look, even across the country, and see such a large Greek population.”

Kappa Sigma recruited the most men, with 24 new members, which brings its total membership to 112 members. The chapter – which recently signed a lease for a university townhouse this fall – has nearly tripled in size since spring 2011.

The largest fraternity on campus, Sigma Chi, held its title after inviting 14 men to join their fraternity and reaching 143 members. Pi Kappa Phi and Pi Kappa Alpha each welcomed 10 pledges and maintained their positions as the second and third largest chapters, respectively.

Sigma Alpha Epsilon offered bids to five men last weekend, out of about 15 men who attended rush events. The chapter rechartered on campus in spring 2011 and has struggled to draw in members. The chapter had just seven members at the start of spring recruitment.

“The guys that started this group have a real focus on garnering qualified candidates that are very sociable,” Rhett Gopaul, the chapter’s president since the fall, said. This semester, Gopaul said the fraternity will become more involved within the Greek community and plans to increase the chapter’s philanthropic efforts.

“We didn’t know how to run the process correctly,” Gopaul, a sophomore, said about recruitment. “We learned a lot from it and now everyone is very motivated.”

The Interfraternity Council’s fall recruitment occurred about three weeks after two sexual abuses were reported in Townhouse Row. Wood said the allegations, which prompted GW’s police chief to speak with chapter heads about security, shook the Greek community.

“The community as a whole has matured,” Wood said about how chapters have moved forward from the incidents.

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Thursday, Feb. 7, 2013 10:01 p.m.

Gay rights activist pushes students in pivotal year for marriage equality

by The GW Hatchet

Marty Rouse, a top field director for the Human Rights Campaign, talked up the organization’s efforts to pass marriage equality laws in six states this year. Ashley Lucas | Assistant News Editor

This post was written by Hatchet reporter Stephanie Vilella.

A chief strategist for the country’s leading gay rights lobbying group tried to mobilize students Wednesday in a momentous year for advocates’ fight for marriage equality.

Marty Rouse, the national field director of the Human Rights Campaign, told the College Democrats and Allied in Pride that the imminent Supreme Court cases on gay marriage and several states’ progress on the issue made 2013 the year to get involved in the organization’s efforts.

Rouse also discussed the HRC’s efforts to push for marriage equality legislation in six specific states: Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Minnesota, New Jersey and Rhode Island. This could have an impact on the Supreme Court’s decision if the goals are met before March 24, he added.

“More states that we have in support of marriage equality, that really will impact how this American experiment is going,” Rouse said. “If we can get one, two, or three more states by the end of June, it’s quite, quite significant.”

Same-sex couples now can legally marry in nine states and D.C.

The Supreme Court will rule in June on two cases, one that is trying to overturn California’s Proposition 8 and one that will argue that the federal Defense of Marriage Act is unconstitutional.

Rouse encouraged students to jump into the fight by volunteering for the organization’s canvassing and phone banking efforts.

“There’s always the need to get involved in some way,” Rouse said. “Everyone has to find their path and just go forward.”

 

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