The Forum

Sophomore Thomas Braslavsky, a Hatchet columnist, looks at the reprehensible choice D.C. must make between gaining Congressional representation and allowing more guns in the District.

The one thing holding D.C. back from having Congressional representation seems to be a debate on gun rights. The D.C. Voting Rights Act, which would give our city an official representative in the House, has stalled for the past nine months. In February, it passed in the Senate – but only after being stamped with additional language that would abolish many of Washington’s already depleted gun laws. The House seems unsure of what to do, with an influential pro-gun lobby splitting the Democrats while D.C. residents wait. Thank you for helping the nation’s capital, National Rifle Association.

Junior Matt Ingoglia, a Hatchet columnist, argues that last Tuesday’s elections do not signal the end of the Obama majority.

Like many of you, I wasn’t altogether surprised when I flipped to Monday’s Hatchet opinions section and found my friend Andrew Clark penning his latest obituary of the Democratic Party. Though I usually enjoy his writing and often find his points at least defensible, I found his analysis of last week’s elections breathtakingly misleading.

Sophomore Andrew Pazdon, a Hatchet columnist, explains why the latest efforts to fund raise by the University is offensive.

First place, third place and fourth place – these are the results of a Google query of how expensive it is to attend GW this year, compared to all the other universities or colleges in the country and the world. The only thing that boggles my mind more than financial news agencies being unable to agree on the most expensive university is, given this reputation, why our University thinks that placing piggy banks for “student giving” in residence halls (as was done in Philip Amsterdam Hall) is a smart move to make. If we’re already in the upper echelon of tuition and attendance costs then why, on God’s green earth, should anyone give their spare change to the University for kicks and giggles?

The Hatchet’s editorial board discusses the recent death of legislation that would have ended National Science Foundation contributions to political science research.

At many colleges, Saturday nights are reserved for beer pong and bar hopping. On Saturday, it was clear from Twitter and Facebook feeds that many GW students had traded in the ping pong balls for C-SPAN and health care reform. Politics, and by association, political science, often drives this University.

While health care will continue to be debated in the Senate, there is at least one piece of legislation GW can celebrate the death of. Last month, U.S. Sen. Tom Coburn, R-Okla., proposed an amendment that would effectively cut funding for political science from the National Science Foundation. This would have been especially detrimental to GW’s political science department, which has received more than $1 million in the past decade from the NSF.

Junior Andrew Clark, a Hatchet columnist, argues that Tuesday’s election prove that Obama has not been able to maintain an effective majority.

Republican Bob McDonnell, who addressed GW conservatives earlier this year in a speech, swept Virginia’s gubernatorial race. Republican Chris Christie, running for governor of New Jersey, exceeded all expectations in his victory. Voters in two states that Obama won in 2008 have firmly rejected the policies of taxing, spending and perpetual unemployment, and elected Republicans to right the economic ship. While Republicans are celebrating their hard-fought victories, the Obama White House and Democrats in Congress should be reminding themselves that it’s time for an adjustment.

Junior Haynes Bunn recounts her terrible experiences with Disability Support Services and calls for the University to improve its capability to help temporarily disabled students.

GW’s Disability Support Services is in a sad state of affairs. I have had the pleasure of dealing with the office not once, but twice during my career here at the University. Both times highlighted the inadequate services offered for temporary disabilities.

On the DSS Web site, there is a page dedicated to “temporary conditions,” but little help was given to me during the two occasions I had a temporary disability. Most recently, I injured my ankle, which required a week of walking with crutches. My first thought Monday morning was, “How do I get to my class at 1957 E St.?”

Freshman Bradley Dlatt compares the recent op-eds of President Knapp and Board of Trustees Russ Ramsey, and reminds GW that students should be the central concern of any money spent.

The University – led by President Steven Knapp and Board of Trustees Chairman W. Russell Ramsey – has launched a campus-wide campaign, including powerful op-eds in The Hatchet, to promote its vision for the University’s future. The combined message of President Knapp and Chairman Ramsey was clear: We are listening. The GW community should be proud that our University is willing to listen to the voices of its students. Still, we as a GW community cannot stop at simply acknowledging our problems. We must instead take a proactive stance and be deeply involved in their respective solutions.

Sophomore Yogin Kothari says the decision to not fire Hobbs last year was the right one, but that wont be the case if GW doesn’t make the A-10 this year.

There’s no denying that Hobbs has had his share of issues, but the time to fire him hasn’t come. Remember that when Hobbs took over the reins in 2001, this program had not been too successful under former head coach Tom Penders – a coach who had not led the team to a winning season since his first as the men’s head coach. After two mediocre seasons in 2001-2002 and 2002-2003, Hobbs led the team to an NIT appearance and then its first Atlantic 10 undefeated season just two years later in 2005. From 2005-2007, he led the team to three NCAA Tournament appearances.