Monday, August 29, 2022 I Vol. 119 Iss. 4
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INDEPENDENT STUDENT NEWSPAPER • SERVING THE GW COMMUNITY SINCE 1904
What’s inside THE
Tracking COVID-19 August 18 - August 24
Weekly COVID-19 cases: 122
WELCOME BACK PAGES 6-7
Weekly positivity rate: 2.15%
Student debt cancellation will aid borrowers but should be more equitable, experts say
Change in cases since previous week: +3
Wrighton welcomes Class of 2026 at annual Convocation
DANIEL PATRICK GALGANO
ASSISTANT NEWS EDITOR
FAITH WARDWELL
ASSISTANT NEWS EDITOR
IANNE SALVOSA
CONTRIBUTING NEWS EDITOR
After President Joe Biden announced a $10,000 student debt cancellation for eligible borrowers, experts said the move could have gone further to equitably distribute economic relief to Americans. In a move that will likely affect tens of millions of borrowers, President Biden announced Wednesday that the federal government will forgive up to $10,000 of student loan debt for individuals with an income below $125,000 and up to $20,000 of debt for Pell Grant recipients. Higher education and fi nance experts said while the program will relieve millions of Americans, the plan should be contingent on income so it can proportionally aid all borrowers. The debt relief is intended to hold universities accountable for maintaining a “reasonable” cost of attendance and quality of education instead of maintaining a reputation for student debt, a White House news release states. Student loan borrowers received the option to pause monthly loan payments in March 2020 amid the COVID-19 outbreak, and the White House extended the pause through Dec. 31 last week in the federal order. Steven Brint, a professor of sociology and public policy at the University of California, Riverside, said he is “skeptical” about the loan forgiveness program because the relief will be distributed to individuals from wealth-
NIKKI GHAEMI
CONTRIBUTING NEWS EDITOR
COURTESY OF JORDAN TOVIN Biden called the student loan cancellation program a “game-changer” in Rockville, Maryland Thursday.
ier backgrounds who had the fi nancial privilege of attending college, unlike their non-college-educated counterparts who may not have had access to the same opportunity. “Unless it’s really targeted towards people who are struggling I don’t see the rationale for it myself,” Brint said. Difficulty repaying student loans falls disproportionately on Black borrowers, who on average owe $25,000 more than white borrowers, according to a White House Initiative on Educational Excellence for African Americans study in 2016. Higher education experts said the $10,000 loan forgiveness may not benefit GW students who have taken out larger loans given the nearly $80,000 cost of attendance. “This plan offers targeted debt relief as part of a comprehensive effort to address the burden of
growing college costs and make the student loan system more manageable for working families,” a White House release states. Brint said a degree from private universities like GW provide a boost for post-graduate employment, but due to the competitive job market, some students might struggle to fi nd a job in the five to 10 years out of college. He said income levels should determine the allocation of loan repayment programs to accommodate graduates who may not immediately fi nd a job. “There are going to be people who are going to be grateful for it, and there are certainly some people who will benefit and will get them on their feet,” Brint said. Robert Toutkoushian, a professor of higher education at the University of Georgia, said the government should automatical-
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ly determine who is eligible for the program and prioritize forgiving loans for borrowers who did not graduate because their incomes tend to be lower than college graduates. “It is a thorny and debatable issue,” Toutkoushian said in an email. “There is no question that student borrowers will benefit from this program. People will always prefer to not pay for something.” He said the student loan forgiveness program will place the responsibility of loan repayment on the public instead of students who take out loans because the program will use funding from federal tax revenues. He said taxpayers could possibly criticize the program for placing their tax money toward the debt of a student who opted to go to an expensive university like GW. See LOANS Page 3
Interim University President Mark Wrighton officially welcomed the Class of 2026 at the University’s Convocation ceremony at the Smith Center Saturday, Aug. 27. More than 1,000 freshmen gathered at the event, where Wrighton, Provost Chris Bracey, nine of GW’s deans and student speaker senior Rubin Roy addressed the class. Their speeches offered advice to incoming freshmen and welcomed them to GW, marking the completion of New Student Orientation and the start of their college careers at the University. Wrighton urged students to take advantage of “only at GW” opportunities – like discussions with world leaders, scientists and artists – as the University begins its third century. He said GW’s status as a research university allows students to access unique “resources, connections and support” that he hopes all freshmen utilize. “You should take advantage of the opportunity to be involved in knowledge creation that will help to make the world a better place,” he said. Some freshmen coming to campus this year will move into newly refurbished Thurston Hall, which now features new community spaces, remodeled rooms and a dining hall that will open later in the fall after the residence hall underwent a two-year renovation. Wrighton encouraged
students to take advice from GW’s new summer reading book “The Power of Regret: How Looking Backward Moves Us Forward,” which he said should teach them to avoid comparing themselves to their peers and use personal goals as motivation for success in college. Wrighton urged students to collaborate with the GW community during the next four years to advocate for topics that are important to them, like racial justice, climate change or division on national issues. “George Washington University strives to be an inclusive community every day,” Wrighton said. Blake Clark, an adjunct professor of music and director of choral activities, led attendees in vocal warmups and a three-part harmony in preparation to lead the new class in a performance of the alma mater and the GW fight song. After Convocation, the Nashman Center for Civic Engagement and Public Service hosted GW’s annual Welcome Day of Service where students volunteer at organizations around D.C., like the Armed Forces Retirement Home, peace education non-profit Little Friends for Peace and Brookland Middle School. Before buses transported students to their service sites, Nashman Center staff presented a video after the ceremony with information on the service venture and how to get involved with volunteer opportunities on campus. “My expectation is that the GW community will always show respect for one another, even though we may disagree from time to time,” Wrighton said.
GWorld discount program gains visibility after District House dining rebrand GRACE CHINOWSKY
CONTRIBUTING NEWS EDITOR
After five new vendors opened in the basement of District House last Monday, Aug. 22, students said new discount promotions are increasing the visibility of a dining program they say has gone largely unnoticed for years. The vendors – DH Pizza & Pasta Co., Crisp, True Burger, The Halal Shack and D.C. Taco House – offer “Meal Deals” for students to purchase an entree, drink and side for $8, a discounted meal price advertised on screens above the ordering counters. GWorld vendors, including those previously in District House, have offered Meal Deals since 2016, but more than 10 students said they weren’t aware of the discounts at the time and only started using the program after the dining hall reopened last week because of new signage. For $8, students can buy a burger, turkey burger or chicken tender entree from True Burger, two slices from DH Pizza, a grilled chicken or veggie bowl from Crisp, any rice or lettuce bowl with protein, whole fruit and a fountain beverage from Halal Shack or two chicken or veggie tacos from D.C. Taco. All of the vendors add a side and fountain drink with the entrees for no extra cost. Senior Brandon Lee said the new vendors at District House publicly advertise their Meal Deal
offerings more than others on campus, and students are now more likely to use the discounts than in previous years. “It’s very cool that right when you walk into District, there’s this big sign that says ‘Meal Deals,’” Lee said. “It’s always been this thing at GW, but nobody actually knew how to use it, so it’s very cool that GW is making Meal Deals accessible.” The University collaborates with 18 other dining partners on and off campus to provide similar discounts through the Meal Deals program with $6-12 meals at popular locations like &Pizza, Beefsteak and Flower Child. Student Association President Christian Zidouemba said in an interview last week that the affordability of dining at District House presents a budget-friendly solution to GW’s long problem with campus food insecurity. He said the vendors are more affordable meals than most off-campus dining options. “This new dining system gives a lot of opportunities to our students to bond together and also come together as a community and decrease the food insecurity that we’ve had for far too long on our campus,” Zidouemba said in the interview. Dining at District House is restricted to GW community members this fall after the Foggy Bottom and West End Advisory
AUDEN YURMAN | SENIOR PHOTO EDITOR Students said the addition of the new dining vendors has allowed them to take advantage of the meal deals available to them.
Neighborhood Commission voted to approve the University’s request to withdraw public access from the space last January. The change from GW sounded alarms for some
Foggy Bottom residents about the dwindling number of affordable dining options in the neighborhood. A 225-seat, all-you-can-eat din-
ing hall in Thurston Hall will open in mid-September, followed by a 319-seat dining hall in Shenkman Hall in the spring, which will also be all you can eat.