The GW
HATCHET
February 3, 2025 Vol. 121 Iss. 18
AN INDEPENDENT STUDENT NEWSPAPER • SERVING THE GW COMMUNITY SINCE 1904 • ONLINE AT GWHATCHET.COM
SAGE RUSSELL | SENIOR PHOTO EDITOR A cyclist speeds past Building YY, which houses the Office of Diversity, Equity and Community Engagement.
RAPHAEL KELLNER | STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER A spread of equipment in research laboratories in the Science and Engineering Hall.
Trump’s anti-DEI efforts at schools have unclear fate at GW, experts say
Rescinded federal funding freeze leaves questions for University researchers
RAINA PAWLOSKI
JENNA LEE
REPORTER
RYAN SAENZ REPORTER
Experts in constitutional law and diversity said they are uncertain about the impact that the Department of Education’s probes into university diversity, equity and inclusion policies could have on GW due to their lack of a clear legal basis and the likelihood of future legal battles. President Donald Trump signed an executive order last week that called on the department to identify and carry out up to nine “potential civil compliance investigations” at universities with endowments over $1 billion, which cast a spotlight on 130 schools, including GW. The order tasked the department with examining whether these universities have engaged in discriminatory practices through policies intended to advance DEI, like using race as a criteria in their admissions, hiring or funding decisions. The order was part of Trump’s larger mission to erase DEI practices and return the country to one that evaluates individuals exclusively based on merit. Legal experts and profes-
sors have conflicting opinions on the constitutionality of Trump’s executive order and whether potential future civil suits against universities would hold up in court. No lawsuits have yet been filed concerning the education department’s antiDEI directive as of Sunday, but 13 Democratic attorneys general penned a joint statement condemning all of the president’s recent attempts to eliminate DEI initiatives and policies. Two of GW’s 12 peer schools — Northeastern University and the University of Miami — preemptively shut down DEI offices and removed all mentions of DEI from their websites since Trump’s executive order. GW has not made any changes to the website of the Office of Diversity, Equity and Community Engagement as of Sunday. University spokesperson Shannon McClendon said officials are analyzing and assessing the “multiple, varied and complex” implications of Trump’s executive order but declined to comment on how GW plans to respond if the DOE were to ask the University to terminate its diversity programs. She also declined to say if the University has con-
tingency plans in place to continue supporting underrepresented groups if GW’s DEI offices or programs are terminated but said officials will continue to share information and support as it becomes available. Gary Orfield, a professor and co-director of the Civil Rights Project at the University of California, Los Angeles, said there’s no way to tell which universities the department will investigate. Orfield said potential legal opposition from Congress and the U.S. Supreme Court will check the power of the executive order. He said GW, which he believes will likely not be investigated by the DOE, would also be able to take legal action against the department if needed, since Trump is making claims that universities have broken the law without hinging his argument on a specific federal law. Harry Holzer, a professor of public policy at Georgetown University, said if the lawsuits are taken to court, the Trump administration is likely to argue DEI policies are “discriminatory” and violate Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which prohibits discrimination in programs that receive federal funding.
ASSISTANT NEWS EDITOR
Officials are attempting to guide faculty members through confusion over the future of federal research funding after President Donald Trump’s nowrescinded freeze of federal funds last week. The Trump administration Monday released a memo ordering temporary funding freezes for more than two thousand federal programs and on Thursday rescinded the move, sparking concerns among researchers over the administration’s policies on federal research grants. Interim Vice Provost for Research Bob Miller said it is “too soon” to know the full impact of these executive actions but that the Office of Research is working with the Division of Development and Alumni Relations and other partners to bolster sources of nonfederal research funding. “It is critical for any research-intensive academic institution to diversify its funding portfolio beyond federal funders,” Miller said in an email. “The Office of the Vice Provost for Research is providing encouragement and direct
support to faculty who wish to engage with notfor-profit, corporate, philanthropic, or state and local government funders.” The Trump administration said the freeze intended to allow officials to review which projects aligned with the administration’s values on climate change and diversity, equity and inclusion policies, which Trump has called “discrimination programs.” Trump also rolled back numerous policies aimed at limiting greenhouse gas emissions, including withdrawing from the Paris Climate Accords on his first day in office. The funding freeze followed instructions to federal health agencies to halt all travel and communications, like health advisories, updates on websites and social media communication. The pause in communication caused the National Science Foundation to cancel grant review panels, where experts allocate federal funding to research projects, including those at universities. The GW Office of Sponsored Projects collaborated with the University this week to launch a webpage listing executive orders
that may affect GW’s research activity. It also links announcements from federal agencies like the NSF. In fiscal year 2024, 82 percent of GW research funding can be attributed to federal sources, Miller said. The University’s federal research expenditures rose from about $161.87 million in FY2022 to about $162.89 million in FY2023, according to the University’s annual research report presented in January. “It is too soon to know the full extent of any impact on our federally-funded projects, but we recognize that these changes create a sense of uncertainty,” Miller said in an email. “The Office of the Provost is tracking developments closely along with our peer institutions.” Provost Chris Bracey and Miller told faculty members in an email Tuesday that those with research projects impacted by executive actions should reach out to the Office of Sponsored Projects but that faculty should continue research as normal unless they have been notified their research was affected. See FUNDING Page 5
DAYS AFTER CRASH, DC REGION MOURNS FATAL AVIATION DISASTER
LEXI CRITCHETT | ASSISTANT PHOTO EDITOR Electronic signs in an empty Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport display emergency notices on Wednesday night.
COOPER TYKSINSKI | STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER People overlooking the Potomac River on Thursday point toward Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport and the crash site in the distance.
ARWEN CLEMANS | ASSISTANT PHOTO EDITOR A memorial of crosses lines the George Washington Memorial Parkway on Friday to honor those killed in the plane-helicopter crash.
Concerns over MFA chair’s dual relationships echo 2022 ethics complaint HANNAH MARR NEWS EDITOR
An internal ethics complaint filed two years ago argued that Medical Faculty Associates Board Chair Ellen Zane’s business relationship with an MFA contractor is a potential conflict of interest, aligning with faculty concerns raised after The Hatchet’s reporting on the relationship last week. A December 2022 complaint to GW obtained by The Hatchet argues that Zane’s “material interest” in the financial success of Savista — the MFA’s independent revenue manager that it hired in December 2019 — could influence her ability to make impartial decisions about the medical enterprise. It outlines worries that WHAT’S
INSIDE
Zane’s dual roles as MFA board chair and Savista board director “appear to pose” a direct and material conflict of interest. The complaint, which was filed by a community member whose name The Hatchet has withheld, was filed through GW’s confidential portal that is used to report unethical conduct and noncompliance by “all members of the University.” University spokesperson Shannon McClendon said that Zane disclosed her position on Savista’s board of directors and was recused from the MFA board’s vote on whether to retain the company but declined to say when she disclosed her Savista role or was recused. The University has also twice
NEWS Previously inactive conservative student groups are returning to campus after several years of dormancy. Page 2
said that the MFA — a network of health care providers and faculty affiliated with GW Hospital and the University’s medical school — followed “its policy” for managing conflicts of interest with trustees. But officials have not explicitly explained what the MFA board conflict of interest policy is or how it compares to GW’s Trustee Conflicts of Interest Policy or the MFA’s Conflict of Interest Policy. The ethics complaint argues that Zane holds a simultaneous interest in Savista’s financial success and responsibility to lead the MFA, which awarded Savista a “substantial contract” for services in 2019. See ZANE Page 5
OPINIONS The editorial board calls on students to embrace the small interactions to combat the loneliness epidemic. Page 6
Ellen Zane at a Board of Trustees meeting in 2018
CULTURE Take a tour of the sardine tins and Zyn pouches that line the kitchens of Foggy Bottom residents. Page 7
HATCHET FILE PHOTO
SPORTS Women’s basketball suffers its eighth consecutive defeat in a loss to Saint Joseph’s this weekend at the Smith Center. Page 8