The GW
HATCHET
March 24, 2025 Vol. 121 Iss. 22
AN INDEPENDENT STUDENT NEWSPAPER • SERVING THE GW COMMUNITY SINCE 1904 • ONLINE AT GWHATCHET.COM
Faculty leaders laud GWPD investigation’s transparency, remain skeptical about arming safety RORY QUEALY NEWS EDITOR
RYAN SAENZ REPORTER
Faculty leaders said they appreciate officials’ transparency in sharing the findings of the third-party investigation into the GW Police Department’s arming rollout but said acknowledging flaws within the process doesn’t assuage their concerns about the future of arming. University President Ellen Granberg earlier this month released findings of a law firm’s investigation into GWPD, which confirmed reports of departmental gun safety violations and concluded that officials chose not to seek community input before trustees’ contentious April 2023 decision to arm GWPD officers because they anticipated opposition. Faculty leaders said they appreciated that Granberg took accountability for GWPD and the lack of consultation on the decision but some said officials should now solicit feedback on and reconsider arming officers in light of safety concerns. “I appreciate that President Granberg came out and issued an apology. I think that’s a good first step, and she’s expressed interest in consulting better in the future,” Eli McCarthy, a peace studies lecturer and a member of the Campus Safety Advisory Committee,
CCAS, CPS offer tuition discount to current, newly dismissed federal employees HANNAH MARR NEWS EDITOR
ARWEN CLEMANS | ASSISTANT PHOTO EDITOR Professor Guillermo Orti has repeatedly shared concerns about GW Police Department’s arming at Faculty Senate meetings.
said. “But I don’t think that’s sufficient for the egregiousness of the situation where you have intentional deception and exclusion and disregard for the data.” GW retained Willkie Farr & Gallagher in October to investigate GWPD’s arming implementation, training protocols and “several new questions” raised after a September Hatchet in-
vestigation found undisclosed firearm safety violations and internal tumult, which appeared to spark former Chief James Tate’s resignation in October. The firm’s report confirmed the gun safety violations and echoed former officers’ reports of high turnover due to a poor workplace culture. Granberg said in an email to community members announc-
ing the findings earlier this month that the law firm conducted the investigation under privilege and that certain findings, like those related to personnel matters, would remain confidential. She said only “select senior administrators” have seen the whole report. See OFFICIALS Page 5
Two schools announced tuition discounts for degree seekers impacted by President Donald Trump’s federal workforce reductions, officials announced earlier this month. The Columbian College of Arts & Sciences and the College of Professional Studies are offering approximately 20 percent tuition discounts to “current and recently dismissed” federal employees who are now considering attending GW and seeking an advanced degree, officials said via the schools‘ websites last week. CCAS is accepting applications “beyond the normal” admissions deadlines, per the website. CPS’ March 12 release states that all eligible individuals must apply by April 1 for both the summer and fall semester, and all applicants must provide a copy of a dismissal letter from an agency or an email dismissal from the agency. “During this time of transition and uncertainty for those impacted by the administration’s downsizing efforts, this initiative signifies the College’s commitment to equipping the next generation of leaders, entrepreneurs and innovators with the skills needed to attain professional success,” the CCAS website reads.
Trump’s war on federal education could halt financial aid: experts GIANNA JAKUBOWSKI STAFF WRITER
President Donald Trump’s plan to reduce the Department of Education’s workforce by nearly 50 percent and eventually dismantle it could delay and complicate GW’s financial aid distribution, experts predict. As Trump works to dismantle the department by laying off employees and relocating the department’s core operations to other agencies, higher education policy experts said current and prospective students’ financial aid packages are subject to delays and inaccurate processing due to reduced staffing in the cabinet-level department. Since his 2016 presidential campaign, Trump has deemed the department unnecessary in a country where states and school districts primarily control public education, including who they hire and what they teach. The department, which manages the $1.6 trillion federal student loan portfolio for college and postsecondary students, laid off roughly 1,300 of its 4,000 employees on Friday at Trump’s
direction, per a release. An additional 600 staff also accepted voluntary resignation opportunities and retirement over the last seven weeks, the release states. Education Secretary Linda McMahon said workforce reductions will impact “all divisions,” but student loans, funding for special needs students, competitive grantmaking and Pell Grants — a need-based federal grant — will not be affected. “Today’s reduction in force reflects the Department of Education’s commitment to efficiency, accountability, and ensuring that resources are directed where they matter most: to students, parents, and teachers,” McMahon said in a release. University spokesperson Shannon McClendon said the University prioritizes students’ access to timely financial aid without delays and that students should continue to apply with support from GW’s financial assistance team. She said the University will continue to share information through GW’s weekly federal update emails and the federal agency guidance
website, while remaining in compliance with the law. The University is as “steadfast as ever” and “unwavering” in its commitment to providing an inclusive and equitable environment for students including through its anti-discrimination policies, accessible reporting mechanisms, specialized educational programs on religious tolerance, investigative procedures and comprehensive support services, McClendon said. “Above all, the University upholds its educational mission, ensuring every community member feels welcome, prepared and empowered to reach their full academic potential,” McClendon said in an email. Officials said they have not scheduled meetings with the Trump administration since the Department of Justice antisemitism task force announced earlier this month that it will visit GW and nine other universities that they said have experienced “antisemitic incidents” following the onset of the war in Gaza. See DEPARTMENT Page 5
LEXI CRITCHETT | ASSISTANT PHOTO EDITOR The U.S. Department of Education located on C Street in Southwest D.C. WHAT’S
INSIDE
NEWS Aspiring Student Government Association presidential candidate Ethan Lynne pleads guilty to campaigning in restricted zones. Page 2
COLLAGE BY ARWEN CLEMANS Head Coach Chris Caputo describes competing in the Crown as a natural step in men’s basketball’s progression.
Las Vegas bound, Caputo to roll dice on Revs in new postseason tournament BEN SPITALNY SPORTS EDITOR
Men’s basketball Head Coach Chris Caputo was an assistant coach at the University of Miami when his team lost to Stanford University in the finals of the National Invitational Tournament in 2015. The next year, the team earned a bid to the NCAA Tournament as a No. 3 seed and made the Sweet Sixteen, losing to the eventual champions, Villanova University. With a trip to the newly formed College Basketball Crown Tournament in Las Vegas on March 31 — the first time the team will play in a postseason tournament since 2017 — Caputo said he’s trying to emulate Miami’s “progression” in Foggy Bottom. “In my experience, teams that do well in these tournaments, NIT and now the Crown, they’re poised to build some confidence for the future,” Caputo said. In his third year at the helm of the program, the team finished more than .500 in overall play for the first time, going 21-12 ahead of their first Crown matchup against Boise State University. The 21 wins are the team’s most since 2016, when the Mike Lonergancoached team went 28-10 and
OPINIONS The editorial board argues students and faculty must push against threats posed by Trump to fill voids left by officials. Page 6
won the NIT. Caputo said competing in the Crown is a natural step in the program’s growth, especially considering the notoriety of the event, being nationally televised and containing reputable basketball programs, like Georgetown and Villanova universities. This will be the first year of the Crown tournament, which Fox Sports created. The field of 16 teams includes automatic bids given to the top teams from the Big East, Big 12 and Big Ten who did not make the NCAA tournament and atlarge bids to teams from other conferences. Athletes will play all games in Las Vegas and the tournament will feature a NIL prize of $500,000 for semi finalists and finalists. “To get invited by Fox to their event in Las Vegas, with a field filled with big, power conference brands and then somebody like Boise, who’s been a perennial NCAA team, we feel like we’ve gained some momentum behind some of the success of this year, given where the program was,” Caputo said. Their first-round opponent, Boise State, has a 44 NET ranking — the highest in the Crown field and currently above teams like those at Xavier and Vanderbilt universities who picked up at-large bids to the NCAA
CULTURE Meet a trio of GW student baristas as they spill the beans on their life behind the coffee counter. Page 7
tournament. Coming from the Mountain West Conference, Boise State has made the NCAA tournament three of the past four years, despite spending less than $5 million dollars annually on the program, on par with the last year of available data from GW’s spending. Every NCAA tournament team this year above a 10 seed spends at least $6 million annually on its basketball programs, according to Sportico. The NCAA men’s basketball selection committee named the 24-10 Broncos one of the first four teams out of the NCAA tournament field, picked over in favor of teams from tougher conferences but worse records, like the University of North Carolina, who entered the tournament 22-13. Caputo said he’s trying to mirror the recent success from a mid-major program, like Boise State, at GW. “That’s a program that has been to three NCAA tournaments in a row, that has competed at the very top of a great league in the Mountain West,” Caputo said. “It’s a measuring stick for us to see where we are against a program that is always competing and reaching an NCAA tournament.” See SEASON Page 8
SPORTS Gymnastics brings home its fourth EAGL championship in the last decade after securing a win in Philadelphia on Saturday. Page 8